Yalies unplugged

A laptop can be one of the best distractions during a boring lecture-- that is, with the use of Minesweeper, Solitaire, maybe even Doom. Yet most Yalies would agree that a much better diversion would be a computer with an Internet connection, one of the best distractions when writing a paper at 3:00 a.m. Moving away from the simplistic joys of Solitaire, one could turn to Napster (or, for Yale students, Scour), e-mail or maybe even the course website. For undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon University, College of Mount St. Joseph, the University of Oregon and a handful of other schools around the country, this is a reality provided by a development called wireless Internet.

Daniel Updegrove, University Director of Information Technology Services (ITS) at Yale, identifies four different types of wireless Internet. Undoubtedly the most familiar of these involves personal Internet access through cell phones or pagers. Such devices, especially when equipped with some form of keyboard, allow a user to send and read email essentially anywhere in the world. The other three types of wireless are those that would most likely be chosen to serve the Yale campus. Yale already uses a wireless connection when it buys or leases a building far from the central campus. In such a case, the building is sometimes connected to the network using "point-to-point, 'line of sight' wireless," according to Updegrove. Another type of wireless service would involve providing a service for home networks in off-campus housing or for Yale families. Wireless, says Updegrove, would allow roommates or family members with multiple computers to connect to a dial-up, ADSL or cable modem in a "quick, uncomplicated, aesthetic way."

Wireless Ethernet requires a network of radio-based access points, or 'base stations,' connected to a local wired network. Laptop users wishing to log on to the wireless network use a wireless network interface card, similar to an Ethernet card, installed on their computers to communicate with the network using radio frequencies. The differences between wireless and wired Ethernet are similar to the differences between cell phones and traditional phones; the wireless counterpart offers freedom, while the wired device generally provides a more reliable service.

The most obvious advantage of a wireless network would be in allowing users to use the Internet flexibly, in many situations-- outside, in the hallway, in common rooms and in libraries. Wireless is also more cost effective, says Updegrove, in places such as dining halls, common rooms and libraries, where "use is likely to be intermittent." In this case, only one Ethernet connection to the existing wired method is needed; there would therefore be no need for the installation of numerous Ethernet jacks and other equipment.

Students at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)-- where the wireless program called Wireless Andrew has been in development since 1994-- definitely see advantages in the use of a wireless network. According to Donald Sullivan, a mechanical engineer at CMU, wireless Ethernet is "unparalleled in convenience for laptops and hand-held [computers]."

Many users have found other uses for the technology in classes and meetings. Last year, CMU offered a Rapid Prototyping class specifically geared toward creating applications based on the wireless Ethernet infrastructure at the university. Chris Lin, CMU class of 2000, used the wireless Internet during class to "stay awake," but also to follow along on the latest version of the Power Point lecture notes. According to Jim Schuma, a junior at CMU, there are usually a few people in his classes who bring laptops equipped with wireless Internet. Of course, he notes, it usually seems as if "they're just browsing the web." Chi Shen, also a junior at CMU, notes that one could follow along on the course website, reviewing the syllabus, assignments and lecture notes. Lin also used the technology to upload minutes from the meetings of extracurricular activities directly onto the web and to check university calendars on the web so that events could be appropriately planned.

But the uses of wireless Internet extend far outside the classroom. "Walk down pretty much any hallway [at CMU] and you'll see people sitting on the floor with a laptop and their . . . wireless cards," said Schuma. Universities with wireless programs are also developing so-called virtual clusters. These are an alternative to normal computer clusters with desktops; at a virtual computer cluster, a student can check out a laptop with a wireless card. Students can then collaborate on assignments in groups, discussing information they find on the Internet. Shen explains that he brings his laptop to lounges and other places on campus where he can work, undistracted.

At Yale, there are plans to develop a more complete wireless network as well. The first trials are to begin this fall, said Updegrove, in locations such as the School of Management, in the Hall of Mirrors and central quad, where the need for such a service is the greatest. Additionally, Updegrove mentioned, "One or more library locations may be offered." ITS is also likely to provision the dining halls or quads of one or more residential colleges. Updegrove said that the current approach is to "identify high payoff 'circles of connectivity' that the Yale community can experiment with." Then, as more and more users begin using wireless, new base stations will be added.

While many students at Yale may not have even heard of a wireless network, those who have are impressed. Molly Worthen, JE '03, explains that a wireless network would allow her to "take advantage of [her] laptop a lot more." "Sixty to seventy percent of what I do on my computer involves the Internet," said Worthen, making wireless network ideal. Shibani Mukerji, MC '04, notes that it would be nice because "you wouldn't be confined to your room, which would be especially while you're doing research."

There are, naturally, some problems involved with the use of such a new network. According to Lin, the network slows when there is a lot of congestion. He also noted that some classrooms "are just too far away" from an access point to be useful. Undoubtedly, if many students used the network to do things such as downloading MP3s, the service would be weakened. Wireless data transmission is also slower-usually 11 megabits per second shared by all users of one access point. (A typical user of a conventional Ethernet connection receives 10 or 100 megabits per second transmission).

A better coverage system would also need to be developed if networks such as these were to be created across the country. At Cornell University, where the wireless service is not as exhaustive as at CMU, there are already nearly 100 access points covering just 745 acres. And this number of access points is not enough to allow users to walk from building to building without disconnecting from the network. Updegrove explained that trials at CMU have proven that attempting to provide "'saturation' wireless coverage with no 'dead zones' would be extremely difficult and very costly.

Updegrove states that wireless networks are "currently considered to be complements rather than replacements" to wired Ethernet networks. "Students [at CMU] still use normal hardwired Ethernet for desktops," stated Sullivan. Laptop users also continue to use wired Ethernet because there is currently no coverage for dorms. As of now, explains Shen, the service reaches most buildings "and a little bit of the area immediately outside." The wired Ethernet connection is also still much faster and less likely to be slowed by excessive traffic, leaving the use of wireless Ethernet for work outside of dorm rooms.

In the end, while the Ethernet connections that we have at Yale are much faster than any dial-up connection that most people have in their homes, a wireless Ethernet network could present another layer of flexibility in using the Internet. Though the speed, coverage and capacity of wireless networks still need to be developed to reach the standards of wired Ethernet, the technology could be very beneficial to laptop users. And soon, perhaps, instead of playing Minesweeper during class, students will be able to play a network game of Hearts.

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