Central Campus goes wireless
Jan. 6, 2009
Duke’s Office of Information Technology delivered a much-anticipated improvement for Central Campus over the winter break: wireless connectivity.
OIT staff installed about 300 wireless access points (WAPs) in an 802.11g network in buildings across the 200-acre campus, which includes the Nasher Museum of Art, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and apartments for about 1,000 students. An access point consists of hardware that acts as the gateway to the wireless network.
“We were looking for an extended time frame when the rooms would be empty, so there would be the least disruption for students,” said Bob Johnson, senior director of communications infrastructure.
The Central Campus network supports bandwidth up to 54 Mbps, using equipment reallocated from other parts of campus, and is compatible with the newer 802.11n wireless network deployed in 2008 on East and West campuses.
“The service will work transparently with service on the rest of the campus,” Johnson said.