Wireless vs. Wired

Everyone loves wireless, and it's certainly convenient. But it does have drawbacks.

The main one is security.  Wireless signals are sent out for anyone to intercept. For general web surfing, this doesn't matter, but if you're sending personal information over a wireless card, it can be concern.  Be careful when using wireless to make sure you have a secure connection when sending any personal data. This can still be intercepted and read, but the data is encrypted and difficult to decrypt.* If you're dealing with highly sensitive information, it's safer to use a wired connection if possible.  The chance of interception is not high, but the consequences could be disastrous.

A second issue is speed. Wireless connections often aren't as fast as a wired ones. This is especially true of older wireless cards.  The new 802.11n standard is rated as being faster than many wired connections, but often doesn't work at its rated speed, and wireless slows down as more people use the same access point (like here at Siena).  You may notice slower download times or choppy video and audio playback. Switching to a wired connection will fix this.

For general use, wireless is a good feature.  But there are specific areas where it's better to have a wired connection that get better speed and security.

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*Not impossible, given enough time, but a hacker is more likely not to bother and look for easier pickings.

Wireless Project Completed

Siena now has upgraded its wireless availability in residence halls and throughout campus. We now have wireless in Hennepin, Hines, Padua, Plassmann, and Ryan Halls.  This is in addition to existing coverage in Serra Hall, the Sarazen Student Center, Standish Library, Roger Bacon and Morell.  A map of the current coverage is at the SienaAir web page. (Note -- in the map, red and blue designates wireless areas).

The system is features new 802.11n access points. This means that you can connect at the highest possible speed.  If you have an older wireless card, it will work fine, but at lower speeds.

We are planning to add wireless to Siena, Foy, Kiernan, MAC, and the Townhouses in 2010.  The Townhouses will have high priority in that project.

What Snew -- Wireless

Over the next few days, I'm going to be talking about what's new here on campus with I&TS.


Let's first talk about wireless. We've expanded wireless coverage on campus.



The red areas on the map indicate wireless managed by I&TS, while the blue areas indicate a network managed by the School of Science. For a bigger picture, see http://www.siena.edu/sienaair.

The network does extend outward from the red areas. On Move-in day, for instance, students in Plassman were often able to get a signal from the access point in the lounge. You may be able to find a signal.

Important! Make sure the id for the network is "SienaAir." Other networks may be wireless cards on nearby computers. Connecting to them could cause problems.