Edison employees and
students recently became aware of one of the many new technologies
available at Edison. At an information sharing session hosted by
I.T.S., faculty member and Edison Technology Committee member Brad Reed
told other faculty members of the new Wireless Zone available in the
Library area.
Brad indicated that the primary
benefits of the new wireless connectivity are access and freedom. A
single access point can support from 10 to 100 or more simultaneous
users through a single network connection. This allows the support of
many more users than could practically be handled by traditional, wired
connections. In a Wireless Zone, users can have access to th
e
Internet very easily. A desk in the library is Internet access; a table
in the cafeteria. Work, study, play, and collaborate from anywhere
within the Wireless Zone.
Properly equipped laptop computers
can access network functions, including the Internet, via radio signals
up to 150 feet from an access point. Edison is using 802.11b technology,
a protocol completely interoperable with any vendor's equipment that
adheres to the 802.11b format. An inexpensive PC card enables most
current laptops to take advantage of wireless networking.
The first area on the
Edison campus to be designated a Wireless Zone is the Library. The
Library access point enables all of the Library area, plus a fringe
“overflow” area outside the Library. How far from the Library a user
can maintain a viable connection depends on a number of factors,
including distance, interference, number of users, and the particular
hardware setup.
To learn more, please see
the Wireless Zone Web site at:
http://www.edison.cc.oh.us/wireless/
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