Castleton Spartan

Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: campus Life

Computer problems can be a nightmare and can sometime mean spending hours on the phone with an Indian computer technician pretending to be in the U.S. But a problem facing some students trying to access the new wireless network is a quick fix according to Jonathan Czar, the network administrator for the campus.

The problem arose after the campus acquired a new type of network. Last year, the wireless access in the library allowed everyone to use the same name and password while this new one requires authentication from each user. In other words, everyone needs his or her own username and password in order to wirelessly connect throughout the campus.

According to Czar this new network is much better in terms of security because it prevents intruders from intercepting information being sent by other legitimate users.

"The computer is probably trying to use the default settings from previous wireless networks they have accessed," he said about the students who couldn't connect.

The solution could be as simple as unchecking a box somewhere that shouldn't be checked, and while it is a universal problem, Macintosh systems seem to handle it better in many instances.

In some cases students may simply be receiving a weak signal because of their location, especially in some of the dormitories. According to Czar, Ellis Hall was harder to set up which lead to less than perfect coverage throughout the building.

"This can only be solved with more access points which we can set up once we get more money," says Czar.

Czar encourages students to visit the computer services office if they need any assistance, which is exactly what Jeni Chesnut-Tangerman did. As a commuter she is a frequent visitor to the library and couldn't connect to the wireless network. After a quick trip to computer services the problem was solved.

"It was annoying," she said, "but it works now, which is good."

In regards to the future of the wireless network she says she would love to see wireless printing while Jonathan Czar says by next summer the college hopes to extend wireless services to the academic buildings.

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