Cal State Long Beach’s Wi-Fi system will be upgraded to double speed and limit login requirement frequency, in a process that should be complete within the next two months, said Steve La, director of network services.
“Beachnet+ uses the best Wi-Fi security technology available today,” La said. “With the new Beachnet+, the students won’t have to be frustrated after the class with logging in again once they were logged in before the class.”
La, who is also the director of CSULB’s Network, Telecommunications and Security department, announced that Information Technology Services (ITS) is deploying a new Wi-Fi system called Beachnet+.
The new service will use IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.1x standards to enhance the security of the wireless network so that users will not be required to sign in every time they access the Internet. The service should also support newer operating systems like Windows 7, Mac OSX and those found on any smart phone.
Junior graphic design major Charlie Kim said he was happy to hear the news — he said he was one of many students who was annoyed with frequent logins to the current Beachnet.
“I’m glad that there will be an upgrade,” Kim said. “I had to type in my ID and password so many times with my iPhone.”
Department of journalism and mass communication chair Chris Burnett said he is waiting for the change, but remains skeptical.
“I heard it is coming, and the university has assured us the transition will be painless,” Burnett said. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
The numbers of unique Beachnet service users during the month of September increased twofold, reaching a new record of 20,193, in comparison to September 2009, according to a statistic collected by ITS.
ITS just added 175 wireless access points to meet the wireless Internet service usage demand.
CSULB currently has 854 access points, the most in the Cal State University system.
“CBA lecture hall is the busiest place on campus with mobile users,” La said. “At the start of the fall 2011 semester, we finished upgrading services by double the capacity at that location to meet the demand.”
ITS is not in control of buildings such as the University Student Union, dorms, parking structures or the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, because they are not state-owned buildings.
“Our network engineers continue to monitor and add capacity on our campus Wi-Fi networks to meet mobile connectivity demand,” La said. “We will continue to enhance security to protect our students and mobile users.”
The current Beachnet will be available after the launch of Beachnet+ to support guest access and older devices that cannot take advantage of the new Internet service.
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