The University has added wireless access points to various areas on campus, allowing people with a wireless card in their computer to access the Internet without directly connecting to an ethernet port.Wireless access is now available in the Usdan Student Center, Shapiro Campus Center, Sherman Dining Hall and the main quad lounges.

Last year, Computer Operators Group (COG) went before the A-board (now the F-board) asking for money to pilot a wireless program on Campus. COG received a grant with about $400 going toward the wireless program.

Along with ITS, COG coordinated the installation of a wireless access point in the Usdan Caf.

"We chose Usdan because it is a high traffic area in the middle of campus," said Adam Batkin '06, one of the students in charge of COG.

Some wireless access points were installed unannounced last spring in Usdan.

Danny Silverman '05, another leader of COG, said, "we didn't even announce that there was wireless in Usdan, and we saw people sitting in the caf with their laptops, going online. That's how we knew it was working, and that's how we knew students wanted it."

Members of the Student Union Executive Board then asked Peter French, executive vice president and chief operating officer, to have wireless expanded.

French said that wireless was a high priority. He met with Perry Hanson, the head of Information Technology Services (ITS), and together they agreed to accelerate the wireless program on campus.

"I met with [Hanson] ... we looked at wireless ... we accelerated the plan to get wireless on campus ... and that's what we did," French said.

The wireless access points on campus are part of the package Brandeis received from Cisco Systems with the new phone system.

Installing wireless access points was made easier in new buildings by planning their construction to incorporate the possibility of wireless access.

In older buildings, wireless installations were more complicated.

"It's a work of art," said Hanson, of wiring access points, "since every building is different."

According to Hanson, ITS workers went around with to test the strength of the wireless signal from various access points.

"The goal is to have the broadest range for every access point and to get the best efficiency," Hanson said, noting that it is better and cheaper to have one access point that works well instead of several with shorter ranges.

According to Silverman, 100 wireless access points were acquired from Cisco, while only 13 have been used.

"[The Administration] wants student input for what to do with the remaining 87," Silverman said.

Silverman said there is likely to be a poll during the upcoming Student Union elections, asking for students' opinions as to where wireless should be expanded.

"[The question is] how are we going to best serve the needs of Brandeis and its students?"

Hanson said it is unlikely that wireless in classrooms could be problematic, due to the high demand it would put on the wireless access points in the classroom.

Similar problems apply with putting wireless access in residence halls.

Hanson said that the ethernet in dorm rooms log students onto the Internet at a speed of 100 megabytes (MB) per second. A wireless connection only connects at 11 MB per second.

Hanson said he envisions students being able to use their computers outdoors, both along the paths between various buildings and within quads.

"[I see] students sitting outside on a lawn, surfing the net ... checking e-mail, surfing, even working on homework," Hanson said.

Newer buildings on campus like the Shapiro Campus Center and the Village were built to be conducive to putting in wireless access and other future technologies.