By Brooke Solaris, Contributing Writer
UMass Dartmouth Switches to a Broader Wi-Fi Network. UMass Dartmouth switched to the faster, more secure Eduroam wi-fi system on August 15, 2017.
The Computing and Information Technology Services department (CITS) worked to ensure that students and faculty have “quick and easy Internet access,” said Richard Pacheco, the Assistant Director of Networking.
Educational Roaming (Eduroam) is a “globally federated network” created in 2002 and regulated by multiple academic communities, like colleges around the world. It is currently used “in over 90 countries,” said Pacheco. Eduroam’s website states that it focuses on “providing easy Internet access to international research and educational communities.”
Students are automatically connected to the new network, making it simpler to connect to both the campus wi-fi and Eduroam networks in other colleges, Pacheco said. The service also uses encrypted wireless access, ensuring that the network is secure.
Student reviews of the change are mixed.
“Before, I could walk outside and be connected to the wi-fi [on my phone], and now I can’t,” said Molly Fritchey, a second-year student living on campus. Fritchey states that she attempted to connect to Eduroam five times on her laptop before it would work properly.
However, Erin Snitzer, a five-year student living on campus who is a Learning Commons Assistant, said that connection problems like Fritchey’s were eventually resolved by CITS. Snitzer said that the new wi-fi “allows the UMass system…to become more cohesive” with other colleges outside the community and all over the world
Pacheco assures that “Eduroam has been beneficial to everyone, students and faculty,” and that CITS “continues to grow [the] wireless network to improve the signal across campus.”
Eduroam access points have already been installed across campus in key locations, such as dormitories, the library, Science and Engineering, and the Liberal Arts building. Smaller buildings, such as Dion, and the outside quad are next on the agenda.
Richard Pacheco
Assistant Director of Networking
Email: rpacheco@umassd.edu
Tel. 508.910.6988
Erin Snitzer
Five-Year Student, LCA
Email: esnitzer@umassd.edu