A large number of BYU students depend on the university provided Wi-Fi Internet service. Sadly, however, these services are severely lacking on BYU campus. All individuals who use BYU Internet have two choices — BYU Secure and BYU Guest. Most people rely on the BYU Guest network, and there are a large number of places where it isn’t available.
On the north side of the Joseph Smith Building, the tantalizing BYU Guest signals some laptops pick up only end with a disappointing “Connection Timeout.” In the JFSB basement, aside from a few classrooms near the east stairs, the entire floor doesn’t have service. The Eyring Science Center has many hotspot holes. Large sections of the upper floors in the HFAC are bereft of a wireless Internet connection, and the MARB Wi-Fi is notoriously unpredictable.
The need to send off an important email or access an assignment on Blackboard is increasingly important in BYU classrooms since many documents, assignment changes and teacher notices updates can only be viewed online. As a result, I believe Wi-Fi should be accessible from any part of any major building on campus, excluding the Testing Center. This should not be a difficult feat either; it just requires installing a few more routers in strategic locations around campus where Wi-Fi is currently unavailable.
For the most part, BYU Internet service is excellent, and the high speed BYU Secure Wi-Fi network is wonderfully convenient (even though it is not available everywhere BYU Guest Wi-Fi is available). When the Wi-Fi footprint on campus covers every classroom on campus, you and I, and the thousands of others who use BYU wireless Internet will be extremely grateful.
BENJAMIN SCHMIDT
Sandy
