Wireless Networking Tips
The wireless networks are like a cell phone in terms of signal. Some places work really well, other places not so well, with lots of factors that can change at any given time. A couple of things to keep in mind:
1. Signal strength and signal quality are typically measured with "bars" that the client software and installed card detect, using a 5 bar system.
- 5 bars = excellent
- 4 bars = very good
- 3 bars = good
- 2 bars = fair
- 1 bar = poor or marginal
2. Signal strength is the measure of received radio wave strength and, while more is always better, even a fair signal will provide good network connectivity. Strength will vary by moving around much like a cell phone and can be improved greatly with an external antenna. Some wireless cards provide an external antenna connector on the card. We highly recommend these cards in areas of low or poor signal strength along with the small antenna available for such cards.
3. Signal quality is the measure of dropped packets, due to reflections and dual transmission paths which affect all radio signals. Quality is the more important factor if there is sufficient signal strength (marginal or better) for connectivity. Quality cannot be controlled; it is a factor of radio waves and changing conditions. Quality is, by far, the better choice for finding the optimum location of your PC, as a poor quality signal will result in many transmission retries and errors that not only provide slow network response to the computer but also tends to slow the entire wireless network down due to the additional traffic congestion.
4. Most of the wireless access on campus is designed to cover about 90% of the interior spaces. However, in the reshalls, we have some buildings that are not overly conducive to wireless access. We consider the wireless networks to be supplementary and therefore provide a wired network connection for every student in every hall. Don't be afraid to move your computer around a little in your locations — even distances of a few feet can make tremendous differences in network connectivity on the wireless.
5. Lastly, bodies, metal structures/furniture, cordless phones, microwave ovens, even weather conditions all affect the wireless service. (If you have a cordless phone that shares the 2.4GHz radio band, try moving the base or turning it off to see if affects the network.) Wireless networks transmit over radio waves, and are prone to all sorts of interference and varying quality conditions. Just think about the "Can you hear me now?" cell phone commercials.
Other things to know about your computer and the wireless network:
- To connect to the St. Olaf wireless network, allow your computer to scan for a wireless network and connect to the one called "STOWLAN". Alternatively, configure your computer to scan for the SSID "STOWLAN".
- Some clients need to told to scan for the network if they've been connected to one at home or somewhere else, since it may try to use that first. Others, if new, may have some setup configurations to detect the network. All the software is different so IIT can't say how to find the scan portion or particular settings, but it's generally in the enabling of the radio/connection, usually under configs or settings. Also, most client configurations work out of the box, but any options with wording that deals with "bridging or bridge mode" should be turned off or disabled! The correct settings will say "ad hoc" or "infrastructure".
- If you are having difficulties accessing the wireless networks, you can try editing the settings for your network card. This can usually be done (in Windows) by opening your network connections and right-clicking on the wireless network connection.
- There are usually other settings in the client radio that one can tweak with, namely radio performance and transmission strength. We recommend you set them to auto performance and maximum strength. Alternatively, you can enable maximum performance, though this will deplete a laptop's battery more quickly.
- We can't stress enough, if you are in a wireless enabled area, but are receiving a poor signal, try moving around or pointing the antenna for your wireless card in a different direction. This will solve most problems.
- Information sent over our wireless network is not secure and is not automatically encrypted. We do not recommend using the wireless network for financial transactions or for items of a personal or confidential nature. See Enabling SSL for Email Readers for information about using a secure connection to read your email.
More information about the St. Olaf Wireless LAN.