Some 12 Mississippi State residence halls now have wireless Internet access in lobbies and lobby-area study rooms.
They are among a rapidly growing number of areas at the university now made accessible through a campus project that is overlaying and supplementing the existing wired data network with wireless technology.
"We anticipate expanding the effort into individual residence hall rooms as resources allow," said E. Ann Bailey, director of housing and residence life.
Wireless technology provides slower access than a typical wired network but is much faster than a dial-up modem connection. It supplements traditional wired technology, providing additional flexibility and mobility, said Timothy A. Griffin, director of systems and networks.
"The popularity of laptop computers, as well as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) that now can be used for messaging and text-based Web surfing, has increased interest in developing and expanding wireless access," Griffin explained.
Connection to the MSU wireless network requires a properly configured network adapter and appropriate Virtual Private Network client software. For more information, visit http://www.its.msstate.edu/Services/WirelessNetwork/index.php.
