Wireless at UW-Madison

1
Wireless at UW-Madison

• What the new service offers
• Deployment status
• Guest wireless
• On the horizon

2
What the new service does

• New service addresses current limitations
• No longer an IP subnet per building
• Allows much greater efficiency of IP utilization
• Allows for a very migratory user population
• No longer different SSID per building
• Allows roaming between campus facilities
• Consistent user experience regardless of location
• Improved performance with 802.11n
• Better throughput and RF spectrum utilization

3
Deployment status

• Currently in Phase 2 of 3 planned deployment
  phases
• Phase 1 upgraded wireless in Libraries and
  Student Unions
• Phase 2 concentrating on buildings geographically
  close to those completed during Phase 1 and on
  buildings with the greatest need
• Phase 3 is intended to complete upgrades in
  nearly all remaining Campus buildings

4
Deployment status Phase 1

• Libraries and Student Unions
• These facilities have the largest user
  populations and had the highest demand for robust
  wireless service
• The migration to the new service in these
  facilities was completed by May 1st, 2011

5
Deployment status Phase 2

• Buildings close to Phase 1 locations
• Buildings were chosen to attempt to make the user
  experience as seamless as possible
• Buildings with a high likelihood of experiencing
  problems due to IP exhaustion have been included
• The migration to the new service in these
  facilities is expected to be completed by May
  1st, 2012
• The new service has already absorbed roughly 50
  of the total wireless users on campus

6
Deployment status Phase 3

• Remaining campus buildings
• Starting summer of 2012
• Buildings with the most access issues for
  performing the work
• Athletics facilities are difficult to schedule
• Departments with multiple facilities like to have
  all of their buildings cut-over as close to the
  same time as possible
• Buildings that have demonstrated the least growth
  on the legacy service

7
Guest wireless

• A need for improved guest access to the campus
  wireless service was identified
• The Provost has sponsored a pilot project at the
  Student Unions to address this need
• The pilot service provides improvements for
  guests and the campus community
• The process for guests gaining access to wireless
  has been greatly simplified
• Campus users are able to authenticate with their
  NetID for up to a semester

8
On the horizon

• Deploying improved guest access service
• Evaluating expansion of pilot in Unions
• EDUROAM (authenticated higher-Ed visitors)
• Researching potential opportunities to enable
  commercial providers to sell guest access on UW
  wireless network (UW receives some revenue)
• Evaluating use of UW infrastructure to support
  commercial wireless providers to improve
  in-building coverage and capacity (for a fee)

9
On the horizon

• Expanded outdoor coverage in selected areas
• Wireless security improvements (e.g. 802.1x)
• Improved performance (802.11ac)