Poor internet connection at Brandon University has become an increasingly prevalent issue. Last year, BU students received several emails stating the WiFi is down affecting a wide spectrum of its community, from students striving to access online resources to faculty members delivering lectures, and even administration staff endeavouring to manage various aspects of university operations. This persistent challenge not only disrupts academic activities but also hampers communication and collaboration essential for a thriving academic environment. Addressing this issue is paramount to ensuring an optimal learning and working environments for all members of the Brandon University community. On November 22nd, 2023, I sat down with Melanie Sucha, the information officer at BU who oversees the library, archives, and IT services. Along with Michael LeRoy the coordinator of the network of operations who oversees the foundational pieces to access the internet such as infrastructure, networking, security, cable and more. To discover how internet support works at BU and how students can improve their connection.
Who is the network provider for BU?
Michael LeRoy clarified it’s not as simple as home internet connection. BU uses service providers such as Bell MTS for on campus fiber optics to reach Winnipeg. From there branches of several services providers supply us with research network or commercial internet or access to other universities.
There are two main components of connections, research network and commercial internet. Research network is a private network that flows throughout Canada and the world. Universities, research institutions or commercial enterprises have access. BU receives priority access to Microsoft office 365 our connection on campus is quicker than anywhere else because we have direct access. We use commercial providers in Winnipeg dedicated to non-educational purposes. Our two connections range from 10 gigabits a second, the Winnipeg locations range from 400 gigabits seconds and commercial ones are 40 to 60.
Several students at BU experience problems with the Wi-Fi such as spotty internet, no internet connection at all. Are you aware that this problem exists? And if so, what steps are you taking for improvement?
IT services are aware of the problems students face when connecting to the internet. IT services continuously strive to improve, inquiries are logged and reviewed and then investigated to make changes. Working closely with certain faculty and students who may experience spotty connection or being able to connect but the signal drops on optimizing placement of routers. Melanie Sucha stresses students struggling to onboard their devices to BU_Wireless seek support at the Helpdesk. IT services has a process for onboarding devices into the network securely, however it may not be the easiest process.
Most importantly, Melanie stated students should use BU_Wireless rather than BU_Guess. The reason being BU wireless is more robust and faster connection. Michael and Melanie are working to redevelop the device onboarding procedure and improve security for faculty and students.
What steps can students take to improve their own connection?
Onboarding your devices to BU_Wireless instead of BU_Guess. Because BU_Guess leads to slower commercial internet not designed for regular use and for any assistance go to HELPDESK.
Is distance a reason why students may experience problems with the internet? Obstacles like walls, floors, large metal objects may interfere with connection?
"100%, physical location effects end user experiences the most.” Replied Michael LeRoy.
IT Services do their best to place the access points in the most favorable locations. The end user devices also impact the Wi-Fi experience, a common problem may occur when the end user device automatically connects to the wrong access point, causing poor internet connection for the user when it could be improved with connection to the right access point. Wi-Fi is a two-way communication an access point may be broadcasting to your device; however, the end user device may not broadcast back to the access point. – Michael LeRoy. Melanie Sucha added it’s a nonstop improvement always monitoring, replacing old equipment, and rearranging equipment based on the monitoring and feedback received.
Could a wireless range extender be installed to amplify the wireless connection? And what could we do to make that possible?
No, BU uses a wireless access point cabled into the network and runs through fiber optics. That access point is connected to a router, each access point broadcasts its wireless connection cabled into the same network.
Does BU use the latest Ethernet standard (ex WiFi 5 and the same router)
Yes, campus network is Wi-Fi 5, all of residence is Wi-Fi 6 and the education building was recently upgraded to Wi-Fi 6 and WiFi5 to accommodate all devices. The router directs where traffic goes the wireless access point facilitates the connectivity between your laptop to the physical network. The campus uses Ruckus Wireless as a vendor to supply access points. Ruckus Wireless receives software updates (firmware) that are updated every couple of months. These updates may include performance, security or functional improvements.