Wits network upgrade delayed
Students have mixed emotions towards the network upgrade project. (more…)
5 things you need to know about WiFi at Wits
1. The WiFi hotspots on campus
The university is currently busy with plans to expand the network to residences, teaching venues, offices and public spaces that do not have WiFi access, according to the director of the Computer Network Services Xolani Hadebe.
A map showing the Wi-Fi hotspots on campus. Photo: Wits University Knowledge and Information Management
2. Safety comes first
Unprotected WiFi networks can be risky; here are some tips to keep your information safe from the Director of the Computer Network Services (CNS) of Wits University, Xolani Hadebe
- Change your password regularly- monthly if possible
- Never share passwords with students, staff or technicians
- The passwords should be complex and should have capitals, numbers and a special character
- Be aware of phishing emails. The university will never ask to verify passwords or credentials
- Turn the auto-connect settings on your device off
- Install anti-virus software on to all devices including mobile devices
- Be aware of downloading from unsecure sites that often lure you in with free content
3. Campus WiFi speed
The speed of the connection differs depending on the traffic on the WiFi network. The highest number of devices connected at the same time on the Wits WiFi has been 5000 to 5500, according to the CNS’s assistant director Rosa Kotsiovos. However no policy has yet been introduced to limit the amount of devices that a user can register, according to the CNS’s assistant director Hanish Patel.
4. WiFi terms explained
Network- A wireless local area is known as WLAN and allows two or more devices to communicate using radio waves instead of wires
Access point- This is a central device that broadcasts a WiFi signal to connect to devices
Router- This is a wireless access point that allows a network of wireless devices to communicate
Security Type- The wireless network is protected by authorized access by security protocols that provide stronger data protection. The most popular being WEP, WPA and WPA2
Signal Level- This is the strength of the radio waves that transfer signal and is usually measure in decibels
5. Do Witsie’s use the campus WiFi?
Sabelo Makagbo inside University Corner at Wits University. Photo: Tanisha Heiberg
Sabelo Makagbo said, “No because technology is too hard for me to comprehend…I don’t even know how to [connect to WiFi].”
Tahlia Govender on East Campus at Wits University. Photo: Tanisha Heiberg
Tahlia Govender said, “Yes…it works pretty well but I think depending on what you are doing…it doesn’t seem to load things fast enough.”
Still not connected to WiFi?
If you are tech savvy you can set up your own device by clicking here and following the instructions.
Alternatively you can take your device to the Library Computer Services from Monday to Thursday between 14:00 and 15:00, for help setting up your wireless devices.
OPINION: Addicted to social media, and loving it!
ANTI-SOCIAL?: Recent anti-social media campaigns have criticised ‘Generation Y’ of being out of touch with the world. Photo: Lameez Omarjee
Hi, my name is Lameez and I am addicted to social media.
They say the first step to recovery is admission. Only, I am not in denial and I have no plans to recover.
I think Mark Zuckerberg is gangsta and the only regret I have is not dropping out of school to start a multi-billion dollar company by the age of 23, myself. If this journalism thing does not work out, I am asking Mark for a job, to finally put my other degree to good use.
Anti-social media campaigns have ironically gone viral. I have watched the videos. I recognise myself, looking at the screens and not “being in touch” with the world.
But these anti-social initiatives are not the most objective videos telling only one side of a story which on its own sounds ominous for future generations.
The video where the man misses the chance to meet the love of his life because he is too busy looking down at his screen and subsequently misses the feeling of holding his grandson in his arms, thirty years later is so overly dramatic! I can Google tons of people who found love on the internet, they are all on Craigslist.
People say social media makes you anti-social. What the “deuce?” (I learnt that from reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s, Sherlock Holmes, so, contrary to popular belief, I do actually read).
Sure, I hate it when my dad does not hear what I am saying because he is too busy playing Candy Crush on his iPad, but have you ever played Candy Crush? Have you watched a vine? Do you know what YouTube can teach you?
I use Google and Wikipedia to expand my general knowledge and using that knowledge I contribute to an international community of bloggers where I get to exchange ideas with talented writers and learn to improve my own work.
“Each day the number of avenues for you to express yourself creatively on the web are growing.”
”
I am more in touch with the world because of social media.
As an introvert, social media has given me opportunities to voice my opinions appropriately assertively, on platforms where people with differing values and perceptions can engage with me.
I know the closest relationship I have is with my smartphone. But at least he does not hang out in other people’s pockets. And when he gets boring I can always replace him with a better model.
Endless WiFi woes at Wits
ITS A STRUGGLE: Kgothatso Mamabolo, 2nd year BSc struggles to secure his WiFi connection.
Photo: Luke Matthews
Wits students are finding the WiFi coverage on campus far from satisfactory – and are not likely to see an improvement for at least the rest of this year.
Internet accessibility and reliability has become an increasing issue as the growing cost of staying connected has led many students to rely heavily on campus WiFi. Computer staff at Wits recognise the problem, but “budget constraints” and the fact that the “budgetary cycle has passed this year”, mean improvements will not happen before next year.
Acting director of Computer and Network Services (CNS), Xolani Hadebe, said the department was in the process of completing a blueprint. This is “a plan which looks at what needs to be done at the university to improve the WiFi systems [and] get blanket coverage of the whole university”. The blueprint would also assess how much work needed to be done to improve WiFi on campus.
CNS understood the need for accessible WiFi, he added. “WiFi is mandatory”. Commenting on the availability of WiFi at different hotspots around campus, Naeem Vallee, 1st year MBBCh, said the best place to get strong WiFi signal was at the Matrix. “It’s pretty fast when you get it but it’s not always accessible. When it’s too slow I have to use my own mobile data which is inconveniencing.”
Nishal Dullabh, 1st year MBBCh, said he did not use the Wits WiFi often because of the difficult registration process. Other students reported using mobile data because the WiFi access points were few and far between. There was no accessibility in some of the lecture halls in Umthombo building, Senate House basement and the Oppenheimer Life Sciences building.
Princess Khumalo, 3rd year BA, said: “It’s a problem if you’re in class and you want to follow [the lecture] along with the slides [which are posted online for students]. It would help if they could just make the network more accessible in places that are underground.”
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