The Wireless for Students project (IP:AI Initiative 3400) has delivered a high speed, wireless network across 11 distinct CSU locations. This new wireless solution provides faster and more reliable access to the Internet and CSU network services, using a wider range of wireless devices, from anywhere on campus. This project wais student-focused, with the key drivers being to improve accessibility, coverage and functionality.

The old wireless network is structured into 'hot-spots' where access to wireless services is restricted to specific areas. Investing in new wireless infrastructure, and utilising the latest wireless technology (802.11n), has allowed us to significantly increase wireless coverage and capacity. The whole CSU community (students, staff and guests) can now obtain access from a wider range of locations on campus, but also from a wider range of devices (mobiles, smart phones, netbooks, PDAs as well as laptops).

Funding

BURF funding of $1m has been secured for this project along with an additional $1m from the CSU Communications Services fund, giving a total budget of $2m.

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The new wireless solution represents a major advance over the previous system.

The advantages of the new solution and the benefits that it delivers to the CSU community, especially the student body, are highlighted below.

Coverage is extensive. Instead of being isolated to specific locations (hotspots) coverage extends across each campus, including outdoor areas.

The provision of outdoor coverage is a key feature of this new solution. Over 50 outdoor access points have been implemented delivering coverage to communal outdoor areas, walkways and in many cases car parks. CSU is utilising Motorola’s outdoor solution which delivers industry leading external wireless coverage. Internal access points also deliver coverage beyond the confines of the buildings in which they are mounted.

Utilising 802.11n technology means significant increases in speed. Users can now enjoy speeds of up to 6 times that of the current system.

In addition to advances with speed the solution has been designed to ensure that the required capacity is accommodated, especially for those high traffic areas such as lecture theatres and learning spaces. User capacity has been defined for all of these areas and the solution ensures that not only will they be able to connect to the network concurrently, but each user will enjoy speeds of 1.5Mbps as a minimum.

A much greater variety of wireless devices can now access the wireless network – including those that do not support encryption. Any wireless-capable device that has a web browser will be able to connect. However, we strongly recommend that all users utilise the encrypted network (CSUconnect). In addition to offering greater security it also allows for access to a wider range of CSU network applications and services. Most Wi-Fi devices now support encryption, including iPhones, iPod Touch, Blackberries and iPads.

Staff can also now use their own (non-CSU provided) devices to access the network without incurring the current $2 a day fee. This major change in DIT policy and has been instigated to improve accessibility for the whole CSU community. Naturally, not all CSU services are accessible when using a non-CSU provided device. Security requirements necessitate that some corporate applications and services can only be accessed via the wireless network when using a CSU imaged device. The Access & Security section below highlights what services can be accessed, by whom and with what device..

Configuration of devices to access the encrypted, main wireless network (CSUconnect) is no longer a manual process. This solution incorporates an auto-configuration tool that completes the process. This only needs to occur once and from then on, whenever the device is in range of the CSUconnect network, it will automatically connect.

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Access to the new CSU wireless solution is open to anyone with a Wi-Fi device and an active CSU account.

Access the
Wireless Network Setup here

What can be accessed via the wireless network is governed by the nature of the device and your relationship to CSU. The tables below demonstrate who and what can access CSU's encrypted wireless network (CSUconnect) and the un-encrypted network (install-CSUconnect). They also provide scenarios highlighting accessibility.

A detailed matrix describing the accessibility and security of the new network can be reviewed here

CSU Wireless Networks

	Install-CSUconnect	CSUconnet	eduroam
Compatible Devices	Any Wi-Fi capable device with a browser application*	Any Wi-Fi capable device with a browser application*	Any Wi-Fi capable device with a browser application*
Encrypted?
Need a CSU account?			A participating eduroam member account, other than CSU, is required
Internet Access
CSU Publc Network Access	(excludes those areas requiring password access)
CSU Corporate Network Access		if using CSU provided device & appropriate account

* supports 802.11a, g or n

Access Scenarios

	Install-CSUconnect	CSUconnect	eduroam (at CSU)
CSU Student with iPhone		(preferred option)
Staff member with CSU laptop
Staff member with personal laptop
Student with Library (loan) laptop
Student with personal laptop		(preferred option)
Guest with personal laptop **		(preferred option)
Student with iPad (Wi-Fi model)		(preferred option)
Guest from another University*** using laptop

**Guest will require a CSU login account

***assumes University is an eduroam partipant

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• May 2010:
  Goulburn go-live. Modified version of solution implemented to accommodate need to get a solution in place for 2010 intake. Successfully completed. Over 40 Access Points installed and solution being actively used
• May:
  Design of coverage. Specification of location of Access Points
• June:
  Cabling of new data points for Access Points
  Albury (completed), Thurgoona (completed), Dubbo (Completed), Wagga, Bathurst, Orange
• July/August:
  Migration strategy communicated to CSU Community. Production environment for backend component built and tested. Redundancy of solution tested and validated. Coverage of campuses validated. Go live for main campuses (Wagga, Albury/Thurgoona, Orange, Dubbo and Bathurst).
• August/September:
  Complete cabling for Canberra and go-live. Assessment of network performance including coverage and capacity.

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Physical locations provided with wireless coverage as part of this project:

• Albury Campus - 624 Olive St (and surrounds), Albury NSW 2640
• Thurgoona Campus - Ellis St, Thurgoona, NSW 2640
• Wagga Wagga Main Campus - Boorooma Street, North Wagga NSW 2678
• Wagga Wagga South Campus – Hely Avenue, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
• Bathurst Campus - Panorama Ave, Bathurst NSW 2795
• Bathurst Off-campus Student Residences – Brilliant & Leena Streets, Bathurst NSW 2795
• Dubbo Campus - Tony McGrane Place, Dubbo NSW 2830
• Orange Campus - Leeds Parade, Orange NSW 2800
• Goulburn – School of Policing Studies - McDermott Drive, Goulburn NSW 2580
• Canberra – 15 Blackhall Street, Barton ACT 2600

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The performance of CSUconnect can be affected by interference from neighbouring wireless devices, including personal wireless routers and access points. Additionally, such equipment can also have security implications for the CSU network as a whole.

To help ensure that CSUconnect operates optimally and security risks are minimized the new wireless solution will monitor, and in some limited cases automatically disable, nearby personal wireless routers.

We understand that the current, hotspot-based, wireless solution provides only limited coverage and so ad hoc wireless routers have been implemented to extend coverage. The new wireless solution provides significantly more coverage and so should deliver most, if not all, of the wireless connectivity needs of the CSU community.

The table below identifies the type of devices that the new wireless system will detect and the action that it will be take.

To minimize inconvenience, and to help ensure that the new wireless network delivers the functionality provided by any ad hoc, non-CSU managed system, deactivation of some devices that are defined as a security threat (see table below) will not occur until four weeks after CSUconnect goes live. This amnesty period will provide the opportunity for members of the CSU community to contact the project team so we can review any ad hoc wireless installations and confirm that the new network will accommodate that requirement.

Please review the table below and if you have any concerns or questions we encourage you to contact the Wireless for Students project team as soon as possible.

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If you would like any additional information about the Wireless for Students project, or would like to offer some feedback please contact the project team.

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