It is easy to see Iowa State is a wired campus – all residence hall rooms have Ethernet connections and numerous computer labs around campus allow speedy access – but Iowa State is gradually losing those wires and freeing students from the confines of buildings.

Currently, campus has more than 60 wireless access points, 40 of them in classrooms, said John Kingland, director of telecommunications.

The Computation Advisory Committee has allocated student computer fees to install 25 additional wireless access points in classrooms, atriums and buildings surrounding Central Campus, Kingland said. Each access point costs about $1,000, plus wiring and electricity, he said.

Adding access points is another step toward making Iowa State a more wireless campus, Kingland said.

“It extends the wireless infrastructure we have to the mobile computing world,” he said.

The university telecommunications department is working with Parks Library, the Memorial Union and all other campus buildings to make wires optional, Kingland said.

Students using a wireless Internet connection may not be connected by wires, but they are vital at the access point.

“Only the last few feet are wireless,” Kingland said.

The access points are small boxes with antennas, he said. The boxes themselves connect to the wired network and convert that wired connection to a radio frequency that “talks” to the radio built into the wireless Ethernet card in a laptop or personal digital assistant.

The wireless access point will be able to communicate to a laptop or personal digital assistant up to 150 feet away, according to the Telecommunications Web site, www.tele.iastate.edu. Outside, communication di

tance is several hundred feet. Transmission speed is usually faster the closer the Ethernet card is to the access point. It is estimated that about 30 users can be active on an access point simultaneously, according to the Web site.

Kingland said network connection speeds will vary depending on the activities of clients using the wireless access points.

The need for wireless Internet access is increasing, Kingland said.

“I think it’s clear that mobile computing is becoming more useful,” he said. “Building the wireless infrastructure on campus, in public areas and on Central Campus is phase one.”

Warren Madden, vice president for Business and Finance, said the Central Campus project is a top priority.

“The wireless access points will provide flexibility for people as the implementation of hand-held computers and laptops is growing,” he said.

“How many students will utilize the access remains to be seen.”

Iowa State consistently has been ranked by Yahoo! Magazine as one of the top 100 most-wired campuses. The addition of wireless technology can only improve that, Madden said.

“Wireless access will be a great addition to campus,” he said. “I think this will continue to keep ISU recognized as one of the universities that is making progress in technology – we’re on the leading edge.”

Academic Information Technologies promotes campus-wide wireless technology.

“The wireless Internet access is a program that is just getting started, so awareness is probably low right now,” Kingland said. “The wireless infrastructure will grow gradually. We need to have that in place. We’re just in the initial phases of installing the access points now.”

The campus technology department is doing its part to make the wireless access visible, said Mike Broders, Academic Information Technologies systems support specialist.

For more information on wireless Internet and computer specifications go to www.tele.iastate.edu.