By Saj Sri-Kumar

Wireless internet access for student laptops is being added across the Upper School.

The Prefect Council has been working with the school’s Computer Services department to expand student access to the school’s Wi-Fi to the entire campus, which they hope to accomplish by the end of the first semester, which concludes on Jan. 21.

Although wireless internet is already accessible in many places on campus, most of the signals did not allow student laptops to connect. Access for student computers was added in the library last school year and in the Student Lounge in Chalmers two weeks ago.

The faculty has already been able to connect to the Wi-Fi campus wide using their school-issued laptops. With the changes, the faculty will be able to connect their mobile devices to the internet as well.

Director of Computer Services Dave Ruben said that the school had to wait for network upgrades before they could allow students to connect their laptopsto the internet.

“Before the expansion, our network infrastructure was very old,” he said. “With low capacity, limited security and decaying equipment, there just wasn’t a good way to add 1,700 students.”

In addition to infrastructural improvements, Computer Services has been working on security improvements.

“We’re also working on adding a security layer that we didn’t have before so that people who are on the network won’t be subjected to attacks, either inadvertent (viruses) or purposeful (a guy in a black van parked on Coldwater),” Ruben said. “This may be in place before second semester, but if not, it should be shortly thereafter.”

In addition to infrastructural and security problems, Ruben said that part of the problem was that the school lacked the requisite bandwidth to allow student computers to connect to the internet.