The Wi-Fi needs improvement; central spots are key

Although Mt. Hood is technologically ahead of many other community colleges, it’s a huge disappointment for such a progressive school to lack sufficient Wi-Fi. In-fact, the Wi-Fi here at MHCC is causing widespread grief.

Besides slow Internet, what’s especially wrong with our Wi-Fi is that it boots us off unexpectedly. It fails to efficiently notify our cell phone devices when we are disconnected. It’s a dire situation to be running low on data and unaware of it being used up while at school. For some of us, the log-in page to connect to student Wi-Fi doesn’t even show up.

According to the net-workers in the Information Technology department at Mt. Hood, there are 20 or so hubs installed throughout campus. They each hold a certain capacity and if the router reaches its capacity, it starts booting users off.

First World problems, right? Of course, but Wi-Fi these days is a necessity. Online courses, FAFSA submissions, and research papers – much of our schoolwork requires the use of Internet. It’s the bread and butter of academic life, or life in general.

Don’t get us wrong; we are beyond thankful for the resources Mt. Hood has provided us in the midst of a budget crisis. It is truly amazing how privileged we are at this college to work with advanced technology and equipment.

The network department in the IT is working tremendously hard to establish more Wi-Fi hubs throughout campus while also attempting to reach more classrooms. However, Mt. Hood’s budget problems negatively affect the ability for IT to fix our Wi-Fi woes. It’s not just a matter of a few nickels and dimes: Each router we currently have costs about a thousand dollars.

The reality is, the budget crisis has stagnated our ability to use top-notch Wi-Fi. All parties have confessed to dead spots on campus, but due to our limited funds, we should continue to sacrifice those sparse areas for the most beneficial use of the coverage. MHCC could pool our immediate resources to generate most of the Wi-Fi hubs in those areas of the campus where the majority of students gather. The Advocate communicated with about 30 students who said they prefer better Wi-Fi in the Library, Student Union, and in Vista. So we think stronger Wi-Fi is better suited in common areas on campus, as opposed to in classrooms.

We recognize that not everyone may feel this way. The most powerful tool in changing things is communication. The network department would love to know where students are expecting better Wi-Fi. It would be beneficial for students and faculty to reach out to administrators and let them know what’s most important to them – specifically where they want better Internet connection.

There will be a variety of different concerns, but there are some things that seem to touch everyone. Internet is vital to our work as students, and we would love to see it working faster and not booting us off every 20 minutes or so.