In response to student complaints about the quality of the campus wireless network, Computing and Information Services installed a new wireless network this summer meant to replace Brown-Secure and Brown-EZ, said Ravi Pendse, vice president for computing and information services and chief information officer.
The new network, which is called Brown, provides the campus community with a wireless Internet connection that is two to three times faster than that of Brown-Secure, Pendse said. The network also offers improved coverage and capacity and the highest possible bandwidth to enable better video streaming, he said.
The introduction of the new network marks the end of a series of improvements to wireless coverage on campus, Pendse said. Early last year, CIS updated Brown-Secure as an immediate response to criticism, he added.
The former networks’ main problem was “capacity,” Pendse said, noting that not all devices in crowded classrooms or residence halls were able to connect simultaneously.
CIS also decided to remove the Brown-EZ network because most students used it only if their devices could not connect to Brown-Secure, leading to confusion, Pendse said.
“We are expecting this new Brown network to work perfectly, so no one will need to connect to Brown-EZ,” he said. Instead, Pendse said he hopes that “each time a student opens their laptop, they’re connected to Brown, and it is working.”
Students interviewed said they have been happy with the quality of the Brown network thus far.
“I appreciate CIS listening to our complaints and making the effort to create an entire new network,” said Ben Silver ’17.
Several other students who were formerly frustrated with Brown’s wireless said they no longer have a problem connecting and are pleased with its improved speed.
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