Eduroam‘s deficiencies have been identified by the Union of Technology Students at Lund University, TLTH. Now, Lund Computer Center, LDC, promises to repent.
Eduroam is a collaboration between several universities and colleges around the world, where students easily will be able to connect to wireless internet on campus.
Students in Lund should therefore also be able to connect to, for instance, the Uppsala University internet. However, the connection has not always worked as it should, and students have trouble connecting to the internet. ”We have received complaints from students where internet either works poorly or not at all. It affects the studies negatively and is a big problem”, says Micaela Bortas, Union Vice President at TLTH.
”Therefore, TLTH chose to inform the LTH’s Infrastructure Drafting Committee of the problem. ”We sent a survey out to obtain more precise information, and received great response. It is a hot topic that has made many students upset”, says Micaela Bortas.
How do you think that the connection works today?
”I have certainly experienced problems with Eduroam, and it has affected my studies. It does not matter whether there are many study places at the university, if you cannot sit there and study”, says Micaela Bortas.
Photo: Private.
More distinct student contacts
In total, the Union of Technology Students received 734 responses to the questionnaire. Erik Ekenberg, network specialist at LDC, believes it is good that the Union of Technology Students has taken the initiative.
”It has given us a more distinct contact with the students, which means a lot because they are those who primarily use Eduroam”, says Erik Ekenberg.
Too few access points
The slow connection has grown over the years. When the wireless network was introduced at the universities several years ago there were not too many people who took advantage of it. At that time many brought their own network cable.
”Today, the use of a network cable is not needed, and almost everybody brings their own laptop, mobile phone or tablet when they are studying. Thus, there are too few access points per person for it to work optimally”, Erik Ekenberg explains.
As a solution to the problem, LDC has replaced all the access points at the Chemistry Center, arranged them closer together and also deployed more than before.
”The process went very well and now the internet has worked much better. So far, no complaints have been received since the exchange”, says Erik Ekenberg.
The work will begin LDC will also begin the work at Campus Helsingborg and the E-building at LTH, as the problems with the wireless connection are worse there.
“We will hopefully begin to install them this spring. Then we hope to replace all 1,650 access points throughout the university, but in intervals of 600-700 pieces every year”.
Text: Andrea Ax Karlsén
Translation: Lars Jansson
