Beginning in August 2017, the IT Campus Infrastructure department began improving the campus network for faculty, staff, and students. This work is currently scheduled to be complete by summer, 2020. As the project proceeds, faster connection speeds will be experienced for the areas completed. To increase the network speeds, the IT department is replacing older 1 Gbps network switches with switches that support 10Gbps connections, thus, increasing the speed capacity tenfold! Additionally, the CAT 5 network cables in academic buildings continue to be replaced with CAT 6, also allowing faster network speeds from the switches to the endpoint devices. At the current time, only 75% of the buildings are completed. Note that buildings not yet addressed could experience network outages as the work gets finalized. These outages will be scheduled ahead of time and employees will be notified. 

In addition to the academic buildings, the residence halls received an upgrade that was completed last summer. IT Campus Infrastructure added over 580 additional wireless access points, taking the total to over 1,100. This not only improved the coverage area, but also the ability to handle more devices while in the dorms. Furthermore, additional access points are being placed strategically around campus to improve wireless coverage, as well as providing guest wireless network access in certain areas.   

Summer 2020 will be here before you know it. The entire main campus should then have an improved network experience, with faster speeds, regardless of your building location. If you have questions regarding this project, please contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@semo.edu or 651-HELP.   

Authors: Brian Schnurbusch, Director of Campus Infrastructure and Emily Cieslewicz, IT Tech Assistant