By spring, about two dozen students in physics and chemistry classes had become guinea pigs and were toting college-issued, networked laptops all over the labs. When Buckley and other campus technologists saw how well it worked, they set out to extend wireless capabilities to the rest of the network. The results, says Buckley, were astonishing. In the library, at the union, and even outside, users could boot up their laptops and connect to the network at any time. Today DCCC's Media campus boasts 20 wireless transmitters.
Most users access the network to check e-mail and surf the Web.
DCCC students can now also register for classes on the wireless network. Still, the school's wireless system is far from flawless. He adds that as Lucent and other firms improve the technology, school officials will continue to upgrade, forcing users to purchase new equipment on a fairly consistent basis. I know that may get pricey for some people, but it's the only way we can stay ahead of the curve and keep costs down. We're serious about wireless.