WiFi Networks: Shifting from Providing a Service to Improving the Student Experience

This product not only monitored the devices that we controlled and that were connected directly to our network, it also analyzed our wireless controller logs and network traffic to help us gain visibility into something previously off-limits: the user and device experience. And, while other products out there did log aggregation and reporting, none of them made the process as easy and non-intrusive as the tool we chose: Nyansa’s Voyance Campus, which let us follow the hops on our network right down to the devices themselves.

Being able to tell how well (or poorly) a device was connecting to our wireless network—without having a student march the device across campus or our having to conduct a site-visit—was immediately helpful. What was alarming was the truth about our wireless infrastructure, which the analytics also exposed. Plain and simple, the coverage redesign implemented in 2007 was inadequate to deliver what users expected in 2018.

Previously, we would hear about “bad WiFi” through various means, but those reports rarely gave us any useful data with which to make informed decisions. Now, we can see the poor quality and channel interference directly. By analyzing device traffic, we can quickly determine problems with user passwords or issues with a particular device’s operating system version or settings, and easily visualize where actual wireless network problems exist…and where they don’t. This visibility let us make immediate improvements. After only a few days of initial analysis, we were able to focus our upgrades in the worst wireless locations on campus.

We quickly put a plan together to tackle the residence hall with the worst results. Analysis after that building was upgraded showed that our work was paying off. Not only did the support calls all but disappear from the upgraded building, but we were also able to see

• more devices connecting at 5 Ghz,
• less bouncing between access points, and
• a better overall balance of radio power adjustments throughout the first residence hall we upgraded.
Similar work on another residence hall yielded the same results. Our work was giving users a better experience right away, and the result was an immediate drop in trouble tickets to our Help Desk.

Visible Evidence of Dramatic Change

So, after pulling together additional information, we made our case: The network itself wasn’t the issue, per se; the problem was in how wireless network usage had changed over the past 15+ years. Dozens of smaller mobile devices in tight quarters with bandwidth-hungry gaming systems and computers were appearing in places that may have had only a few 2.4 Ghz-only laptops years ago, yet our tired wireless network trudged on unaltered. And, while we still needed to extend it into areas we never dreamed of, coverage was no longer our core problem; quality of service and density mattered more than ever.

Because the results of Voyance Campus analytics are visible to even the most engineering-challenged observer, additional funding is on its way. We plan to have all the wireless brought up to modern standards in the residence halls by the start of the 2019–2020 school year. The remaining academic and administrative buildings will follow— and will require additional capital investment. As we complete each phase, we will be able to concretely see where we have succeeded and where we must do more.

In today’s world, “WiFi Available” signs are no longer necessary; as such service is now an expectation rather than a luxury or a nice-to-have. As a result, our job is no longer focused solely on monitoring the network to see if the hardware is up or down; we also focus both on verifying that the service quality meets our students’ expectations and on continually improving the user experience for all areas of our campus.

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