With the idea of RWC going wireless on the rise, many people are beginning to wonder when and if it will happen. Going wireless would be a huge step for RWC. Not only because other UC campuses are wireless, but because it would mean a lot of planning and dedication for the RWC Networking Department. One of the main concerns expressed among students is network security. Jason Lopez, a student at RWC, wonders, “Will security be an issue for such a huge network? I do not want my personal information being taken from my laptop.” Security is a main concern for any public wireless administrator. Without proper online security, experts say anyone’s computer is at risk from hacking, phishing, or other forms of computer assault.
An argument put forth by a few students is that with a firewall in place and network securities, the risk of running into trouble with personal information is very slim. Firewalls are designed to keep trespassers out of a computer. This, however, is not necessarily the case. Bypassing a firewall is easy for anyone with basic hacking skills.
The process of networking a wireless Internet connection throughout the whole school could take a year or more to do. The fact that the whole campus needs to be Internet capable brings up another issue. Networking a campus or large area is not simple. Making sure the bandwidth is available all over campus causes range issues inside and outside the buildings. It will take more than just one wireless router to provide all of us with equal Internet connections.
Having been hacked before, I am more concerned about security issues of our campus network than having wireless Internet. The fact that we do not know what our fellow classmate is capable of will put us all at risk of losing valuable information stored on our personal computers.
Think twice before getting excited about wireless Internet. You do not know who is capable of disrupting the network. All it takes is one person with a computer and your whole life could change.