MizzouWireless to replace TigerNet
No new equipment was needed to add the new network.
Published Sept. 18, 2008
MizzouWireless will replace TigerNet and TigerNet1X as the university's wireless network by the end of school year.
MizzouWireless is better protected to increase student and faculty security, Division of Information Technology Director Terry Robb said. It uses Wi-Fi Protected Access, instead of the Wired Equivalent Privacy used by TigerNet.
WEP allows anyone with a password to log on to the Internet, while WPA requires users to have a separate username and password, Robb said.
He said WEP is usually used at homes and smaller businesses because it is easier to keep track of who is using the Internet there. MU is too big to regulate who has the WEP code, and MizzouWireless eliminates that problem, Robb said.
With WPA, users are required to authenticate their computers, which means even if someone steals a PawPrint and password, the thief would not be able to view data traveling to or from the wireless network.
This means it would be harder to read a user's e-mail without permission, steal banking information or retrieve passwords.
Adding the new network went smoothly because it only required a software upgrade and not new equipment, Robb said.
Although security has increased, users can expect the same performance. Robb said the connection speed can still handle everyday applications such as Web browsing and e-mail. MizzouWireless also allows students and faculty members to print wirelessly on campus printers.
With 1,213 wireless access points, students have access to the Internet almost everywhere on campus.
"We understand wireless is important for students," Robb said.
Wireless Internet will continue to be available in outdoor areas such as the quadrangles. TigerTech, located in Brady Commons, can help users access the network if they are having trouble setting it up.
Since this summer, TigerTech has been configuring faculty and student computers for MizzouWireless to limit the use of TigerNet and TigerNet1X.
Most faculty and staff members should be able to connect to MizzouWireless. However, people who have been here for a few years might still be using TigerNet1X.
Some Gillett Hall residents said they enjoy using MizzouWireless in their lounges.
"We have the freedom of moving around and not being confined to our desk," sophomore Elliot Ewert said.
Some of the residents who use the lounge said it is a convenient way to study without the hassle of cords. They can also work on group projects without being in a crowded residence hall room.
Although convenient in the lounge, some students said they wish they could use wireless in their room.
There is no date set for when TigerNet and TigerNet1X will disappear, but they should be gone by the end of the school year, Robb said. He said the MU community will be notified beforehand so users who have not made the switch have time to do so.