UNM's expansion of its wireless Internet network has had problems since classes began, and they won't stop anytime soon.
During the first week of school, the network was overwhelmed by mobile devices like iPhones, which constantly try to connect to wireless networks, said Paula Loendorf, the director of Communications Network Services.
"It's a very large campus, and it's going to take a lot of money for people to be totally happy with the amount of wireless access that we have," she said.
Loendorf said the Wi-Fi network was debilitated the first week of school because of Welcome Back Days.
The influx of people with cell phones at the Duck Pond and Student Union Building - where there are few wireless access points - overwhelmed the wireless network and weakened it to a point that made many students believe the network had shut off entirely, said Mark Reynolds, an ITS employee who worked to stabilize the network.
"If you had a device and you were really trying to get on the network and you couldn't get on, you assumed it wasn't working," he said. "It was a lot of users and not enough resources to provide that service."
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Reynolds said ITS did not anticipate an overwhelmed network in the first week.
"We weren't expecting that type of influx - we did Welcome Back Days last year without any issues," he said.
Reynolds said the network has somewhat stabilized after ITS hurried to correct the problem.
"We added more access points to help the situation," he said. "We put them in windows and buildings that would help with the coverage."
However, Loendorf said the network still does not have consistent coverage.
"It's a very delicate engineering thing," she said. "Wireless networking is not an exact science. We'll be continuing to work on it, but it will be a while before we have all the answers."
Loendorf said UNM needs to give more funding to the wireless network project for it to be a complete success.
"In the last year and a half, we have put in a lot of access points, but we've never had sufficient funding," she said.
ITS received $750,000 from the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, allowing them to install 550 more access points on campus, for a total of 750, Loendorf said.
"We hope that we will obtain more funding in the future," she said.
University spokesman Steve Carr said UNM is working with ITS to get more funding, but there is no news yet.
"I haven't heard any more about additional funding," he said. "That $750,000 came through a year and a half ago, and they covered 85 percent of campus with that," he said.
Freshman Calen McKenzie, who lives in Alvarado Hall, said the sporadic wireless network has complicated his schedule.
"It gets worse as you go down the hall, so my room, which is really close to the front, only works a couple hours out of the day," he said. "Most of the time, you'll read a signal but you can't get on the Internet, and sometimes it just completely shuts off."
Freshman Max Miller said he can connect to the network for only about 45 minutes a day.
"I'm really unable to satisfy my desire to do all of my homework because of the faulty internet connection," he said.
Sophomore Eric Larson, a resident of Hokona-Zuni, said he is frustrated that his tuition pays for an inconsistent service.
"The equivalent is like going to a restaurant, paying for a meal and then them telling you they don't have food," Larson said. "It's a service you pay for so that you can have a tool for your classes, for your schedule, and it's frustrating when it's not up."
