Wi-Fi Survey Analysis Report

Internet connectivity is a basic need in the present scenario, to satisfy our needs in instant communication, exposure to the global hub, easy access to information and staying connected. The necessity of stable and high-speed internet connectivity was felt by the students and staff, so there was a provision of WiFi connectivity in various places around the campus and LAN connection provided to all the boarders of the Institute.

It was reported that from the earlier complaints that arose, the administration decided to change the WiFi routers in the Halls of Residences. The work regarding upgradation of routers was done during the summer break this year.

Students expected better, enhanced connectivity with previously reported issues been fixed. But since the beginning of this Autumn Semester, there were even more problems with WiFi connectivity; and to look up for the same, we conducted a survey on WiFi network performance Here we bring to you a detailed report of the responses about the problems faced by the student community and the authorities, the reason we lag behind other similar institutions and the possible solutions we can look for.

Students’ Responses

Based upon the 310 responses we obtained from the survey, certain points were highlighted that include:

• The newer routers are not providing any better performance than the previous ones. Though there is no problem with the LAN connectivity in their rooms.

Responses for whether or not the quality has improved after the installation of new routers shows that the problem has worsened even more.

• The Campus WiFi networks still not support certain apps, It is because the WiFi network does not utilize the ports through which those Apps exchange information. Thus, the connectivity of those apps is restricted. This was previously stated by the students to the CIC. No action has been taken yet.
• The WiFi gets disconnected frequently, even when left idle. This problem was faced earlier by the majority of the students but has not eradicated completely. About 70% of the total of 254 responses raise this issue. However, some stated it gets reconnected after a few minutes.
• The device(mobile/laptop) is not getting connected to the WiFi networks, even when being close to a router. About 35% of the respondents said that signal quality was better and distance from routers to their rooms was never an issue earlier.

According to a majority of about 70% of students, the speed has decreased after the installation.

• Because of the restriction on apps, students tend to use VPN apps. And out of 281 respondents who use VPN, 61.9% stated that they face problems regularly. This induces mostly when WiFi connectivity is lost, or when switching to mobile data. Multiple educational or leisure sites are inaccessible even on using paid VPN, which should be directly looked upon.
• There is little or no WiFi connectivity in Nalanda NR1, NC1 and NC2 blocks, certain Departments (viz Physics, AGFE) Vikram Sarabhai Residential Complex (VSRC), Kalidas or Netaji Auditorium, or in Tech Market. Because of this, dependency on the Mobile network comes. Mobile network connectivity is not even satisfactory around the campus. The signal is very poor, so using it as an alternative to an unavailable WiFi network is never a good option.

Status of wi-fi connectivity at various places of the campus.

• Even though routers are placed in all major areas around the campus, the signal strength is not always satisfactory. Most affected areas are certain rooms or wings in the Halls, rooms of the Nalanda complex, areas in the Main Building and the Gymkhana premises.

Response from the CIC

We interviewed the Chief Engineer at the CIC regarding the points highlighted from the survey, reporting the problems faced. The following enlisted points came as a response:

• The Institute Administration decided to change the WiFi routers following a series of complaints from the students’ side — that the previous ones are not performing well, the range was quite low and the speed fluctuates much. Hence, new routers were installed during the Summer break. Work was done in the Halls only, and it was ensured that each wing has an optimum of two routers. Besides that, new routers were installed in the Mess of the Halls of Residences.
• The institute provides a mailing facility (Zimbra account) for communication purpose. Any additional service like WhatsApp, Messenger or Skype is not yet supported because of Institute network policy, and there are no such plans to work on it.
• There were frequent disconnection issues in the beginning, and certain websites like Edureka, InterviewBit or Coursera wasn’t able to connect while on WiFi. Reason for it is unknown, but most possibly some bug. The technical team looked into this matter and the issue was solved within a week.
• Feedback was taken from the HCM of six Halls of Residences regarding the performance of upgraded routers, and have received positive reviews.
• Students are provided with unlimited network facility at the minimal cost from the Institute. This is meant only to aid them for educational purposes. Using it for other purposes is highly discouraged. But if certain useful websites are inaccessible, students can write it to us.
• There are no immediate plans to install routers in places like Nalanda NR1, NC1 and NC2 blocks, since these classrooms are not operational yet; or in Tech Market. Gymkhana doesn’t have such a shortage of routers, but if an upgrade is needed; the Gymkhana representatives can directly write to us.

Demands from the Student Community

• The Institute charges Rs 400 every semester for the Internet connection. In return, they expect some decent connectivity at least from their rooms. A broader range and high speed are expected from the new routers with immediate effect.
• Make apps like WhatsApp, Messenger accessible through the campus network, so that they do not need to use VPN explicitly.
• Continuous connectivity is desired by the respondents. The frequent disconnection of the network should be fixed as soon as possible.
• During the Vacations the Internet connectivity greatly declined, and because of this most of the research scholars and residing undergraduate students faced a problem. This should not be the case. Connectivity should be ensured throughout the year.
• Some respondents stated that they’ve repeatedly mailed to the CIC technical branch regarding problems faced, but haven’t got any reply. A proper reply is expected when someone is lodging a complaint or even against a simple enquiry from the CIC officials.
• Even after the reinstallation process, some of the wings in the Halls do not have any router installed yet. They’ve conveyed the matter to the respective Hall General Secretaries, no action is yet taken.

Suggestions

• Better ranged routers should have been chosen for installation. It should have been ensured by the concerned technician that network connectivity is accessible from all the regions intended for that particular router in the Halls and elsewhere.
• Routers should be installed in the Auditoriums, outside the Gymkhana, in the Department areas and in wings which got left during upgradation phase.
• There should be proper testing and diagnosing of the network before such change or upgradation occurs in future.
• Can introduce peer-to-peer networks in the hall premises which may provide better range and speed.
• Entertainment sites should be unblocked. There should be freely given to the students for the way they want to recreate online in their free time.
• It should be made to ensure that the whole bandwidth is underuse. And the speed should be closer to high as specified (72 Mbps) and steady even in the peak hours.

Conclusion

We, as a media body, have penned down the issues faced by the majority of the students along with the possible solutions suggested by the student community and how the Computer Informatics Centre (CIC) is dealing with these problems. The main goal of conducting the WiFi connectivity survey 2019 was to evoke discussion by uncovering the change of scenario and comparing objectives with results. This was our effort to bring the problems faced by the students around the campus to the authorities in a general, organised manner.