Fios Installation in Dormitories Complete
The students demands for a faster internet connection in the dorms than the YU Wireless Network have been met.
The students had complained to President Joel at both town hall meetings last year, and the Student Life Committee had been receiving complaints throughout the year. Many different departments of YU came together to make sure that the issue with internet speed and connectivity got resolved.
Over the summer, YU came up with the idea of installing individual routers in each dorm room. Installation of the routers took place during the Sukkot break, and were well publicized by the numerous y-studs announcing their installation. The Office of Student Life made it a priority to make sure that students knew that the routers were being installed, and students were rarely affected.
The installation process itself though was fairly complex. Marc Milstein, YU Vice President and Chief Information Officer, said that “the installation process is a multi-phased process. In our case the vendor, Verizon, brought service into each building. They then cabled (using fiber) each living unit with a router. The routers were activated by University staff members. Residents were then able to configure their individual devices using the router in their living room using the password and SSID printed on the router.” The new routers have Verizon Fios 50/25 Quantum service, which means files can be downloaded at 50 megabytes per second (mbps) and uploaded at 25 mbps.
Students’ responses to the new Fios routers have varied. Junior Chaim Metzger believes “it’s the best thing to happen since sliced bread! The speed doesn’t drop to zero during peak hours.” Chaim tested the internet connectivity and found that “Fios is twice as fast and doesn’t slow down during peak hours.” Other students though have claimed that their internet connection is worse, and that the connection is spotty. A Morgenstern Dormitory resident said that he feels that the new Fios is actually slower than YU Wireless, and other students repeated this sentiment as well. Additionally, some students were confused as to how to access their new faster internet. Sophomore Danny Abboudi explained that “I knew the routers were installed in my room, but I didn’t know how to utilize them until someone showed me how [to use the router].”
While the only way to currently connect to the Fios is in the rooms themselves, ITS has said that the installation is being done in the common areas (such as lounges) as well, which should help those who do not live in university housing gain access to this new internet connection.
