How Wireless PennNet Works
Penn's Data Network
Each day at Penn we sit down at our computers, log in, and check our email
or surf the Web. We communicate with the outside world by
sending bits of information through wires and cables between our computers
and those located down the hall, down the block, or across the ocean. Most
of us
don’t even think about the network we depend on to allow us to communicate
with such ease.
Penn’s data network, called PennNet, provides us with all of the high-speed
communication connectivity we might need. Our computers are connected by
cables to wires behind wallplates that carry data out of our buildings to
Penn's high-capacity fiber cable network, providing us with access to
applications both on Penn’s
campus and outside PennNet via the Internet.
Connecting Wirelessly
In order to connect a user with a wireless device to PennNet, the University
and individual schools and centers have set up wireless local area networks
(wireless LANs) in the areas in which they
would
like to provide wireless
service.
Wireless LANs are made up of one or many Access Points (APs), devices connected
to PennNet’s wired network that receive radio signals generated by wireless
devices (like your laptop). Each AP used by Penn’s Wireless PennNet can
provide wireless service to approximately 25 users. Wireless PennNet’s
APs are currently configured to provide 11 Mbps of shared bandwidth.
Several factors may affect wireless performance. One is the number of users
sharing the bandwidth provided by a particular AP. If 3 users share
an
AP at a given time, your wireless device is able to download and upload information
more quickly than if 20 users were sharing the service. Another factor is location.
In buildings with wireless service, obstacles such as walls can block AP signals
creating "blind
spots" where service does not exist at all.
In such cases, you would need to move to another table, or to another wireless
area within the building.
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