Crisis averted ... wireless access points

During the last two days a technician from IT has been working on the resource center computers, general updates, installation of missing drivers that enable color printing from Excel, and re-establishing the ghost image to include Print Shop on all of our Gateway computers (I do not have enough licenses for the newer Dells). It is a relief to have these things done during winter break and have everything bright and shiny for the new term beginning after the MLK holiday. I was particularly grateful to have her here yesterday when a student technician installed a new wireless access point on the second floor.

I spoke to the young man before leaving for lunch and he told me he was installing the hardware and we would see a significant increase in our wireless capability. I had no complaints about the current access, but a new/stronger access point on this floor will be nice for students working on this floor. When I returned from lunch, fully sated and caffeine in hand, "my" technician asked me if I realized the access point had rendered one of the computer useless. Hello! I don't think so. That is something I would have remembered and definitely questioned. At the very least, I would have suggested using one of two inaccessible (the floor leaks by one and the other is in a doorway) ports inside the resource center. I have fifteen computers on this floor used constantly, without fail, day in and day out. The last thing I want is to lose one of them.

I was advised to call IT and question placement of the access point and request a change be made. When I got a help desk employee, who did his best to understand, the technician in the resource center took over and asked to speak to the lead client support specialist who immediately (really, it was only minutes) came over to look at the situation. Within a half an hour I was assured the problem would be dealt with today.

Happy, happy, joy, joy .... it was.

Talk about service; before lunch the same young man came over and installed what appears to be a splicer/splitter of some sort. The access point and computer in question are now sharing an available port. I have all of my computers updated, running with new ghost images, hooked to the university network, and a new access point allowing students using laptops to have better wireless network connections. It would have been several days until I turned on that system and noted the problem. After climbing under the table and investigating the problem, I would have been seriously unhappy and sending out help tickets. Thank heavens my technician (she is assigned to the resource center and does fabulous work for us) noticed what was going on and utilized definite trouble-shooting steps. Heaving a big sigh of relief.

Tags: Libraries & wireless,Wireless access, Resource center computers, University IT departments