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About Computing Services
Behind the Scenes
Wireless Andrew
History of Wireless Andrew
How Wireless Works
Structure of Wireless Andrew
Design/Layout Challenges
Phaseout & Upgrades
Wireless Connection Speeds
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Phaseout and Upgrades

Phaseout of Low Frequency Network

As a result of the availability of the wireless production network, the low frequency (915 MHz) experimental wireless network installed in a few buildings several years ago was phased out.

Wireless Andrew Upgraded in August of 2000

The upgrade more than tripled the throughput of the network and brought the client software up to the supported Lucent version. The network meets the 2.4GHz, IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum wireless Ethernet standard. The upgrade also included connectivity to all 32 academic and administrative buildings and key outdoor areas located on the main campus.

Field robotic mobile units that operate on Flagstaff will benefit from wireless coverage. Coverage for students, faculty and staff is an added bonus.

The completion of the installation in and around the academic and administrative buildings translates into seamless connectivity for over 1700 wireless users across campus, in all classrooms, common spaces, offices, and many outdoor areas. No other campus of this size has such complete coverage.

The upgrade also eliminated the previous 915MHz wireless research network that was disconnected and its users converted to the production network.

The Upgrade Process

The upgrade to all of the access points required that each of the 400 antenna locations were physically examined to ensure that the current drivers and 11Mbps cards were in place. All areas were then retested to verify satisfactory signal levels.

At the same time, the 6.0 drivers on the client software and the upgraded wireless Ethernet cards in users laptops were thoroughly tested and retested (and retested) on various platforms and operating systems.

User documentation was completely rewritten both for the existing users to upgrade to the new drivers and for new wireless users.

Wireless Andrew Supported Configuration
The currently supported Wireless Andrew configuration is as follows:

Intel based PC's with Windows 95/98, 2000 or NT:

  • Orinoco (Lucent WaveLAN) Silver or Gold Ethernet card (2Mbps or 11Mbps)*
  • Lucent WaveLAN 6.0 drivers
  • Version 4.0 Firmware software

Macintosh iBook, iMac, or PowerBooks:

  • Macintosh Airport card or the Orinoco (Lucent WaveLAN) Silver or Gold Ethernet card (2Mbps or 11Mbps)*
  • Airport drivers or the Lucent WaveLAN 6.0 drivers (if using a Lucent card)
  • Version 4.0 of the Firmware software (if using a Lucent card)
    * While other versions of cards and drivers that are 802.11b compliant should work on the network, Computing Services will only support the configurations listed.

If a user contacts the Help Center with a wireless problem, s/he will be instructed to upgrade to the currently supported configuration to receive assistance. It is highly recommended that all wireless users upgrade to the new drivers and firmware to avoid any service interruptions.