Improving Wireless on Campus
NYU IT is improving wireless connectivity by increasing the number of wireless access points found throughout the University. By increasing the number of access points, NYU IT is extending the amount of wireless coverage provided to the community, as well as improving the bandwidth capabilities available in buildings.
NYU IT has updated many buildings in the past year with an increased number of access points. Another 30 buildings are scheduled to be surveyed and outfitted with additional access points in the coming semesters.
Troubleshooting Wireless Connection
There are a number of factors at play when troubleshooting wireless connectivity or performance issues. Below are a few helpful tips for a smooth wireless experience. For additional help, please see this article on wireless/NYURoam troubleshooting steps.
Use the ‘nyu’ network
Ensure that 'nyu' is the only network defined in the AirPort preferred networks list. 'nyu-legacy', 'nyuguest', 'nyuguest-legacy', and 'eduroam' should not be configured as wireless networks. 'eduroam' does not allow wireless clients to choose their wireless frequency, and this may result in clients being automatically downgraded to older wireless frequencies such as the 2.4GHz band.
Test the speed of your wireless connection
Conducting a speed test allows a user to test the speed of a device's network connection. To perform a test, go to nyu.speedtestcustom.com and click "GO" to conduct a speed test for your wireless connection. The NYU wireless speed test will display your current wireless download and upload speed. A typical high-definition video stream will use 5 Mbps. A speed test result of 10 Mbps or more is adequate for general purposes.
Test your speed with the NYU wireless speed test.
For Windows users:
Verify that your laptop’s wireless card is using the latest software from the card manufacturer and not the laptop manufacturer. If a Windows laptop experiences unreliable connectivity such as dropped connections, or if you are repeatedly prompted to provide a username and password, then this may indicate a compatibility issue with the wireless card software in use.
For Apple users:
Apple laptop users can click on the AirPort icon on the task bar while holding down the 'option' key to test wireless signal strength. Information will be displayed relative to the network the device is connected to. The RSSI value is the received signal strength and should ideally fall into the -50 dBm - -71dBm range.
Additional Resources
For additional information, please reference these support articles, or browse additional NYURoam knowledge:
- Troubleshooting connection or reception problems
- Mobile Devices (NYU IT): Making phone calls in poor coverage areas with WiFi calling and NYURoam
- Browse all Wireless (NYURoam) knowledge articles