The modern world is one where most people have at least two smart devices, if not more. This means that having access to wireless networks is crucial to everyday life for many people throughout the world. But when it comes to college campuses, access to a good network is even more critical as the internet is the most effective tool for students.

On top of the education, the concern is the boosting of the college sports fans’ experience. By building out better networks and improving the connectivity, they can allow for a lot more engagement in sports and their events.

But not all universities can support the need of their students in this aspect. That is why many of them have begun looking at their budgets and trying to modernize their networks or building more encompassing networks. They have figured out that connectivity is the secret to a great student and college sports fan experience. 

What Factors Played a Part In Reevaluating Connectivity?

As we have said above, the world’s technological growth continues, and since a good majority of the newer devices lack ethernet ports, a wireless network is a necessity. Not only that, but more students are using multiple smart devices, including wearable tech, and that means the old school idea that only certain areas need access to the networks is no longer viable.

Connectivity Concerns

Most universities have acknowledged they need to address the issue and started by upping the network connectivity in places like the classrooms and libraries. Those same universities have begun spreading out to areas where students spend more time, which means public spaces and the dorms. Until they can build better networks, many dorms allow for the students to purchase consumer routers. 

But there are some significant concerns when it comes to this. If a student misconfigured their router, they might cause a network blackout. On top of that, if those consumer-grade routers are put too close to each other, there could be interference, which may cause the system to lag. 

Because many of these universities are not equipped with a high-performance wireless network, some students have opted to go to other universities that do. This means a decline in enrollment. 

Steps the Colleges Have Taken to Improve Connectivity

This connectivity issue that many college campuses are experiencing is fixable. Many have begun allocating resources to enlarge and create secure wireless networks for the students and teachers. These colleges have started to reach out to experts to do surveys of their campuses that could maximize coverage and boost the strength of the signal. 

Wi-Fi & Stadiums

Not only are the campuses realizing they need to upgrade for their academics, but also their athletics as well. This is especially true when it comes to the connectivity of college stadiums. This is a big project and may take a while, but most colleges have this upgrade on their to-do lists. But at some point soon, fans will be able to watch the game and check the stats on their smartphone apps without any difficulty, heightening the fan experience greatly. 

Concluding Thoughts

So though many universities have begun looking into the connectivity question, few have implemented the full-scale upgrade. This is not because they don’t understand the importance of connectivity for their students and sports fans. It is solely about the breadth of the project and the cost.