WiFi Upgrade: We Heard You

​​​​​​Project "Light Up DePaul" improves the campus WiFi experience

DePaul students asked for faster, more reliable WiFi, and the university responded.

Project "Light Up DePaul" was approved by the DePaul University Board of Trustees in October of 2018, and the IS infrastructure team got to work.  The goals of the project were to redesign, expand and upgrade DePaul's WiFi network to provide ubiquitous, high-speed internet access across campus in order to better serve the student academic experience.

The combination of DePaul's Lincoln Park and Loop Campuses created a unique set of upgrading challenges—from high-rise office buildings in the Loop to residence halls and outdoor spaces in Lincoln Park. There are also more and more devices connecting to DePaul WiFi networks. Over 12,000 mobile phones, laptops, watches and more connect to DePaul's wireless networks on any given weekday, and wireless data demands continue to grow.

With the help of student employees, the infrastructure team tested the signal strength on every floor of every DePaul building. With a lot of help from Facility Operations and Rex Electric, the infrastructure team found effective ways to get WiFi coverage to outdoor spaces, and redesigned residence hall networks.

Project “Light Up DePaul" was completed in the summer of 2019. In total, over 1,000 new access points were added. The project improved the wireless experience in all buildings on both campuses. It has increased speeds, improved reliability and security, and added capacity for future growth.

Hotspots were installed in bollards (short posts) all around the Quad. WiFi was installed in the bleachers at Cacciatore Stadium and the outdoor plaza just outside of the DePaul Center.

The ambitious project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Student, faculty and staff should notice better coverage throughout both campuses. Secure and consistent wireless coverage is important to DePaul students and employees, which means it's important to those of us working in Information Services. In the annual student survey, general satisfaction with the WiFi network rose over 40% from 2016 to 2019.

WiFi Issues?

There is now 100% WiFi coverage in all student and staff spaces throughout the campuses. It's possible that there are problems with DePaul's network, but this is a rare occurrence.  Device-based issues are much more common reasons to have difficulty connecting.  One of the best ways to avoid issues is to keep your devices up to date by applying manufacturer provided updates on a regular basis.

Either way, the IS support teams can help you identify the issue and get you back on your way. If you're having a WiFi issue, please contact the Help Desk at 312-362-8765 or visit a Genius Squad location in the LPC Library or Loop Lewis building.

Eduroam Secure Wireless

DePaul University has partnered with eduroam to provide secure and consistent WiFI coverage throughout the Loop and Lincoln Park Campuses. Follow the steps on the Information Services website to connect. Although the eduroam wireless connection takes a little time to set up, the network offers great security and convenience. Once a device is set up, it will continue to automatically connect to the DePaul network for five years.

After you've completed the steps to use eduroam wireless, your devices will automatically connect to other networks all over the place, and there are a lot of them. In fact, “more than 10,000 eduroam hotspots are available at universities, research centers, academies, many schools, and other research and education institutions in more than 100 territories around the world. As eduroam grows, more and more hotspots are appearing in additional places such as libraries, museums and public spaces such as railway stations and coffee shops."

For more information on these changes and others please visit the wireless home page.​