Wireless First

Information Technology Services is committed to deploying and maintaining robust internet coverage across our campuses. Over recent years, we've recognized the increasing demand for wireless internet; however, no funding source existed to pay for it, and a new funding model was needed. This initiative, now known as Wireless First, includes:

• funding modern wireless infrastructure hardware and ongoing support
• a reduction in wired Ethernet rates
• a concerted effort to reduce the dependency on wired Ethernet services across the university

Prior to the Covid pandemic, the ability for our faculty and staff to be able to work untethered to a wall jack was originally projected to grow gradually. However, hybrid work is now a reality for many university employees, so this need has accelerated. Use of laptops and other mobile devices is quickly overtaking the old workstation per office approach.

Some offices, such as ITS, have begun to give up individual office space and have adapted of an open office style of work where staff no longer have assigned individual workspaces.

In response to the swift technological changes, our Telecom cost recovery model is actively evolving from a monthly per Ethernet jack charge to a square footage charge methodology that funds wireless.

The initiatives below directly impact Wireless First and are key pieces of the overall strategy:

• Wireless Capacity on Campus
  Wireless capacity in most buildings covers 100% of the space identified as requiring wifi.
   
• Microsoft Teams Calling
  Microsoft Teams Calling is now available and is fully featured to replace employee office phones that depend on Ethernet jack. To use Microsoft Teams Calling, you need:
  
  - a Temple university phone number ​​​​​​
  ​​​​- a computer that supports web conferencing (i.e., has a microphone and headsets) or mobile device.​​​
  
  Since it’s “soft phone” technology, you can dial others using your office phone number as the outbound number and speak to them using your computer or mobile device instead of a desk phone.
  
  ​​​​​Microsoft Teams Calling is currently only supported for individual phones. If you have a use case for which you believe Microsoft Teams Calling can help, please submit a TUhelp request and our team will reach out to you to discuss.​​​​
  
  To enable Microsoft Teams Calling visit Telecom Self Service under TUapplications in TUportal.
• Future Departmental Computer Purchases
  For future departmental computer purchases, consider replacing end-of-life desktops with laptops. A laptop with a docking station and monitor(s) can produce a desktop-like experience along with wireless capability.
  ​​​​​​​
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
  ​​​​ITS is developing a strategy to offer virtual desktops to faculty and staff. This new service would eliminate the need to Remote Desktop (RDP) to physical desktops.

Departments are centrally charged for square footage usage. Wireless funding is now covered by this central charge. A department can realize immediate reduction in Telecom costs by discontinuing wired ethernet service where it is no longer needed.

How do I determine what ethernet jacks to discontinue?

ITS Telecommunications can provide an ethernet service audit report which includes the last date and time that there was activity on each ethernet jack. [need link/request channel]

Current limitations to consider:

• Systems that need to be accessed remotely must remain connected to an ethernet jack.
• High end research bandwidth requirements might still dictate a wired connection.
• If members of your department require access to restricted networks, VPN is required.
• Evaluate the wifi capacity in your area prior to disconnecting ethernet ports. For example, when someone shuts a door to their office, is sufficient wifi accessible to them?​​​​
• Your department workstations may need a wireless dongle to utilize wifi. All Macs have supported wireless use out-of-the-box for years, but Windows workstations not purchased with a wireless card will require additional hardware.

To get started, request help with Ethernet Services and indicate what jacks numbers are to be turned off.