JANUARY 2, 2024 — UTSA students, faculty and staff will need to log in to the new AirRowdy network to connect to campus Wi-Fi when they return to campus this month. The change follows technology upgrades that were made over the winter break to allow for a faster, more consistent and secure connection.
As members of the campus community access UTSA Wi-Fi for the first time in 2024, they will connect to the AirRowdy network, which replaced the AirRowdy_FacultyStaff and AirRowdy_Student networks. All users will use their myUTSA ID (abc123) and passphrase to log in. They will also need to accept a new security certificate as they connect each device to AirRowdy for the first time—and annually thereafter.
“The new AirRowdy network will provide a more user-friendly and reliable wireless experience on our campuses,” said Kendra Ketchum UTSA vice president for information management and technology. “University Technology Solutions is committed to providing an environment that fosters the success of all UTSA students, faculty and staff.”
Most of the hardware used for wired and wireless networks – switches, routers and access points – typically only lasts five to seven years before it needs replaced. UTS has been upgrading equipment at UTSA in smaller projects since the start of the COVID pandemic. At that time, the focus was on expanding access points into parking lots and garages to support social distancing and to allow students to work from cars as needed.
The next phase of the university’s multi-year network upgrade was completed last summer when UTS began to replace the hardware in select high traffic areas and buildings. At that time, 25% of existing network equipment was upgraded with a focus on select high-traffic areas on the Main Campus.
With wireless devices being used more prevalently on campus and in the classroom, Wi-Fi connections exceeded 25,000 devices some days. This large number of devices caused the authentication process that allows a student to connect to the wireless network to reach maximum capacity. Introducing new equipment to the old infrastructure also created challenges.
Throughout the fall semester, UTS continued to deploy additional Wi-Fi access points in key buildings to improve Wi-Fi coverage.
Another comprehensive assessment of the Main Campus’ Wi-Fi service coverage is planned for the end of this month. Based on the findings of this assessment, University Technology Solutions will prioritize high-traffic areas that need improvement to create a more seamless campus Wi-Fi experience. Additional upgrades are planned, including more access points around campus to allow for better Wi-Fi coverage in areas where service might be slow.
“University Technology Solutions is dedicated to the continuous improvement of UTSA technology environments, especially in terms of network performance, security and reliability,” said Ketchum. “We strive to serve as a strategic partner to the university by providing quality and innovative technology solutions and services.”
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Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
