Wi-Fi network access is available in all classrooms across campus. This document outlines best-practices for using Wi-Fi from the perspective of students and lecturers.

Background

Wi-Fi operates on public-use Radio Frequency (RF) bands, and is half-duplex on a shared medium with contention based access. The items below pertain to Wi-Fi in general, and are not to be considered shortcomings of the University's implementation.

• Public-use RF: The 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz frequency bands are unlicensed, which means they can be used by anyone. Game controllers, Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, and other non-Wi-Fi devices can use the same limited RF spectrum as Wi-Fi.

• Half-duplex: A client can send or receive, but not both simultaneously. The wired network is full-duplex, and a client can send and receive at the same time.

• Contention based access: A sender must first make sure that the air is “clear” for them to send traffic. If it is not clear, they must wait until it becomes clear before transmitting. More clients in one area results in increased competition for the limited airtime.

Wireless - What you need to know | Information Systems & Technology | University of Waterloo

In high density settings, like classrooms and lecture halls, where resources are being accessed simultaneously, good throughput and consistent connectivity can be challenging. Wi-Fi design and operation are complex topics, and even perfect installations can be affected by sources of interference outside of the University’s control. Below are recommendations to help you achieve optimal outcomes.

Recommendations for Professors, lecturers, and instructors

• Ask students to​:

  • Attempt to distribute evenly within the room​

  • After finding a seat, turn wireless off and then back on

    • This will ensure the client device ‘picks’ the best wireless access point (AP)

    • Devices tend to ‘stick’ to the first seen AP which may not be optimal

  • Download any slides/media/data sets prior to class​

  • Not run unnecessary applications​

• Instructor should​:

  • Connect their teaching devices to the wired network

  • Plan and design quizzes/polls with minimal graphics and data​

  • Present questions from wired device on projector/classroom screen​

• Usage:

  • Allow a submission grace period to accommodate minor technical disruptions and Wi-Fi congestion

  • Have a process in place to report technical issues (screenshot of issue, email it to instructor)

  • Run a shorter quiz scenario ahead of a real test to validate the performance

Recommendations for students

• Download course material prior to class time

• Turn off ad-hoc Wi-Fi networks on mobile devices

• Ensure that Wi-Fi drivers and operating systems are up-to-date

• Upon finding a seat in class, turn Wi-Fi off and then back on

Recommendations for devices

• New devices must have support for 5 GHz wireless networks

• New devices should have support at a minimum for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

  • Note: Wi-Fi 6E is preferred over Wi-Fi 6

  • Ideally they should support Wi-Fi 7

Reporting issues and testing

Wi-Fi issues should be reported as soon as possible after they occur. Include as many details as possible to assist with a thorough investigation of the problem:

• Detailed description of the problem

• Time the problem occurred

• Location of the problem

• Scope of the problem:

  • One person, one device

  • One person, any device

  • Multiple people

  • Everyone

• At least one user ID or MAC address that experienced the problem

With sufficient advance notice, instructors can request that IST do live monitoring of the Wi-Fi during a high capacity use case.

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