The upgrade — meant to make Internet access on campus more convenient and secure — was part of a multi-year process that includes many improvements, such as allowing recurring users to access the Wi-Fi as if their device was connected to the university’s wired network.

Jenn Haas, director of Client Services, said the upgrade should eliminate the problem of re-authenticating while moving around campus.

“It’s a much more updated system, but none of the modern systems could be implemented until all of the infrastructures and wireless access points – those types of things – got upgraded,” Haas said. “This is kind of the very end of all of that.”

The university’s Wi-Fi network upgraded from a ‘clean access’ network to a new re-authentication network. This eliminates the need to contact the tech desk to allow devices to have access to the university’s wired network.

Some students are hesitant to call the new system an upgrade just yet, due of some kinks they have observed.

“It’s nice to not have to sign in when I move around campus, but it’s been less reliable when using other devices, like a Firestick,” senior Priscila Barron Sanchez said. “The St. Thomas network disappears randomly and I have to use UST Open. I really hope it is an improvement, but I am still unsure.”

The upgrade eliminated the individual networks for each residence hall and has simplified them into two networks: an encrypted network that is more secure and is recommended for recurring users and an unencrypted network that is meant for, but not limited to, guests.

Students, faculty and staff are able to use the open network for devices that can’t connect to the encrypted network, but it does not offer the same level of privacy.

The encrypted network requires a St. Thomas username and password. The unencrypted network, called UST-Open, requires users to login every 24 hours.

The new network improves the process of setting up game consoles and other media devices by allowing users to use the UST-Open network without having to log in every 24 hours.

The upgrade also eliminates the need to manually register most media devices such as an Apple TV or Firestick by automatically registering them for the user.

While some students are unsure of the upgrade, other students see the benefits of the new improvements and appreciate the upgrade.

“I think the new Wi-Fi system is more efficient than before,” Junior Courtney Citrowske said. “I like the fact that I don’t have to wait for the purple screen to pop up on my computer to reconnect. I don’t have to constantly log in either.”

Rachel Weiss can be reached at weis3565@stthomas.edu.