Feb. 2008 News - RedRover Improvements

In the fall 2007 semester, performance on RedRover was unacceptable in some parts of the campus. Several factors contributed to this problem. Some could only be (and were) fixed by Cornell Information Technologies (CIT). Others can be addressed by individuals changing what they do.

What CIT has done

CIT has nearly completed a planned upgrade to the RedRover network throughout the campus. A few locations will be done later in spring 2008 to accommodate the building occupants' needs. Please see the list below or this map of all RedRover locations.

A critical and required part of this upgrade was removing or mitigating devices that were causing interference for RedRover. Typical suspects are 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz cordless phones, leaky microwaves, 2.4 GHz wireless security cameras, and unregistered wireless access points. Although the new access points manage interference better than the old ones can, it is still important to minimize interference, especially in areas of the campus where RedRover is heavily used.

(list updated 2/8/08)

A.D. White House
Akwe:kon
Alice Cook House
Alumni House
Appel Commons
Bailey Hall
Baker Institute
North Baker Hall
Baker Tower
Balch Hall
Bard Hall
Barton Hall
Beck Center
Beebe Hall
Biotechnology Building
Boldt Hall
Boyce Thompson Institute
10 Brown Road
Caldwell Hall
Carl Becker House
Carpenter Hall
Cascadilla Hall
Catherwood Library
CISER
Clark Hall
301 College Ave
Computing and Communications Center
Comstock Hall
Cornell Store
Court-Kay-Bauer Hall
Day Hall
Diagnostic Lab (Vet)
Dickson Hall
Donlon Hall
Duffield Hall
East Campus Research Facility (Vet)
East Hill Office Building
East Hill Plaza
Ecology House
Emerson Hall
Environmental Health & Safety
Founders Hall
Foundry
Goldwin Smith Hall
Grounds
Grumman Hall
Hans Bethe House
Hasbrouck Community Center
High-Rise 5
Hollister Hall
Hughes Hall
Humphreys Service Building
ILR Conference Center
ILR Extension Center
Ives Hall
Jameson Hall
Johnson Museum of Art
Kennedy Hall
Kimball Hall
Kinzelberg Hall
Kroch Library
Library Annex
Lincoln Hall
Low-Rises 6, 7, 8, 9
Malott Hall
Mann Library
116/120 Maple Ave
Martha van Rensselaer Hall
McFaddin Hall
McGraw Hall
Mews Hall
Moakley House
Morrill Hall
Morrison Hall
Myron Taylor Hall
Noyes Lodge
Noyes Community Recreation Center
Olin Hall
Ornithology, Lab of
Olin Library
Phillips Hall
Plant Science Hall
Rand Hall
Resource Ecology Management
Risley Hall
Robert Purcell Community Center
Roberts Hall
Rockefeller Hall
Sage Hall
Savage Hall
Schurman Hall (Vet)
Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts
Seneca Place
Sheldon Court
Sibley Hall
Snee Hall
Stimson Hall
Surge III
Statler Hall
20, 33, & 35 Thornwood
410 Thurston
Thurston Hall
Tjaden Hall
Toboggan Lodge
Town Houses
Ujamaa
Upson Hall
Uris Hall
Uris Library
Veterinary Education Center
Veterinary Medical Center
Veterinary Research Tower
Warren Hall
White Hall
Willard Straight Hall

What individuals can do

1. Avoid using RedRover for network-intensive activities such as downloading large audio, video, or image files. That kind of use significantly decreases the speed for everyone else on the same RedRover access point.
   
   
2. Rule out your laptop as a possible cause of poor performance. See this list of things to check.
   
   
3. Understand that RedRover, like any wireless service, will be slower in areas where large numbers of individuals are sharing a single access point, simply because it's a shared connection. The new access points being installed by CIT manage heavy demand better.
   
   
4. Understand that cordless phones, microwave ovens, security cameras, and unregistered wireless access points can interfere with RedRover. University network administrators may be able to determine sources of interference themselves, or they can request an audit from CIT. Students who suspect this may be an issue in a particular area should notify the CIT Contact Center (255-8990 or helpdesk@cornell.edu).
   
   
5. Promptly report problems with RedRover to the CIT Contact Center (255-8990 or helpdesk@cornell.edu). Be prepared to describe when and where the problem is occurring, and your hardware and software configuration.