Wireless Corridor

Revised August 15, 2003

Wireless Corridor Description

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is in the process of installing an outdoor wireless corridor on the Georgia Tech campus. The wireless corridor will extend from Technology Square at the corner of West Peachtree and 5th Streets to the new Campus Recreation Center (formerly SAC) at Means Street and Ferst Drive. OIT has scheduled most of the wireless corridor to be installed and operating by the end of October 2003.

The wireless corridor infrastructure is designed to support continuous coverage for wireless network services along the new Tech Square bus route. OIT envisions that students, faculty, and staff with wireless-enabled laptop computers and PDAs will be able to access online resources at any location along the bus route.

Wireless Corridor Technical Specifications

The Georgia Tech wireless corridor will be based on 802.11b wireless Ethernet technology. The access points will be targeted at 5th Street and Ferst Drive along the proposed route. The connectivity for the access points will be supplied by high-speed, free space optical laser technology, developed by Digital Atlantic, an ATDC company. The low latency of this new technology enables a seamless connection hand off from one wireless access point to another. Students, faculty, and staff can get online via the wireless corridor using the same equipment they currently use to connect to the Georgia Tech LAWN (Local Area Wireless/Walkup Network) at other campus locations.

User Access to the Georgia Tech LAWN

The Georgia Tech LAWN is available for use by Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff. Users can connect to the LAWN with a wireless-enabled laptop or PDA equipped with a standard (802.11b or WiFi certified) wireless network client and 40-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), a security protocol for wireless local area networks. A web browser with 128-bit encryption is also required. The Georgia Tech LAWN requires users to have a valid GT Account in order to log in and gain access. For more user access information, see Wireless Connections.

Tech Square Bus Tracking System

OIT is implementing the outdoor wireless corridor soon after the initiation of the new Tech Square bus route. The Tech Square buses will travel back and forth between the end points of the wireless corridor. Wireless coverage is scheduled to begin along the bus route, excluding the turnarounds, by the end of October 2003.

Georgia Tech Auxiliary Services has contracted with NextBus Information Systems, Inc. for a one-year pilot of a bus tracking system. The Tech Square buses will be equipped to deliver Global Positioning System (GPS) data to the NextBus server using a commercial wireless data service. The NextBus server calculates the predicted location of the bus, and displays its expected arrival time on the NextBus website (www.nextbus.com) and on electronic signs along the route. Wireless users will be able to access the website via the Georgia Tech LAWN and check the real-time location and expected arrival time of the next bus.

After the NextBus pilot, OIT plans to enhance the bus tracking technology by transmitting the bus position information via the wireless corridor and the Georgia Tech LAWN. The LAWN’s 802.11b Ethernet technology is much faster than the available commercial services, and not subject to connection fees.

Tech Square Public-Private Network

Georgia Tech and Biltmore Communications (BCI) will jointly operate a public-private wireless network service at Technology Square and other locations on and around the Georgia Tech campus. BCI is the commercial enterprise that purchased Open Point Networks, a former ATDC company and developer of the public-private network service model.

The public-private network will be tested and in production at Tech Square in time for the grand opening that begins October 23, 2003. Tech Square wireless coverage will encompass the new buildings and offices on the south side of 5th Street. This includes the Global Learning Center, GT Hotel and Conference Center, College of Management (including Starbucks and Barnes&Noble @ Georgia Tech), and the Economic Development Institute (EDI) building.

In the future, the public-private wireless network is expected to expand into Yamacraw and the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) on the north side of 5th Street, and to some other campus locations.

The public-private wireless infrastructure will provide controlled access and two separate virtual networks (VLANs). It will give users access to either the private Georgia Tech LAWN or the BCI public network, depending on authentication as either a Georgia Tech user or a guest. The public wireless network service is comparable to having a temporary Internet Service Provider (ISP). Users will be able to check email, browse the Web, and access any publicly available online resources.

Tech Square Wireless Access Setup and Control

Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students will be able to access the Georgia Tech LAWN in Tech Square just as they currently do on campus with a GT Account username and password. The Georgia Tech Customer Support Center will support Georgia Tech LAWN users at Tech Square exactly as they currently support LAWN users on the main campus.

Campus visitors, including conference attendees, will be able to purchase guest access to the public wireless network and selected wired ports in Tech Square. Before logging in, guests will need to enter the public network name into their device’s wireless network client software. The guest access passes will include information on how to log in and how to contact the BCI help desk in case of problems. BCI will support the public wireless network users with 24x7 phone center support.

To log in, the user launches a web browser. If the device has been configured to use the Georgia Tech LAWN network, the web browser will be re-directed automatically to the LAWN login page. If the device has been configured to use the BCI public network, the web browser will be re-directed automatically to the BCI login page.

BCI will control authentication to the public network via the guest access passes and pre-set usage time frames, typically 24 hours. No unauthorized traffic will traverse either network.

Tech Square Guest Access Pass Management

BCI will sell guest access passes in bulk quantities to conference organizers who will purchase them for Tech Square conference attendees. Georgia Tech schools and departments may wish to buy guest passes for other types of campus visitors. Individuals can purchase guest passes at the hotel front desk or by credit card on the default login page for the BCI network.

Georgia Tech LAWN Improvements in 2003

In addition to expanding the Georgia Tech LAWN to Tech Square, OIT has increased the campus wireless coverage to encompass the Smithgall Student Services building and the Student Center, including the outdoor area surrounding the campanile. OIT also added more wireless access points in the Skiles classroom building and the Alumni/Faculty House on North Avenue. The outdoor wireless corridor that OIT is currently installing will increase the LAWN’s outdoor coverage area.

OIT has increased the Georgia Tech LAWN’s potential number of wireless access points to more than 1,000, and increased the possible number of simultaneous LAWN users from 512 to more than 1,000. To do this, OIT allocated two additional Class C IP address blocks to the address space reserved for access points, and two additional Class C IP address blocks to the address space reserved for hosts on the LAWN.

OIT plans to replace the Georgia Tech-developed LAWN gateway with a commercial gateway appliance featuring redundancy and Gigabit throughput. Extensive testing of the new gateway, performed at GCATT, is now complete. The vendor will provide a warranty and service contract support for the new gateway.

OIT also plans to improve the security of the LAWN. OIT will require the same security level for the wireless network as for outside Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This means that the LAWN system administrators will replicate the campus border filters at the LAWN gateway, and unencrypted connections from LAWN will not be permitted.

Although security improvements will prevent Windows file sharing to LAWN, and may block some Microsoft Exchange functions, there will be little impact to most campus wireless users. The schedule for implementing specific security changes depends on feedback from the Information Technology Advisory Council (ITAC) and other campus constituents.

Georgia Tech Wireless Networking Policy

The wireless subcommittee of the Information Technology Advisory Council (ITAC) has drafted the core language of a wireless networking policy for the Georgia Tech campus. The policy draft has been submitted to Georgia Tech’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), John Mullin, for embellishment, coordination and synchronization with other campus IT policies. Approval is imminent.

The wireless policy states that all authorized wireless access points on campus are to be managed by OIT. No other wireless access points will be permitted, except for those specifically authorized by the CIO. While there will be bona fide reasons for wireless access points in a limited number of areas such as research labs, the security and integrity of the Georgia Tech network are too important to allow independent deployment of wireless networks.

The policy also discourages using devices on campus that may interfere with the operation of the Georgia Tech LAWN, for example, some 2.4 GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens. The ITAC wireless subcommittee is currently working on the draft of a best practices document for campus wireless users.

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