OIT to phase out legacy wireless support for 802.11/802.11b

In order to move the campus wireless network to the latest Wi-Fi technology – 802.11n, OIT is phasing out support of legacy wireless devices on the university’s wireless network. Carter Finley wireless, which is a separate wireless infrastructure, will not be impacted.  

On Monday, Dec. 20, OIT will disable support for the lower data rates of 1Mbs, 2Mbs and 5.5Mbs, which means support for 802.11 devices, sold prior to year 2000, will be dropped. Support for 802.11b devices will continue until the summer of 2011, but only at the highest 802.11b data rate of 11Mbs. This action is necessary because 802.11b devices lack support of strong encryption such as WPA2, EAP and 802.1x, and these devices degrade wireless performance on 802.11g and 802.11n networks. More information about this project will be available on the ComTech Wireless Web site soon.