iPad overwhelms some campus networks

Ace! NewsFlash

The iPad has been touted as the next big thing in higher education technology, especially as more textbooks make the digital conversation, but the Wall Street Journal reports that not all college campus networks can handle the mobile tablets.

George Washington University students and faculty members who sprung for an iPad can't access the campus wireless network. Princeton University has blocked about two dozen iPads that were messing up the university network. Seton Hill University, which is equipping every student with an iPad, has had to quadruple its bandwidth and charge students a $500-per-semester technology fee. Cornell University is also seeing networking and connectivity issues, similar to what happened with the iPhone hit.

Earlier this month, George Washington University's information technology officials broke the sad news to students and faculty members planning to order an iPad: They can't log onto the university's wireless network. The university is working on the problem, The GW Hatchet reports, but doesn't plan to offer iPad access for at least another year. The iPhone also doesn't work on the university network.

About five days after the iPad was released (Apple sold more than half a million in that first week), Princeton officials warned students and others not to try to connect to the university network because of "high risk problems," the Daily Princetonian reported. Still, about four dozen people tried accessing the Internet from their new iPads -- and half caused problems to the network and have been blocked.

Seton Hill University is lovingly embracing the iPad and, starting this fall, will give all 2,100 students an iPad -- incoming freshman also get a 13-inch MacBook laptop. But to handle all of that technology, the liberal-arts college in Pennsylvania has had to quadruple its bandwidth, extend wireless coverage to the entire campus and train faculty members. The new technology program is costing students an additional $500 per semester in fees, the Chronicle reports.

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