Upgrades to El Camino College’s Wi-Fi networks are in their final phase and are expected to be completed across campus in May to improve speed, stability, and coverage.
The Wi-Fi 6 Upgrade Project will replace the current Wi-Fi 5 standard and will increase the number of outside access points, which extend coverage, from 42 to 115.
“Increasing access points by adding more outside, we’ll have parking lot coverage and seamless roaming between buildings without disconnection,” William Carter, interim chief technology officer, said.
An additional 73 internet access points will be added outdoors, expected to improve coverage by 174%, and 889 access points will be upgraded inside buildings, hallways, and classrooms throughout campus, totaling over 1,000 access points.
Murdock Stadium will also see coverage improvements, with 25 access points being added in total. Student parking lots will also have additional access points installed.
The Wi-Fi 6 upgrade is a two-phase project. The first phase surveys the campus locations that need Wi-Fi coverage improvement, while the second phase covers the hardware and equipment installation.
An annual student satisfaction survey revealed dissatisfaction with the campus Wi-Fi in 2023.
In interviews with The Union, multiple students recently reported issues with the Wi-Fi around campus.
“In the MESA [Natural Sciences] Building, there is hardly any reception or Wi-Fi,” biology major Arely Alonzo, 18, said. “It’s difficult to submit assignments, meet deadlines, or connect to Zoom meetings.”
Other students mentioned the issues they have accessing the Wi-Fi in different buildings on campus.
“The Wi-Fi works perfectly fine, but when I switch to a different building, I see how it weakens slightly,” computer science major Gudimella Lahari, 19, said.
While Wi-Fi 7 is the current standard today, it was not yet the standard when the upgrade project started.
Loic Audusseau, interim vice president of Administrative Services, said that to have time to test the newer technology, the college upgraded to the Wi-Fi 6 standard first.
“When it comes to technology upgrades, you do not want to jump directly to the latest and greatest,” Audusseau said.
Once the upgrades are completed in May, improvements to the new infrastructure will be put in place by Information and Technology Services.
“We are going to keep building up on top of where we are now. It’s going to keep getting better,” Audusseau said.
![Physics and astronomy professor Susan Stolovy presents astronomical news and updates to attendees at the first planetarium show of the semester at El Camino College on Friday, March 28. Prior to becoming a professor at ECC, Stolovy completed her doctorate in physics and worked as an astrophysicist for NASA and the California Institute of Technology on spacecraft missions. "[I'm] still very tuned into what's going on in the world of research as well, and I hope to bring a little bit of my experience into the classroom," Stolovy said. (Nikki Yunker | The Union)](https://eccunion.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/planetarium-Made-with-Clipchamp-3-frame-at-0m28s-1200x675.jpg)
