Northern Michigan University was fairly early to the game in offering laptops and campus-wide WiFi to its students, and it looks like it's now stepping things up even further with a little help from Motorola, which is providing the backend for NMU's new campus-wide WiMAX network (a first in the US). Better still, the university is also providing some brand new WiMAX-equipped ThinkPads to nearly 3,000 of the school's more than 9,000 students, and it's also making a range of laptop and desktop WiMAX adapters available to students with non WiMAX-enabled computers. With a radius of some 30 miles, the network will also encompass a number of off-campus sites, and be made available to local schools and municipal offices though a licensing arrangement.
[Image courtesy
Wikimedia Commons]
posted Aug 22nd 2009 9:52AM
Its a pity that NMU is in the middle of effing nowhere.
They got to entice people out there some how right?
Actually, thats the beauty of NMU...not a pity
That was one of the main draws for me. It's absolutely gorgeous on Lake Superior.
NMU < MTU
Marquette is the biggest city in the U.P. so it is pretty industrialized compared to what the rest of the U.P. has to offer.
Also, MTU is way in the boondocks compared to NMU.
I guess I live in the middle of nowhere
That's the best part. It's isolated.
Duh you live in the middle of nowhere.
You're a penguin.
Awesome (looking) campus.
Yes. Very clean.
Me likey.
my cousin went there. i stayed with him for a week and i was very very impressed. if you're the outdoorsy type and they have the programs you want its an awesome school. Marquette MI is beautiful. unfortunately the city is under 4 feet of snow the whole school year.
The WiMAX is all over the city. My friend was part of the group that was demonstrating it for the suits from Intel, Motorola, the state, etc. He was on a live webcam 8 miles out on Lake Superior with the Coast Guard.
Cool, I'm pretty surprised to see an article about my alma mater on Engadget. I was a student at NMU when they actually started the laptop program, so it's nice to see they're working on expading things and improving internet access for students. Especially those who are off campus.
Hm, if you have campus-wide WiFi, why do you need WiMax? I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, I'm honestly curious here...
Easier to maintain, for one...
There only needs to be 1 transmitter/tower rather than 100's of access points. Wider range. Less enerygy used.
From the article: "With a radius of some 30 miles, the network will also encompass a number of off-campus sites". That way, you can go into town or live off campus and still have access.
Hm, if you have campus-wide WiFi, why do you need WiMax? I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, I'm honestly curious here...
The wimax is not intended for use on campus, although it works fine both on and off campus. The goal of the wimax installation was to provide students and internet connection while off campus. when on campus, the campus wide N wifi is faster than wimax. http://speedtest.net/result/543843009.png(wifi) vs. http://speedtest.net/result/544587874.png(wimax ~7 miles off campus)
Because the campus wifi is only campus-wide. Some students live away from it, like me, and it's very useful. And fast, at-least until more people start using it.
I'm an NMU student --
Many of the students at NMU live off campus to save money etc. The WiMax is to replace the 'dial in' free connection available to students who live in the area. At least, that is what I understood from the email sent out last year.
I don't live that far from campus, and should be able to pick up the signal if/when I get the adapter for my laptop.
As far as the MTU/NMU which school is better crap - Both are good schools, so its really rather silly to say one is better than another.
I picked NMU because they are a VERY good for my selected major - education.
I wish I had that in my school.
Too bad we'll still be their bosses some day.
/Michigan Tech grad
And I'll be your boss.
/University of Michigan grad
Actually here at Kettering, we will be your boss someday. It's one of the official recruitment shirts they wore last year. From numbers I've heard before, 50% of grads here become managers, with a significant percent (I think 5%, don't quote me) as CEOs.
http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storypics/KU_students_china.jpg
An I'm sitting down in Western Michigan University partying. lol.
and single
Note: NMU provides MTU with their entire internet connection. who's the boss now?
S:
tbh, that's quite douchey.
Plus, at Kettering, you get to experience all that Flint, Michigan has to offer.
Yep, #3 in unemployment, shootings everyday, and prostitutes everywhere, welcome to Flint. :)
Shout-out for Michigan State University! The best college in the state of Michigan (though wtf, where's our wi-max, that's pretty awesome!)
I don't know what's funnier, the MiTech guy who's all high and mighty or the Kettering guy. Now if you were from Stanford...
Ntw1103:
Actually, both Northern and Michigan Tech get their internet from the same place, Merit Network in Ann Arbor. Our fiber just goes by way of Marquette.
And no, most of us don't actually think we're better than Northern... We just like whuppin' them in hockey. :)
Degrees from both LSSU and MTU...but we're all Yuppers. Yeah, U.P. !!
Matt
who lives with the trolls in the L.P., but misses the clean air and water up north
I it is actually spelling Yooper. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yooper
:)
Obviously a trolling troll (LP). Can't even spell Yooper!
Get back under the bridge troll!
I never even saw anyone spell it before the band (Yoopers) came around. I always figure it was UPer.
Of course! YOOPER! Duh...
Born in SSM, but been living with the trolls for too long!
I guess spelling it Yuppers sort of explains Upper Peninsula, UP, YUpper, Yooper.
I'll get a weekend up there in September sometime...some clean air and water will do me some good!
How crackable is Wimax?
Is the auth procedure anything like 802.1x?
Wow. Wish my school would do this. Wifi is pretty spotty in some buildings, sometimes it works fine, other times it sucks hard, and other times I can't even connect at all. I don't know if I could install a PCIe card in my laptop though. It would suck to have to carry around a USB or PC card.
I love how people are more then willing to bash a school when they decide to implement new fantastic technology that their school DOESN'T have. Stupid shit talkers. I love NMU and how isolated we are. Its beautiful here and anyone that goes here appreciates the surroundings. Pretty much pristine. Those of you who think you know what your talking about when it comes to our school REALLY dont.
Shh MTU is just upset they have almost all guys there, and the few girls around those parts are scary looking.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Northern+Michigan+University&sll=46.497447,-87.299423&sspn=0.272734,0.617294&ie=UTF8&radius=14.68&rq=1&ev=zo&ll=46.562401,-87.406197&spn=0.130303,0.308647&t=h&z=12
A picture taken in the UP that doesn't feature rain or snow or someone eating a pasty? On second look those clouds are moving in.
Also oddly, even though the sun is visible, there are no noticeable bugs (mosquitos or flies) in the picture...
One in a million shot.
The bugs aren't noticeable because they're behind the camera feasting on the photographer.
Sheridan had it for two years now
wimax is intended for use around campus we have wired and wifi for on campus use.
They had to do something to the stock Intel driver to get it running and only released a version for xp. I am trying to see if i can figure something out for windows 7 using the vista driver and files from the patch they sent out yesterday.