The Why in WiFi

Winter break is over and students are back in their desks. It’s first block and Maria Luisa Correa’s class is listening to Tech 911 explain the new internet system. Many students have annoyed and confused looks on their faces. The announcement ends and the floor is open for questions. Correa’s hand shoots up and when called on she asks, “Why?” Last vacation break, TCS administration decided to change the WiFi. The number of networks, how to connect, and the regulations on the web. We think that although the decision to change the internet was made to benefit the students and staff, it will take time for them to adapt since there is still a lot of confusion and questions surrounding the topic.

“The new system is called Firewall, where students have to log in with their usernames and passwords to access the internet. This makes it safer and allows them to properly browse the web,” explained Juan Esteban Maya, a member of Tech 911. In their professional opinion, the tech team believes the decision to switch to Firewall was logical and necessary. Apart from incorporating it, they have been in charge of helping students transition to the new WiFi, and Tech 911 members have noticed the students’ unconformity. “The students have disagreed with the change because they have to log in and get used to this new system, but I think they’ll change their minds with time,” Maya added.

Although there are many students who are complaining about the current WiFi, complaints about the internet are nothing new. Staff members such as the middle school technology teacher, John Higuita, have had first-hand experience with this issue. “As a technology teacher I constantly had students complaining because the WiFi was too slow, would stop working frequently, would make downloads very slow, and that it was very messy because there were too many networks to choose from,” said Higuita. He reported that for class purposes the internet has been a great improvement, and when asked about his personal opinion he said, “Now – although the use will be limited – it’s going to be a lot better because the school made sure that everyone can connect with one device, which prevents the network from crashing and makes the internet more stable.”

This faster and safer network comes with a price, and students are not happy about it. A key feature of the Firewall update is that students are only allowed to connect to the WiFi on one device at a time. Junior Conchita Escobar, shared her discontent, “I think that the old internet was much better than the new one because you could have it on both your cell phone and your computer. With the new one, you can only choose one so you are very restricted in your communication and browsing.”  Most – if not all – students have more than one device, and if they wish to change which device they’re connected with, they will have to go through a tedious reconnection process. Knowing that teachers can get two devices connected at a time is causing students to further reject the system. On the other hand, teachers like Higuita don’t understand what kids are getting caught up about, “It is not a valid excuse to say that you can only connect from one device. If you need internet on a different device, it is a super easy process to connect and disconnect.”

Despite the old internet being flawed, the new one isn’t what was expected. The reasons behind the change might be clear to the administration, but they’re not to the students. Doubts and questions that no one’s addressing will hinder the process of adaptation to the WiFi. Even if the current system is more beneficial than the old one, everyone must know how it works, why it was implemented, and why it’s better, in order for this transformation to succeed.