Update as of 9:40 p.m. on Sept. 15:

The Division of Information Technology has released a statement regarding the Wi-Fi outage:

Dear Diamondback Editorial Staff and broader campus community,

The Division of Information Technology is committed to ensuring that every member of our community has a reliable wireless experience. We understand the importance of stable, consistent Wi-Fi connections, knowing they enable us to use online texts, access homework and submit assignments.

Earlier this week, we fell short on this commitment. As an institution of higher education, teaching and learning is our business. We regret the disruption to the teaching and learning process and the inconvenience caused by lapses in connectivity. We can and will do better.

DIT has begun long-term efforts to mitigate future disruptions and manage growth and the increase of devices on the network by procuring additional equipment, replacing aged equipment and upgrading the wireless network as part of a continual cycle. These measures will strengthen and modernize our network and support our collective educational goals. These obligations are a top priority for us.

I truly appreciate your feedback and concerns. My office values your patience as we work to ensure a secure, stable and reliable wireless experience for all.

Sincerely,

Eric Denna

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Original story:

After working through Tuesday night, the Wi-Fi connectivity issues for the University of Maryland’s internet have been solved, Division of Information Technology officials said Wednesday.

Alison Robinson, DIT deputy chief information officer, said engineers worked through Tuesday night, finding and solving an issue involving assigning IP numbers to devices shortly after midnight.

“We’ve determined that our system was not consistently assigning IP addresses to users, thwarting a dependable connection and therefore creating an unreliable user experience,” a letter sent to the campus community Wednesday reads.

The campus Wi-Fi was hit with about 10,000 more devices this year compared to last year, Robinson said — a 15 percent increase.

“We finally broke through and saw we were getting expected connections at 12:30 [a.m.],” Robinson said.
The initial group left at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, and two employees monitored the network throughout the night for issues. At 6 a.m. the next group of technicians came in.
“There wasn’t a point in time where it wasn’t being worked [on] or watched,” she said.
DIT has already rolled out new Wi-Fi designs in the higher density areas of Stamp Student Union and McKeldin Library to adjust to a higher level of users, Robinson said.
“We understand how important the wireless network is to teaching and learning and collaborating,” Robinson said.
The DIT letter states that in the next 30 days, the department will “add two new wireless controllers to handle increases in wireless traffic,” increase monitoring of the network, replace wireless routers and continue to improve the system.