I received a critique of my reply off-list that merits a reply, but I think it's worth responding to the group.
I spoke too strongly without explanation. While my concerns go beyond this, my biggest problem with the statement I cited is that in most cases when I hear similar things from people in the Wi-Fi business they're using it as an excuse for not doing a better job with their service. That's the part I find dangerous. Before I knew what I was doing I used all these same excuses. Now I know that these obstacles are rarely an issue when the network is well designed an managed. Do they still pop up? Absolutely, but not enough to obsess over them. The sooner we acknowledge that Wi-Fi can succeed the better off we will be. Even if you disagree with my opinion above, there is still plenty of room for concern. For example, I see credit instruction as mission critical, and there's no way we can get away from Wi-Fi for credit instruction. There are too many useful apps that don't have an easy-to-use/affordable laptop alternative. If you're an independent trucker then your truck is mission-critical, but it's going to break down eventually. That's not a reason to start a different business. That fact that Wi-Fi doesn't always work as we would like doesn't mean we shouldn't use it. It means we must be prepared for it. The point of an SLA is to tell people what to expect. To the extent that statements about the challenges of wireless are used to set expectations, I think they can be very constructive. The only level-setting value I can identify in the suggestions below is that "wireless might not work." If that's your SLA, then just say that and stop there. There's no reason to be so long-winded. I hope that at most of our institution's wireless networks work reliably in most covered areas most of the time for most users. If so, why would we focus on saying, "wireless might not work." It's not helpful to us or our users. A much more constructive approach would be to tell faculty to plan for when wireless doesn't work - to have a back-up plan for that iPad app, to download the PowerPoint presentation before class begins instead of during class, to plug into a wired connection if that's an option, etc.. FWIW, I think the textbook network SLA language associated with service availability, equipment uptime, incident response times, etc., fall well short of the mark too. Those things are all relevant, but they don't do much more to set the user expectation than the suggestions below. I think a wireless SLA should include all those things as well as a description of the coverage area, the coverage standard, the protocols supported, any protocols explicitly prevented from working, etc., and there should be a user-facing document that explains the consequences of these technical parameters in language a typical user can understand. It's not easy and requires continuous updating, but if the goal is to set expectations I'm not sure how else to do it. Chuck -----Original Message----- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Chuck Enfield Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2015 9:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] WiFi Service Level Agreement "Wi-Fi is not intended to replace the wired network, but is a convenient, supplemental method for accessing the campus network. Mission-critical applications should NOT rely upon Wi-Fi." While I think it's completely appropriate to recommend wired connections for certain functions, if anybody who worked for me suggested something this broad I would affect an extreme attitude adjustment. Chuck Enfield Manager, Wireless Systems & Engineering Telecommunications & Networking Services The Pennsylvania State University 110H, USB2, UP, PA 16802 ph: 814.863.8715 fx: 814.865.3988 -----Original Message----- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Hinson, Matthew P Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2015 8:38 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] WiFi Service Level Agreement We looked into doing this for awhile but could never clearly define what acceptable quality of service is. 99.999% uptime in all areas? 99%? 90? 75? Here are a few excerpts of things we had in our draft that never went live. Wi-Fi is not intended to replace the wired network, but is a convenient, supplemental method for accessing the campus network. Mission-critical applications should NOT rely upon Wi-Fi. Due to the uniqueness of each wireless installation and the shared spectrum nature of current wireless technology, the theoretical maximum throughput will not be available everywhere coverage is provided. Further, the available bandwidth will depend directly on the number of Wi-Fi users and upon their respective bandwidth usage in any given coverage area. All 802.11 technologies (a, b, g, n, and ac) utilize frequencies unlicensed by the FCC. Therefore, other devices utilizing wireless technology that are operating within the same frequency ranges may interfere with Wi-Fi. IT will try to solve any interference issues that arise, but IT may not be able to affect the removal of such interfering devices. Construction materials used in many buildings significantly impair the propagation of wireless radio signals. As such, not all devices will be able to consistently connect in all areas of the campus' buildings. Consistent coverage, especially for devices with small antennae (such as smartphones), cannot be guaranteed. While we never ended up making it live, I think it might get you started. :) -Matthew -----Original Message----- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mervyn Christoffels Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2015 1:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] WiFi Service Level Agreement Greetings Colleagues I have been tasked with the process of setting up a service level agreement for a wifi tender Has anyone developed a user experience sla for wifi ? Or a services description for the wifi solution Best regards, mervyn Mervyn Christoffels, Elec Eng (CPUT), MBA (UCT), Mcomm InfSYS (UCT) University of the Western Cape, Modderdam Road, Bellville, 7535, South Africa T +27 21 9592304 E [email protected] ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
