We take a slightly different approach to what has already been shared when it comes to students. When students in either a residence hall or other campus building call in, our student employees on the phone collect the following:
· Drivers (check for updates, ensure that correct drivers are installed) · Power Settings (ensure that maximum performance is chosen for battery and plugged in) · Delete/Re-Add Saved Wireless Networks · Disable Link-Layers · Disable Printer/File Sharing If the issue can’t be resolved there, they send it on to our full-time helpdesk staff. We ensure that there’s not an obvious issue (major interference detected by the nearest WAP, WAP unplugged or otherwise not functioning as expected) with our access to Cisco Prime Infrastructure. We also look at the client in Cisco to see if they are connecting over 2.4 or 5GHz, etc. If there isn’t anything obvious, we then schedule an appointment with one of our student employees in the field. They have different training then our phones techs and regularly handle wireless network issues. In the field, we ask our student techs to collect the following: · Document Client Info: o What is the student's primary band? (5.0GHz or 2.4GHz) o Record and label all device MAC addresses with limited connectivity. · AirCheck (for ResNet and for ResNet-Alt): · ResNet: Strongest 2.4GHz (g/n) AP dBm: SNR: AP Name/MAC address: · ResNet: Strongest 5GHz (a/n) AP dBm: SNR: AP Name/MAC address: · ResNet-Alt: Strongest 2.4GHz (g/n) AP dBm: SNR: AP Name/MAC address: · ResNet-Alt: Strongest 5GHz (a/n) AP dBm: SNR: AP Name/MAC address: · Does the Aircheck show varying dBm? · Does the Aircheck show non-802.11 interferers in the "Channels" menu? · Does the AirCheck show any rouge APs/Printers? (Include names of networks, channels, dBm) · On MacBook Air: o Check connection speed: <Link removed> 10MB file. o Time to download file: o Does the MacBook Air stay connected to the AP? § If not, how long does it stay connected? Our techs use Netscout Airchecks<https://www.amazon.com/NETSCOUT-AIRCHECK-Display-Operating-Temperature/dp/B003JZ076U?sa-no-redirect=1> to collect much of this information. Once we collect that information, the helpdesk full-time staff work with our network engineers for further solutions. Many times this involves a power level change, WAP relocation, or additional WAP being added. We are always the ones to communicate with the end-user. This generally works well, as we’re able to filter out many client-side issues before they reach our network engineers. For more complicated issues, we may also coordinate to have a network engineer meet us in the field for additional troubleshooting or analysis. -- Bryan Sherwood End-User Computing Specialist, Sr. Student Technology Center Information Technology Services Northern Arizona University [logo-email-sig] -----Original Message----- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Norman Elton Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 4:13 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Helpdesk Troubleshooting of Wireless Issues I'm curious if people can share their delineation of duties between the support organization (help desk) and the network administration (engineering, etc) teams, especially as it surrounds the triaging and troubleshooting of wireless connectivity issues. What is expected from the support organization before an issue is escalated? Who communicates with the end user? What tools, resources, and training are made available to techs? Are all support techs qualified, or just a "wifi strike team"? Lessons learned? Thanks! Norman Elton William & Mary ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/discuss. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/discuss.
