iPhones bogging down Duke University's WiFi network?
While the Blue Devils may have their basketball program running like a well-oiled machine, apparently its wireless LAN structure is in dire need of an upgrade. Reportedly, so many Dukies have snatched up iPhones and began using the campus WiFi network to surf on the go that the hordes of requests have been "temporarily knocking out anywhere from a dozen to 30 wireless access points at a time." Cisco, the university's main WLAN provider, has been called in to find out exactly why the overload has brought the network to its proverbial knees, and we'd say they better resolve the problem pronto -- after all, this issue could be magnified immensely with the commencement of the fall semester.[Via Fox News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cody Coane @ Jul 17th 2007 10:42AM
So you're telling me that kids at Duke University didn't use laptops until now? Or that the kids who didn't want to dish out the money for laptops just dropped $600 + service for a phone?
brad @ Jul 17th 2007 11:01AM
this is bad reporting, your right, i seriously doubt this is the first wifi product any college student has bought, espically at duke where mommy and daddy pony up all of their kids needs...
FFS, summer at any college will have less students then during the normal fall and spring semesters.... i think duke has a bigger problem on its hands
Brian Hawkins @ Jul 17th 2007 11:14AM
There is a more detailed story here(found via \.)
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/071607-duke-iphone.html
After reading the article it seems that this is an apple problem not a cisco problem.
Blake Kachman @ Jul 17th 2007 12:42PM
Why is this anyone's problem other than perhaps Duke University's problem. To bog down a network you would need multiple simultaneous connetions and they would have to be doing some intensive bandwidth hogging work, not something I could see happening from an iPhone let alone any handheld UI device. For an iPhone to cause a real noticable problem you would need hundreds, if not thousands of them and it's quite a stretch of the imagination to suggest that you would find nearly that many on campus. I would go so far as to say that you probably wouldn't find 75 in the whole population.
Big Sam @ Jul 17th 2007 12:48PM
@Blake: Read the article and you will see why its Apple's problem.
Anthony @ Jul 17th 2007 4:32PM
All this shows is that wireless servicing technology is miles behind wireless device technology. Progress is not made by scaling done wireless devices to "go easy on" wireless network bandwidth - progress is made when new devices push the limits and force network technology to press on. If this results in an upgrade and upheaval to the Duke WLAN and network infrastructure, I don't see how this is anything but good.
t .piper @ Jul 17th 2007 1:59PM
I can see how that can happen a laptop you use at times you sit down and use it in the park or in a room somewhere. A iPhone is so small you can pull it out at places you would never use a laptop. i know i use my iPhone to check my email and get on the web at places and times i would never pull out a laptop so i can see how that can strain a wi-fi network. but they should really have better network than that
Mark @ Jul 17th 2007 4:50PM
Unless there's a torrenting application hidden on the iPhone, I refuse to believe that any number of them brought the system to its knees.