STUDENT FRUSTRATION continues to mount since the Office of Management Information Systems (OMIS) implemented the new OBF Wi-Fi network on August 21.
A few days prior, OMIS released a memo regarding a new Wi-Fi network applicable for all Loyola Schools (LS) students for “easy device switch and enhanced security.”
Inconveniences for students
A number of students expressed their unfavorable sentiments towards the OBF Wi-Fi, deeming it “unreliable” and “unstable.” This poses as a problem for them since many of them heavily depend on the campus Wi-Fi for academic use. Some students have resorted to using their mobile data instead.
“I almost got a zero on a midterm because the Wi-Fi suddenly cut out just as I was submitting it. That was essentially a heart attack for me. All those times where I’d need to get crucial research done for thesis—I’d have to drive back home just to do so because the Wi-Fi wouldn’t work. It gets frustrating,” development studies supersenior Alo Lantin said.
“I wasn’t able to submit a few of my online requirements because of OBF, and of course, ‘can’t connect to the internet’ isn’t exactly a valid excuse,” said management information systems junior Kyle Arandia.
While communication senior A.G. De Guzman has his own share of inconveniences, he stated that OMIS should have been “transparent” with the users of the network.
“I’m aware that they’re continuing to improve the system, I wish lang na they constantly updated us with what’s been happening para we could’ve understood the issues better,” he said.
“Apart from that, I had to use mobile data to get by, which was also not as reliable as I expected it to be,” he added.
‘Not an upgrade’
According to OMIS Director JP Gregorio, a switch in network from LSWLAN1 to OBF “never occurred.” Rather, it was just renaming LSWLAN1 into something that relates to the school, and a change in how students connect to the Wi-Fi.
LSWLAN1 required students to register the IP address of one device at the Matteo Ricci Hall, while OBF consists of a log-in screen that allows for device-switching.
“Wala tayong upgrade talagang nangyari. ‘Yung bandwidth na shina-share ng students from LSWLAN1 is the same bandwidth or speed that OBF is supposed to share. It was just basically how you connected [that changed],” he said.
(No upgrade really happened. The same bandwidth being shared by students from LSWLAN1 is the same bandwidth or speed that OBF is supposed to share. It was just basically how you connected [that changed].)
However, an e-mail apologizing for the inconveniences sent by OMIS to students via OBF Google Mail on October 4 stated that “a similar upgrade was successfully implemented for the university employees earlier this year.”
This contradicted what Gregorio had been emphasizing in an interview with The GUIDON about OBF not being an upgrade. Gregorio later clarified that similar to OBF, Magis was merely an update, and that the use of the word “upgrade” was simply a mistake.
The renaming and log-in portal were based off the Magis Wi-Fi update for employees implemented in January 2017, which only had minimal concerns.
“…For this reason, we thought that the migration approach that we prepared is already sufficient. We did not anticipate the varying behavior that has been observed,” the e-mail read.
Gregorio noted that since the new Wi-Fi did not require registering MAC addresses manually as compared to before, students found this process more accessible. He said that those who did not bother connecting to LSWLAN1 now tried OBF, increasing the number of users prominently. This largely contributed to the change in Wi-Fi behavior.
Data-gathering for improvement
Within the same week OBF was implemented, students having problems with the connection dropped by OMIS to be assisted. Gregorio recalled that less than 10 students came, but all concerns were addressed with a “100% satisfaction rate.”
“All the while we thought OBF was okay since tumigil na pagpunta ng students. We didn’t know that there were issues about disconnections (All the while we thought OBF was okay since the students stopped dropping by. We didn’t know that there were issues about disconnections),” Gregorio said.
As of writing, OMIS plans to release several infographics that will depict the step-by-step process for troubleshooting efforts.
On the other hand, OMIS reported that improvements on speed and bandwidth will take time, since they regard the state of their data-gathering for now as “insufficient,” as it was solely based on the strength of the Wi-Fi signals. The actual experience of the students when connected to the Wi-Fi, regardless of the signal strength, is not reflected in the data.
Hence, OMIS is not yet completely certain on which concrete steps to take to improve its system; but with the necessary feedback obtained, OMIS believes improvement will come its way.
‘Growing pains’
Despite the troubles caused by OBF, some students tried to sympathize with the situation at hand.
“In defense of the school, these are growing pains. That’s how change always is naman. It never comes smoothly at first, but if the reason is good, then it’s about hammering it into shape and waiting for the community to grow accustomed to it. So I’m honestly okay with OBF,” Lantin said.
“I think everyone should just trust OMIS about this whole situation. I know it started out rough, but an essential part of doing MIS work is gathering data, or understanding what can be improved in the current system,” Arandia said.
“I’m sure OMIS employees are working their hardest to find solutions to the problems that we currently are experiencing. Though not immediately, I feel like OBF will continuously improve, hopefully in the next few weeks. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” he added.
ERRATUM: An earlier version of this article indicated management information systems major Kyle Arandia as a senior instead of a junior. The article has been edited accordingly and we apologize for the oversight.
ERRATUM #2: An earlier version of this article stated “IP addresses” instead of “MAC addresses”. The article has been edited accordingly and we apologize for the oversight.
