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Restricting Wireless Access on Campus?

Posted by Cliff on from the dynamic-access-allotments dept.

Diety_in_A_Minor asks: "How would one set up a wireless network on a campus such that restrictions can occur by classroom? My back of the napkin solution would be to relate MAC addresses to class schedules, and have the DHCP server allow access to student-registered MAC addresses only during specific times. Although possible, this solution requires tremendous maintenance. What other solutions are there? One class in a building will require restrictions, while both classrooms adjacent to it need open access."

6 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Old Tech by Muggins+the+Mad · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Change the student password every hour. Have the teacher easily able to see what the password is.

    Write the password on the blackboard at the start of the class. Possibly have several different passwords with different levels of access.

    - Muggins the Mad

  2. MAC addresses? by Nasarius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why not associate usernames with schedules and save yourself the hassle? Require a VPN logon for the wireless network, and deny access to specific users at the right times.

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    LOAD "SIG",8,1
  3. Old fashioned by aridhol · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Why is it required that this one room not have any network connectivity? Why not do it the old-fashioned way: tell the students that network access is prohibited.

    What kind of school is this? Is it a college or university? The students are paying their way, let them waste their money by ignoring the class. Is it a K-12 school? Send a note home to the parents or disable the account of those caught using the 'net when they shouldn't.

    --
    I can't say that I don't give a fuck. I've just run out of fuck to give.
    1. Re:Old fashioned by kalidasa · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You really don't want students to have WiFi capaibilities in an examination environment. Remember, there are two kinds of WiFi network: infrastructure, and peer-to-peer.

  4. Impossible by photon317 · · Score: 4, Insightful


    Even if you do acces control by MAC address or VPN login as others have stated, students will just swap wireless cards or vpn logins with someone on a different schedule when they need to.

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    11*43+456^2
  5. Don't do it at all. by Charles+Dart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's a bad idea, students will either hack it or switch to cellular modems. Just let the tight-assed professors deal with it and tell them to join us in the twenty-first century.

    What you are doing shows a lack of respect to the students. If a student wants to waste their opportunity to be educated let em. The good students will voluntaraly go by the rules.

    Belive me if you try to implement this system you are in for a world of hurt.