The Contra Costa Community College District is upgrading the way everyone on campus connects to Contra Costa College’s Wi-Fi making the wireless network more secure and easier for the campus to access.

The current wireless network will be replaced with a more convenient software product, district Director of Information and Technology Satish Warrier said in a memo sent out to the campus.

“We’re in the process of upgrading the software that is used to connect devices to the district Wi-Fi and making the wireless network more secure,” Warrier said

For Wi-Fi users on campus, the shift means students will only have to register each connecting device once to the college’s Wi-Fi network “college-onboard,” and after that devices will remain connected to the Wi-Fi network and will no longer require a login to access the college network.

Any device currently connected to “college-student” and “college-employee” will need to be registered to access the Wi-Fi as of this past Monday.

Students find the new method of accessing the college’s Wi-Fi system convenient and easier than before.

First semester computer science major Judith Santiago said the new method of connecting to the Wi-Fi makes it a lot easier to get started on her online work.

“Now my devices stay logged in as soon as I want to get online. I can just do it without having to log in. I think this is helpful for students because it keeps their devices connected,” she said. “The change feels like it’s for the best.”

Santiago said, “I did feel that logging in every time to use the internet was pretty outdated, so I’m glad the school modernized the way we access the internet.”

The change to the college’s wireless network seems to be going over well with students who feel the new method is also safer.

Psychology major Rubi Rodriguez said the fact the district is updating its wireless network makes her feel secure online when she’s at school.

“The college making its wireless network a priority shows that they keep the online safety of students in mind. Even though I feel like they can see everything we do online, I also think that is something that all public Wi-Fi places do already so it is no different at school.”

Rodriguez said the new easier method makes it so students are more inclined to use the campus Wi-Fi.

“Now, because your device will automatically connect to the Wi-Fi I think students will be more likely to use the internet at school. Before, people wouldn’t bother with it because they had to log in every time and it was a hassle,” she said.

The new method of accessing the college’s wireless network is working as planned and students have been informed of the changes via email and through InSite Portal notifications.

If students run into any issues, they should contact the district help desk through email at help [email protected].

All the colleges in the district will be changing their wireless networks and reconfiguring their SSIDs.