Wi-Fi IPad Devices Struggle at Universities

Several universities, including Princeton and George Washington, have reported network issues caused by use of the iPad on school networks since the Wi-Fi version of the device went on sale in early April, the schools said. Apple, the device’s manufacturer, couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

The iPad has caused DHCP client malfunctions, meaning the device caused interference for other devices using the campus wireless network, said Princeton University in a report. As of April 19, 25 of the 41 iPads on the campus network have exhibited this malfunction and some have done so repeatedly, it said. To-date, nine iPads were blocked from using Princeton’s network though some have since been unblocked after the customer adopted a workaround the school published. Beginning April 19, the school has contacted every iPad owner to advise them of the problem and referred the owner to the school’s workaround for use when an individual iPad malfunctions, Princeton said. If the same iPad malfunctions a second time, the school would block that device and contact the owner again.

George Washington University also experienced network problems, though not related to DHCP malfunctions. The school’s current SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network) authentication system isn’t supported by the iPhone or the iPad, Guy Jones, the school’s chief technology officer, told us. The school doesn’t block iPhone or iPad devices on campus networks, he said. But the authentication issue means iPad or iPhone users won’t be able to log onto school networks. The school is running two pilots that aim at supporting the iPhone and the iPad, Jones said. The iPad pilot will be rolled out this summer and will support the device across the campus, he said.

Cornell University hasn’t identified any infrastructure issues with the iPad, said the school’s IT director, Steve Shuster. When the school first heard of iPad issues on school networks, it began testing and performing diagnostics, he said. The current configuration of the iPad works well with the school network, he said, saying Cornell hadn’t planned to ban the device. Now that the testing was completed, the school is more confident that the device is compatible with the school network, he said.

Some schools, like Seton Hill, a small university in Pennsylvania, are friendly to the device. Beginning in the fall, all first year undergraduate students at Seton Hill will receive a 13 inch MacBook laptop and an iPad, the school said. Students will have complete access to the device for classes as well as at all times for personal use, it said. Seton Hill faculty members (who will be equipped with the same mobile technologies as the students) have been trained to use the technology to expand learning opportunities, the school said. But universities won’t fully embrace iPads until publishers offer more digital resources, some analysts said. Some publishers, like Harcourt, Pearson and McGraw-Hill, have partnered with application developer ScrollMotion for interactive digital texts.

Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi and 3G models of iPad will be delivered on April 30 to U.S. customers who have pre-ordered, Apple said Tuesday. Those devices will be available in Apple retail stores the same day starting at 5 p.m. IPad devices will be available at the end of May in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K., Apple said, saying it will detail international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders on May 10.