XX April 2026 - Network Wi-Fi Project: A Milestone for the Campus Network
After a year and a half of intensive work, the University Computer Center has successfully completed the campus-wide Wi-Fi expansion project, which began in 2024. Commissioned by the Rector’s Office in the summer of 2025, the project—which began with three pilot buildings—was one of the most extensive university IT projects to date, involving all departments. Today, students, researchers, staff, and guests in the Old Town, at Neuenheimer Feld, and in Bergheim benefit from a more stable and faster network—a cornerstone for the university’s digital future.
Offices, libraries, lecture halls, and swimming pools: Better network coverage across all campus areas
Wi-Fi is one of the University Computer Center’s core IT services—virtually all students and staff access it daily via eduroam. It is indispensable not only for teaching but also for hybrid formats, assessments, and digital exams. “A high-performance Wi-Fi infrastructure is part of the digital foundation for modern research, teaching, and science,” emphasizes Andreas Klewe, IT and Network Officer at the Institute for Sport and Sport Science (ISSW), whose buildings and sports facilities now feature a significantly improved Wi-Fi infrastructure thanks to the project.
“A high-performance Wi-Fi infrastructure is part of the digital foundation for modern research, teaching, and science.”
Andreas Klewe, IT and Network Coordinator at the Institute for Sport and Sports Science (ISSW)
The ISSW exemplifies the wide range of usage scenarios and spatial conditions that require stable Wi-Fi connections: Buildings INF 700 and 720 house not only lecture halls, classrooms, and offices, but also gyms and laboratories where students and researchers collect measurement data using sensors; conferences with visiting scholars are held, as well as live broadcasts of sporting events, and even in the basement of the swimming pool, complex technology ensures pool operations, as experts and service providers use mobile devices to upload data to the cloud in areas where there is no cellular connection. Last but not least, outdoor sports facilities such as the beach volleyball courts are also set to be equipped with Wi-Fi access in the future—the necessary preparations have already been made on the exterior walls of the buildings.
At ISSW, we have specific requirements because our classes take place not only in lecture halls or seminar rooms, but also in the sports halls, the weight room, or outdoors in the stadium. All of these locations now have significantly better Wi-Fi coverage. In addition, a lot of cabling had to be installed. It was important to us that we were involved in the expansion and that teaching operations were not disrupted. Together with the URZ network team and the external planner, we reviewed everything and were able to specify exactly where we needed Wi-Fi. The collaboration was straightforward, and the construction work was completed very quickly during the semester break. A particularly positive outcome for us is that the entire IT infrastructure has benefited: Along with the deployment of the new access points and faster switches, our connection to the fiber-optic network was also upgraded to a significantly higher bandwidth.
Andreas Klewe, IT Coordinator at the Institute for Sport and Sports Science (ISSW)
Planning and Implementation: From Concept to High-Performance Infrastructure and Reliable Operations
The example of the ISSW demonstrates that the project went beyond simply equipping classrooms. A holistic approach was taken that took into account the diverse needs of the facilities and encompassed the network infrastructure as a whole. A Wi-Fi system includes not only the wireless access points (APs) but also, to a large extent, the wired infrastructure that connects them to the network. The switches form the backbone of this system: they supply the access points with power and bandwidth and control and prioritize data traffic.
This close integration of wireless and wired infrastructure required well-coordinated implementation across all project phases. In close coordination with the facilities, Department 3 (Planning, Construction, and Safety), and the State Agency for Property and Construction of Baden-Württemberg, the URZ managed the overall project and the external service providers—from building inspections and construction work to cabling, installation, and commissioning of the new access points.
Wi-Fi – one of the most important IT services: 774 new access points in 48 buildings
Even after this expansion phase is complete, the network team will continue to ensure a stable, high-performance Wi-Fi network across the campus. It manages the infrastructure, continuously develops it further, and plans the expansion to additional buildings and outdoor areas.
The following key figures illustrate both the scale of the project and the ongoing expansion of the wireless network:
- An average of approximately 15,000 mobile devices log in per day
Wi-Fi is just as essential as water and electricity. Our goal is to optimally connect all university buildings and outdoor facilities and to consistently drive the expansion forward. With this large-scale project, the focus was on achieving rapid, measurable results—and we succeeded: In just 1.5 years, we expanded the network to 48 buildings across various parts of all campuses. We hope to implement further measures to improve the network infrastructure soon.
Dr. Maximilian Hoecker, Technical Director at the URZ and Project Manager
Voices from Campus
The initial situation was truly problematic. In the library—of all places, where students use their cell phones to look up call numbers—there was no Wi-Fi. In the seminar rooms, the network would crash as soon as the lecture hall upstairs was full. At least three professors’ offices had no stable Wi-Fi connection. Everyone complained—hopefully that’s now a thing of the past. I’d be very surprised if the students weren’t happy; the frustration was clearly palpable. In any case, my colleagues are already overjoyed: the main problems have been resolved. The URZ network team played a major role in this; despite their small numbers, they’re responsible for a massive network and are constantly on the job. I’ve been working with them for 20 years—they are always the ‘guardian angels’ when something goes wrong, and they demonstrate remarkable frustration tolerance in the process. Overall, we are very grateful to the state, the URZ, and its network team—the Department of History could never have afforded this investment on its own.
Dr. Kilian Schultes, Academic Advisor and IT and Network Coordinator, Department of History
Before the expansion, there were simply dead zones in both buildings—no connection, nothing. For a university of excellence with international visiting scholars, that wasn’t always ideal. We were truly relieved when this project got underway—and especially glad that it took a centralized approach: not just the large institutes first, but everyone. The network team played a key role and took a close look on-site. The results were immediately apparent: everyone was thrilled and showed me right away—with full signal bars on their phones. Two or three days after installation, everything was great.
Holger Köppe, M.A. in Geography, IT and Network Coordinator, Department of Geography