Arthur Neef Law Library

Mobile Wireless Laptop Classroom

In 2003 the Law Library, Law School and University Libraries System teamed up to secure OMNIBUS funds for the purchase of technology that directly benefits students.  Our proposal resulted in the purchase of two mobile wireless laptop carts, two wireless access points, and 30 laptops.  This equipment will enable law faculty and law librarians to dramatically increase their ability to provide hands-on student training opportunities using databases, course web sites, and other substantive legal material available on the internet.  In addition to the OMNIBUS funds that were secured, both the Law Library and Law School contributed additional funding to make this project a reality.

Equipment:

The carts store, secure and recharge the laptops, as well as house access points that connect to the network and broadcast an internet connection to the laptops.  The laptops contain wireless cards to receive the signal from the access points, thus eliminating much of the technical support that would otherwise be associated with set up and tear down of wired portable classrooms.  A photograph and more information is available at the Gateway web site.

A single 30-student class would use both carts and all laptops, while two 15-student seminars could simultaneously use both carts in separate locations.  The wireless mobile labs are a viable solution in classrooms facing electrical constraints or too few data connections.  Laptops batteries will last for up to four hours when fully charged. Company specifications indicate that a single access point can support 30 to 50 users at a range of 300 to 400 feet.  Range and speed may vary due to numbers of users, interference, and transmission barriers such as walls and building materials.  The access points are currently configured to prevent unauthorized users.

Availability:

The equipment was purchased as part of a university pilot project to test the model of a mobile, wireless internet classroom.  It is currently available to any full-time WSU law faculty member or law librarian who desires to introduce web-based information in the classroom setting, and also to law school administrators for career services workshops and other student-oriented support services. 

Procedures:

To reserve a wireless laptop cart and make arrangements for technical support, please contact the Law Library. Technical support is provided by the Library Media and Computer Services Department under the direction of Nardina Mein.