Drawing on data from 33 academic institutions, the study examines bandwidth changes, Wi-Fi reliability, high-density access points, monitoring tools, funding cycles, emerging-technology strain, and two-year expansion plans.
The report is designed for library directors, campus network teams, facilities planners, technology officers, consultants, and vendors benchmarking wireless capacity and investment needs.
Selected findings
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Although 84.85% rate Wi-Fi reliability excellent or good, 48.48% still report connection or availability problems sometimes, often, or too frequently.
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Only 36.36% increased bandwidth over the past two years. Public institutions were nearly four times as likely as private institutions to expand capacity, 52.63% versus 14.28%.
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Dedicated access points for high-density study areas are fully or partially available at 60.60% of institutions, leaving a substantial minority without them or unsure of network design.
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Two-thirds, 66.67%, fund networking upgrades irregularly or never; only 24.24% report a dependable annual or multiyear schedule.
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Planned expansion averages 15.42%, but the median is zero. Open-ended responses repeatedly identify dead zones, building architecture, weak coverage, aging access points, and the need for stronger monitoring.
The detailed breakouts help libraries test whether apparent reliability is masking coverage, monitoring, or funding weaknesses—and build a stronger case for targeted access-point and backbone investments.