Radio technology from Sensoria has turned Cal State San Marcos into San Diego’s most connected college campus.

Cal State San Marcos is now the most connected campus in San Diego County, thanks to Sensoria’s EnRoute500 outdoor radio wireless technology. Sensoria recently delivered 100 percent wireless broadband coverage, which means faculty, students and staff can access the Internet and university intranet from any location on the 304-acre grounds.

San Diego-based Sensoria’s mesh technology allows radios to talk to each other with only one actually connecting to the university’s intranet. Conventional radio systems require each radio to be connected to the main hub, which limits radio placement. By comparison, in Sensoria’s network, only one radio must be positioned close to the hub while the remainder can go anywhere, even locations that would otherwise interfere with Internet access.

American universities are increasingly looking for 100 percent wireless coverage across campus, reveals a 2005 survey by Intel and The Digital Center for Education that ranked the most unwired (i.e. wireless) campuses in the country. Only two Southern Californian universities made the list: Azusa Pacific University and Occidental College. Cal State San Marcos is the first in San Diego to reach 100 percent wireless connectivity.

The survey found that campus-wide wireless connectivity is rising sharply across the nation. Intel reports that 98 percent of the top 50 most connected campuses were covered by wireless networks in 2005 compared to just 64 percent in 2004. Meanwhile, 74 percent had 100 percent wireless coverage, up from 14 percent in 2004.

Sensoria Chief Executive Dave Gelvin says unlike wireless hotspots at Starbucks and other Internet cafés that require subscription, Cal State’s network enables anyone with a computer to access the Internet on campus, including laptop-carrying visitors.