If you haven’t heard already, there was a recent closure of North Atlanta’s Wireless-APS network to the student body. Needless to say, not being able to access this network has left many Dubs feeling a little disconnected. According to many students, Wireless-APS was one of the strongest networks at the school and the password was known by the majority of the students body. With the recent closure and shut out of students from this network, Dubs are left to connect to APS-Guest and have reflected upon this recent switch in internet service. 

The biggest perceived problem with APS-Guest is its overall slow connection. Many North Atlanta students feel as though APS-Guest is light years away from the speed of the internet connection provided by Wireless-APS. This can cause problems for those trying to reach important websites, like the commonly used Google Classroom. “APS-Guest is a questionable network and indeed a garbo sammy,” said junior Holt Marbut. “I can’t connect to any of my online work and more importantly game.” 

Marbut mentioned to a Wire reporter that “garbo sammy” is his way of saying “garbage sandwich.”  

Another major problem with APS-Guest is that not only is it sluggish, but also blocks many basic websites on the internet. This can include gaming sites, social media, Netflix and more. Prohibiting these sites seems fairly understandable, but complaining students say it goes too far and can block educational videos on Youtube, online classes and resources, and other necessary school websites. “APS-Guest is very slow but more importantly it blocks my online anatomy class,” said senior Bailey Diamond. “It’s really frustrating when I can’t reach the site to do my schoolwork.”  

Another aspect of the network change is that students are left to hotspot their devices in order to reach internet access. This can cause a problem for students who don’t have unlimited data. “Once Wireless-APS closed I had to hotspot my computer so much that my data completely ran out,” said senior Grace McCaffrey. “It’s frustrating because hotspotting doesn’t work for everyone and it is hard to find a good solution.” 

The change in networks has been a frustrating experience for many North Atlanta students, but true Dubs can always get past such obstacles. That old — or new? — adage remains true: Slow networks never stop fast-thinking Warriors. Go Dubs!