While Israel has grabbed many headlines for its Wi-Fi-related iPad import ban, several U.S. universities are also approaching the iPad with caution.
Universities are known for taking much more of an anything-goes approach to IT than corporations, all in the name of academic freedom, but some schools are concerned about what impact the iPad could have on overall network performance. Though none are indicating any sort of ban will be permanent: it's clear from the fact that Apple said it sold 500,000 iPads in the U.S. during their first week on the market that this device is going to make its way onto all sorts of networks.
Princeton University has issued the following alert:
"Network monitoring has shown that many iPad devices are causing a problem on the campus network. These devices are continuing to use an IP address they have been leased well beyond the time they should. (In technical terms, the device's DHCP client software stops renewing its lease, but the device keeps using the IP address after the DHCP lease expires. This is not a Wi-Fi issue.) This behavior causes a disruption on the campus network.
At this time, we have seen this behavior from (at last count) half of the iPad devices connected to the campus network. We believe this is a bug within the iPad operating system. OIT has reported this bug to Apple. Princeton network administrators and Apple are working together to resolve the issue.
Until a fix is provided by Apple, OIT recommends not connecting your iPad device to the campus network as it is likely it will malfunction. iPad devices that malfunction in this manner while connected to the campus network may need to be blocked to maintain the stability and reliability of campus network services."
The Wall Street Journal has also reported that Cornell University has seen network and connectivity issues with the iPad and is seeking to head off the sort of bandwidth hogging issues it saw when the iPhone arrived on campus. George Washington University cited incompatibilities between the iPad and the school's security system.
There's also been some discussion about iPad network issues on an EDUCAUSE mailing list for wireless network administrators at academic institutions.
Meanwhile, other schools, such as Seton Hill in Pennsylvania, recently said it is issuing next fall's freshmen iPads and MacBooks.
Slash denies new song is about Axl RoseApple iPad imports on sale in UK, prices start at £545
