Radford University faculty and students now have wireless access to the Internet and their e-mail accounts in nearly every building on campus thanks to an aggressive technology upgrade project completed last year.

Last January, the only places Radford students and faculty could connect to the university server without actually plugging in were in the Waldron College of Health and Human Services building and a select few other locations on campus. Beginning last winter and continuing through the summer, Radford crews installed more than 300 specialized antennas throughout campus that provide wireless access to people with laptop or "tablet" computers.

Today, Radford is one of the most wire-free campuses in the state with more than 99 percent of the buildings covered. Virginia Tech's campus, which is much larger than Radford's, is roughly 85 percent wireless.

Wilbur Stanton, dean of the College of Information Science and Technology and acting vice president for academic affairs, said that crews should complete the remaining buildings in the next few weeks.

The upgrade cost roughly $477,000.

"Our intent is to make this where the borders of the traditional classroom are broken down," Stanton said.

About two-thirds of all Radford faculty have received tablet computers. The machines resemble a normal laptop and are about the same size. But in keeping with their name, tablet computers can be folded so that the screen faces outward and held on the forearm like a traditional tablet of paper.

Users can then use a special pen and software to navigate the screen, control a projector and even write notes on students' electronic papers. Radford's new wireless system allows professors to move about the classroom or laboratory while teaching from their tablet computers.

Raymond Linville, associate dean of the Waldron College, said that using the wire-free tablet is a dramatic improvement over having to stand behind a podium filled with electronic equipment.

"Really, you're freed from being chained to that old podium," Linville said.

Students and faculty still can access Radford's wireless network outside many buildings, but not all of the external campus is covered. There are no immediate plans to erect outdoor antennas, Stanton said.

Jim Brogden, director of network and telephone services at Radford, said that wireless access points are not meant to replace hard-wired access points. Wireless connections are not as fast as wired connections. And each wireless access point can accommodate only 25 to 30 users at once.

But Brogden said that people seem to like the added flexibility.

"People love it," Brogden said. "Professors love it. Students love it. And students are quick to let us know about any spots where they don't have access."

Carl Harris, director of network engineering and operations at Virginia Tech, said that the university hopes to achieve 100 percent wireless coverage during the next two years.