There are white boxes sticking out in the center of hallways, smack-dab in the middle of the new security cameras and fire alarms. The RHS ceiling has new company: Wi-Fi routers.

Getting Wi-Fi incorporated into the building was a county decision, decided in the MCPS headquarters. According to Information Technology Systems Specialist (ITSS) tech intern junior Loren Hersh, every other school in Montgomery County will be getting Wi-Fi installed in the near future, being four to five years.

“We got two laptop carts [as a result of receiving the Wi-Fi],” Hersh said. He also said that schools countywide would be getting technology modifications and that the Wi-Fi installments would be additions to the advancement of the technology. Rockville was one of 30 schools to receive Wi-Fi in the county as part of a large summer project.

Although the Wi-Fi is installed in the school, students and teachers are not authorized to use it.

“Right now it is only for MCPS equipment,” ITSS Jennifer Lomax said. “A future phase will include staff being able to connect their own devices [and] will be implemented when the wireless manager software is up and fully functional.” Lomax added that she believes ultimately the Wi-Fi will be open to students, but it is doubtful that this will happen during this school year.

Many students enjoy the idea of Wi-Fi in the school. Junior Michaela Berger brings her laptop to school occasionally and feels having access to the Wi-Fi would be “awesome.”

“If everyone had access, we would be able to stay in our classrooms when doing research, so Wi-Fi would be convenient and productive,” Berger said.