Wisconsin District Implements High Speed WLAN To Support BYOD

Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) in Wisconsin has implemented a high speed wireless local area network (WLAN) to support tablets and a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program.

The district currently supports nearly 7,000 tablets and 12,000 desktops and laptops. A planned BYOD program will add as many as 10,000 more mobile devices to the network. To support this dramatic increase, administrators wanted to implement a standardized, centrally managed wireless network across all of the district's schools. They conducted a comprehensive network test and technical evaluation before selecting a WLAN solution from Motorola.

The district's Motorola WLAN uses centralized controllers to "provide comprehensive, hierarchical management enabling both robust security and site-survivability at the edge of the network and seamless roaming between sites," according to the company. The deployment also includes 1,000 access points in school buildings, which network administrators can manage centrally, and it uses the WiNG 5 operating system to create network awareness and route transmissions efficiently.

Motorola worked with Advanced Wireless to design, stage, install and support the KUSD WLAN. According to Motorola, the companies surveyed the school buildings to identify the best placement positions for the equipment. In conjunction with the WLAN implementation, the district also "wired all of the buildings and moved to a Gigabit switching system to support the new wireless infrastructure," according to Motorola.

With the improved network, the district can support its growing mobile learning environment, so students and teachers can take advantage of online educational resources and collaborative tools.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

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