Virginia District Consolidates Wireless Network

• By Scott Aronowitz
• 01/06/10

Harrisonburg City Public Schools, a 4,400-student K-12 district in Harrisonburg, VA, has centralized and consolidated its wireless network using gear from Aerohive Networks.

The new network replaces a system of wireless access points, which created constant problems with regard to reliability, security, and system management. In addition, the district said it expects the system to solve its previous resiliency problems, which caused repeated network failures and wasted valuable time. The Aerohive network offers wireless mesh networking capabilities, which automatically route around network failures at all access points, known as HiveAPs.

"Aerohive has given us a highly resilient wireless network that's both easy to deploy and manage, with the capabilities to meet our needs far into the future," said Dwayne Hottinger, network administrator for HCPS. "Considering all the features we sought, Aerohive was the most cost-effective solution."

Hottinger also noted the network's ease of deployment and management using the company's HiveManager network management system. "If someone reports an issue," he explained, "I can look at the HiveManager, see where they are connected, review the log files, view the topology, and determine whether I need to add or move a HiveAP for better coverage."

The LAN is accessible from all 10 district buildings, including eight schools, a special education center, and an administrative office.