Wireless Networking | News
Rural District Installs System of WiFi Arrays Across 3 Campuses
In an effort to build a reliable online learning environment for its students and teachers, rural Schleicher County Independent School District (SCISD) of Eldorado, TX has deployed Xirrus WiFi arrays throughout its three school campuses.
"We upgraded to Xirrus from our legacy wireless network, which was unmanaged and unreliable," said J.D. Boyle, technology director for SCISD. "We needed to invest in a solid solution that was easy to manage and required very little IT time and support. Several other districts in my region have had a lot of success with their 1:1 initiatives using Xirrus WiFi arrays."
Boyle said the district plans to add more laptops and wireless devices in the coming year. "Xirrus was the only wireless provider that would guarantee the coverage, [while] other vendors were only guessing as to the number of [WiFi] devices needed. We wanted a solution we could rely on for a constant connection and not have to add devices as our wireless initiative grows."
Xirrus 802.11abgn arrays offer several features to support reliable access and easy management, including:
- Up to 16 Integrated Access Points in a single device;
- Embedded WiFi Controller/switch;
- Multi-sector Antenna System;
- Dedicated WiFi threat sensor and spectrum analyzer;
- WiFi Bandwidth up to 4.8 Gbps; and
- Integrated intrusion detection and prevention.
Details on the Xirrus array, including architecture, security, deployment, and specs, can be found here.
About the Author
Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.