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January 15, 2009

Deben High School goes with Ruckus for Wi-Fi

School-wide coverage for pupils and staff

By Steve Evans

Ruckus Wireless has announced that Deben High School has selected its Smart Wireless technology to provide wireless coverage throughout the school’s premises.

Using Ruckus ZoneFlex wireless LAN (WLAN), students and staff will be able to connect to the school’s network via laptops and an increasing number of mobile devices.

Deben High School, in Suffolk, is an 11-18 mixed community school employing more than 60 teachers and with around 900 pupils. All members of staff are given a laptop and the school has 30 ASUS EEE laptops, which are shared between the students. Pupils are also allowed to use their own laptop on the school’s premises.

Previously, the school was using a Netgear network but the platform could not cope with the increasing number of mobile devices supported at the school. According to the company, it was not possible for all 30 pupils to log on wirelessly from one classroom or for teachers and other students to connect from different locations around the school.

When selecting a new wireless network, the school consulted Ruckus gold partner, internet security and connectivity reseller Net-Ctrl. The school wanted a system that would enable users to remain connected to the network while roaming around the school. The school then trialled four ZoneFlex access points (APs).

The APs were used during a Building Schools for the Future open conference where attendees reported no issues when connecting to the network.

Adam Durrant, network manager at Deben High School, said: “Being able to trial the solution was a real bonus as it meant we were 100 percent confident with what we were buying. The Ruckus kit worked amazingly on the open day – everyone who needed to could access the network, and all at the same time without sending it into overdrive.”

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“After this, we not only knew exactly what we were getting with Ruckus, but we also knew it could definitely cope with the school’s demands as we introduce more and more laptops.”

The school then implemented 31 APs and a Ruckus ZoneDirector, providing centralised management for the entire system.

Deben High School now has wireless coverage throughout its main building and PE block. Classrooms within the main school building now have wireless connectivity as well as two network points.

Mark Power, wireless security specialist at Net-Ctrl, said: “Schools like Deben High School are often operating on a tight budget so it’s not only essential that the price is right, but also that the investment is a wise one. The ability to trial a product before buying it is therefore very attractive to organisations in this position.”

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