9 critical steps to wi-fi innovation

Before mobility became essential for recruiting and retention, we deployed a wi-fi network at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that was adequate for meeting institutional requirements and academic demands. Fast-forward several years and our hodge-podge of antiquated equipment from multiple vendors couldn’t handle modern needs. Today, as we’re finishing up a major refresh, we’d like to share nine steps that were critical to gaining the right outcome for us.

Step 1: Articulate the primary goal – it’s more effective than it may seem
Despite sounding like a no-brainer, honing our business drivers into a concise primary goal proved effective because the exercise informed many of the ensuing steps. For us, the primary goal was modernizing our wi-fi to be a differentiator for attracting and retaining today’s mobility-empowered students by offering a home-like user-centric wireless experience to permit students to connect any device quickly, easily, and securely.

Step 2: Seek formal student involvement – what you learn can save the day
Like many institutions, we have a student IT advisory board that typically attracts those with a technology affinity. However, our wi-fi refresh would touch every student, regardless of their interest in the mechanics of making it work.…Read More

The wifi challenge campuses dread

At ACUTA, Aruba’s Jeffrey Weaver discusses the logistics of overcoming campuses biggest wifi nightmare

wifi-stadium-campusDallas, Texas — Massive college sporting events like the NCAA tournament — which concludes here with the Final Four this week — can be a strain on campus wifi networks and IT officials.

But it’s not just times like March Madness that can be a nightmare for campus wifi networks. Officials scramble to make sure university networks can handle all the traffic at basketball arenas and football stadiums all season.

Jeffrey Weaver, manager of large public venue system engineers at Aruba Networks, spoke Monday at the 2014 ACUTA conference about the logistics behind stadium and arena wifi networks.…Read More

Entertainment devices draining campus wi-fi

Entertainment devices like Nintendo 3DS systems increased by 1,000 percent in one year on college campuses, new study says

entertainment-colleges-wifi
Copyright: Barone Firenze

Wi-fi-connected devices on college campuses have more than tripled since last year, with entertainment devices far outpacing the increases in tablets and smartphones, a new report said.

Smart TVs and Nintendo 3DS systems increased more than 1,000 percent between 2012 and 2013, a study conducted by residential network provider Apogee found. The study is based on a comparison of network demand data on Apogee’s client campuses.

Entertainment devices are proving to be a massive drain on campus networks as colleges and universities race to meet constantly growing bandwidth demands.…Read More

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