Galloway Electronics are specialist electrical contractors supplying and installing commercial and professional PA systems, CCTV (closed circuit television), lighting and associated low voltage systems for an infinite range of applications.
Netgear
NETGEAR® Schools South Holderness Technology College in Wireless Connectivity.
Background
South Holderness Technology College is a rural comprehensive school of 1850 students with a sixth form. As a designated technology college, it offers a broad curriculum to meet the needs of all students and is committed to raising standards. Specialist subjects include Mathematics, Science, Design Technology and ICT.
The college has 14 networked computer rooms containing over 500 computers, with broadband connectivity to enable the use of computers for integration into the teaching and learning of all subjects. An HP Wi-Fi network covers most of the college site.
Problem/Objective
The college's current wireless solution included HP access points that had to be managed individually; the IT support team needed to manually log into each access point whenever they needed to be reconfigured. This was very time consuming for IT support staff that needed to find a solution that they could manage centrally and would also be secure.
Furthermore, limited computers in the classrooms meant that 250 sixth form students and staff keen to access the Internet to conduct research or access personal data remotely were unable to do so if classes were being held. This had a negative impact on productivity during school hours.
To maintain its reputation as a forward-looking technology college, the organisation required a wireless managed solution to enable the sixth form students and teaching staff with personal netbooks, laptops and smart phones to access the Internet securely, via the filtered college network. In doing so, the college could have control over the devices that logged onto the network, while allowing more computers to become available for the younger students.
Solution
Paragon Data Services, a company that has worked with more than 400 schools and is recognised as the leading supplier of network infrastructure and AV solutions, worked with the college to help deliver the solution they required. Upon Paragon's recommendation, the college invited NETGEAR to conduct a free networking site survey and subsequently selected its technology solutions.
Paragon was responsible for supplying, installing and implementing the NETGEAR WFS709TP ProSafeŽ Smart Wireless Switch and 16 WAGL102 ProSafe Light Wireless Access Points, which were essential in delivering a secure, reliable wireless network. By implementing NETGEAR technology, sixth formers and staff were able to benefit from a robust wireless network with excellent coverage in the sixth form area.
Having constant access to the Internet within the sixth form building meant that teaching staff and sixth form students could use their time during school hours more effectively for researching online, completing coursework or preparing lessons.
In addition, accessing the network wirelessly meant that students made cost savings on their mobile phone tariffs as they didn't need to rely on their 3G networks.
IT staff could centrally manage a configured network, which severely reduced the downtime spent on individually managing access points. This was due to the wireless controller providing one seamless Internet connection that wasn't dependent on the location of the access point. Ultimately, this meant IT staff could concentrate on the core areas of their role.
The new IT infrastructure increased the computer resources available and provided students and staff with the facilities they required to work more productively. Being accustomed to this method of working also acted as a good precursor to prepare sixth formers looking to go to university.
Due to the success of this pilot scheme, the college now has plans to expand the wireless network across the whole school for more effective teaching and learning.