Views & Opinion
Delivering the ultimate student experience with Wi-Fi 6 Comment by KYLE DAVIES, Head of Solutions at CDW UK
If some of us recall our time at schools or university, then we would be amazed at the levels of classroom and lecture hall technology today. Gone are the days when teachers used blackboards and students could only attend classes physically. Now, schools and higher education institutions are harnessing the power of digital technology to enhance their offering, such as the use of interactive whiteboards, tablets for pupils, live streaming videos in lessons
or introducing break out areas, as well as successful distance learning platforms to attract diverse talent from around the country and world. All of this points to a future where classrooms are now flexible learning environments.
However, having hundreds of eager learners all surfing and researching in one place at the same time, puts enormous strain on the Wi-Fi network. Sadly, many schools are investing heavily in fantastic hardware but are not giving much thought to their Wi-Fi needs. This causes reliability and performance issues that can restrict a teacher’s delivery of a lesson, students completing online testing and can even stifle innovation in the classroom.
So, while it’s positive that we heard the Education Secretary announce earlier in the year that all schools will have high-speed internet access by 2025; schools, colleges and universities need to get the right technology in place to support this. Wi-Fi 6 is the next generation standard in Wi- Fi technology that promises faster performance, better battery life for mobile devices, and creates less bandwidth congestion. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits…
Speed and ease at the core
Like any organisation, schools are only as good as the tools they have to teach with. We all remember lessons when a teacher spent 15 minutes trying to get the video player to work. Today’s teachers stream their video clips from the internet, so rely on the quality of the internet connection to avoid lag time during lessons.
The same applies to student learning. One of the great educational benefits of the internet age is the freedom it has given students to find things out for themselves as opposed to relying solely on textbooks and the teacher delivering a class. Schools are embracing this by providing more and more internet-ready devices, with many aiming to achieve a one-per-child policy or running BYO initiatives so students can be online as much as possible.
But to provide the ultimate student experience, schools need a wireless solution that can adapt and accommodate a high density of students all using a mobile device, all streaming video resources or accessing high bandwidth applications. ICT should not be a limitation to new and creative learning techniques and so, schools must have stable and secure Wi-Fi.
The beauty of Wi-Fi 6 is that it not only allows us to have high density, high performance, and high throughput connectivity, but compared to Wi-Fi 5 it also increases the amount of capability on wireless access points and networks. This is because Wi-Fi 6 uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) to support high density deployments, allowing multiple users to access networks at the same time with no lapse or down
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time. In real terms, this means the Wi-Fi access point can talk to more devices at once and improve load times, perfect for a school environment.
Putting security at the heart
Unlike many traditional enterprise scenarios where approved laptops and devices are distributed to employees, schools need to consider the wide variety of devices that may be brought in such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and Wi-Fi-enabled gaming consoles. It is key that they secure these devices in a way that allows the students to do what they need to do without compromising the network.
Having a centralised management platform that dynamically updates based on the user, the type of device and what they are trying to do makes it infinitely easier to manage security. This is where the beauty of intent-based networking comes to play! With intent-based networking, schools can enable micro segmentation to put barriers between locations on the network that people are allowed access to that is based on their intent and posture.
By having software-defined networking that is an overlay onto Wi-Fi 6, schools are able to keep user device and application traffic separate and provide end to end segmentation while delivering a consistent experience because the same policy is applied across the wired and wireless network. Software-defined networking also enables insights into all the traffic on the network so you can see what information is going through and make actionable insights to allow or prevent that traffic based on its intent.
Applying Wi-Fi 6 in real life
A successful example of Wi-Fi 6 being implemented can be demonstrated by our work with the University of Birmingham. Together, we helped to conceptualise the modern-day campus network for their brand-new tech- led campus in Dubai that boasts over 2,900 students. As a first step we sat down with people across the organisation to understand both the functional and non-functional requirements of the network, as well as the wider programme of work. We were rigorous in mapping stakeholders – from the research team, estates, facilities team, IT team and even the students themselves to understand exactly what they wanted and how they intended to consume services on the network. This also meant looking at how many unique devices were being used per student at the University’s UK campus today and discovered that averaged 3.5 devices. Understanding how many devices will be connecting to the network and the impact this could create was key. This then formed the basis of our recommendations to deliver a robust and modular platform that could be scaled and innovated for years to come – something particularly important as technology for education continues to evolve. Once we had the insights and requirements, we mapped them to an actual network level design and then configured the entire network in our warehouse in Rugby, UK. Working closely with other partners we knew exactly what the network had to deliver to connect a smart building to a network securely and that’s where technologies like Wi-Fi 6 become an absolute game changer. It enables universities to accommodate a vast number of devices and applications to improve student life, learning, and safety on campus. More importantly, it allows students to have access to the tools and skills they need to excel in the job market of tomorrow. Between the faster speeds, better traffic prioritisation, and added security, Wi-Fi 6 is a significant step forward in wireless network technology and can bring real improvement to teaching and learning. It means teachers won’t be hindered by devices not connecting to the internet, videos buffering or by the lack of access to online resources. However, as demonstrated by the University of Birmingham Dubai, it’s not just about upgrading the access points. Instead, real network infrastructure planning and investment is needed if we truly want to provide the ultimate educational experience for students and staff.
September 2022
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