WIRELESS NETWORKING SUPPORTS A CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION WITH A STRONG ACADEMIC FOCUS

DETAILS CUSTOMER: Girls Grammar School INDUSTRY: Education

LOCATION: Melbourne, Australla

CHALLENGES

nnNo wireless network access for two- thirds of students.

nnStudents losing network connections when going from class to class.

nnDelayed lessons due to network connection problems. “The key differentiators of Fortinet’s Wireless LAN nnPoor wireless network performance Solution were the performance, ease of installation, impairing pervasive video use. and ease of management of wireless access points and controllers.” DEPLOYMENT SUMMARY

– Prasanna Premachandra nnFortinet Wireless LAN Solution ICT Project Manager implemented across all classrooms and public spaces.

nnSupport for 1,200 student laptops. UNINTERRUPTED WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS FOR 1,200 nnA main controller, backup controller, STUDENTS and 60 APs. An Anglican boarding and day school in continually exploring the possible applications Melbourne, , Melbourne Girls of technology in the learning process. BENEFITS Grammar School has been educating girls Digital recordings of students’ work, nnStudents can move almost anywhere for 100 years. It offers a contemporary such as paintings in the Early Learning in the school without losing their education with a strong academic focus, Centre and an online, password-protected wireless connections. where each girl can maximise her potential, parents’ lounge regularly updated with nnStudents in dense areas, such as the achieve personal excellence, and develop news, facilitate open communication library and science and technology the skills and confidence to take charge of between MGGS and parents. All junior building, can all simultaneously log her future in a socially responsible manner. school classrooms are equipped with onto the network. Through professional and committed staff, interactive whiteboards where students can financially sound management and the construct and exhibit material. nnFewer APs are required, reducing support of the school community, MGGS From year five onwards, every student cost. aims to provide the best learning and participates in the notebook program and is nnA zero handoff maintains high-quality teaching environment through continuous given a laptop that forms the basis of their VoIP connections. improvement. education. The program gives students the Technology pervades all levels of education opportunity to navigate, construct, publish, at MGGS. Teachers and students are and collaborate with others on a worldwide

CASE STUDY CASE STUDY: SCHOOL basis. With specialist software it provides simultaneous wireless access that would CONSISTENT, FAIR, AND problem-solving opportunities, creates and support all devices in a fair manner. UNINTERRUPTED INTERNET displays artwork and animations, facilitates After searching the market for a solution ACCESS multimedia presentations and musical that would meet the school’s needs, MGGS The single biggest benefit for MGGS is that compositions, and lets students engage in employed Wavelink Communications Fortinet’s wireless LAN solution ensures the design process while increasing their via one of Wavelink’s systems integrator uninterrupted wireless Internet access on a digital fluency. partners Alphawest to implement a Fortinet consistent basis. The MGGS ICT department takes an wireless LAN solution in the science and “Students no longer need to carry cables active role in the development of technical technology building for a three-month trial. to plug in to the network and can move programs for the students by providing Fortinet’s approach represents the pretty much anywhere in the school without mentoring and technical support for staff, industry’s most complete solution from air losing their Internet connections,” says which helps foster innovation in the delivery to core, addressing the school’s needs Premachandra. of curriculum. for over-the-air coverage, high-user Fortinet also delivers true airtime density, and performance. Unlike most fairness, meaning that each student has REMOVING THE ROADBLOCKS legacy systems which use micro-cells with TO CURRICULUM DELIVERY equal access to the wireless network, alternating channels, Fortinet’s wireless irrespective of whether they are using older With technology playing an important role in LAN solution uses a unique architecture PCs. Older PC’s that are slower will not drag MGGS’s education program, it is important that enables all access points (APs) to down the entire network. This approach also for the school to deliver this technology to operate off a single, seamless channel, ensures that users of older PCs do not drag teachers and students consistently. eliminating the need for complex coverage down performance of the entire wireless The notebook program requires every surveys and channel planning. network, which commonly occurs in legacy teacher and student to have access to the The solution enables school IT wireless LANs. Internet. In addition, students use Clickview, administrators, who may not be wireless a program that lets them download large experts, to easily compensate for coverage video files. This means Internet access with holes by simply adding additional APs. “Students no longer need to high throughput is essential. “The key differentiators of Fortinet’s carry cables to plug in to the The existing MGGS network did not deliver wireless LAN solution solution were the network and can move pretty performance, ease of installation, and ease consistent wireless access. More than 700 much anywhere in the school of the 1,200 students had no access to of management of wireless access points the wireless network, which meant they still and controllers,” says Premachandra. without losing their Internet needed to carry and use connections to After the exhaustive pilot program, connections” plug in to cable points under the desks. Fortinet’s wireless LAN solution was Also, when students moved between selected to provide comprehensive WLAN classrooms they would lose their Internet infrastructure across the school and Internet protocol (IP) voice over wireless NO MORE CHANNEL PLANNING connections and have to log back on, TO ADD APS causing disruption to the start of lessons. LAN (VoWLAN) telephony in the school’s Early Learning Centre. The ease of management for the ICT “The main problem for Melbourne Girls department is another key benefit. Fortinet’s Grammar School was that all teachers “Fortinet’s wireless LAN solution met wireless LAN solution looks like a single and students did not have access to a Melbourne Girls Grammar School’s Internet cell for the mobile device, so the ICT proper wireless network,” says Prasanna access requirements so well during the pilot department does not have to worry about Premachandra, ICT project manager at phase that it is now implemented across all channel planning when adding or moving MGGS. “We needed an uninterruptible classrooms and public spaces that are used APs. A single-channel solution means wireless solution that would cover all 60 for education, such as the staff rooms and mobile devices never see handoffs or classrooms and all teachers and students.” the school canteen,” says Premachandra. multiple APs, and a zero handoff maintains The network supports around 1,200 student high-quality VoIP connections and increased WIRELESS NETWORK ACCESS laptops and includes a main controller, reliability for education-critical applications. FOR ALL backup controller, and 60 APs. This approach also removes the problem of MGGS needed a solution to cater to co-channel interference common in legacy the high volume of students requiring

2 CASE STUDY: MELBOURNE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL micro-cell systems, so that Fortinet APs EASY COVERAGE EXPANSION are able to operate at full power, typically FOR NEW FACILITIES “The Fortinet wireless LAN reducing the number of APs required by MGGS is planning to build additional solution was delivered to around 30 percent, reducing equipment facilities, including a new Early Learning costs and infrastructure requirements. Melbourne Girls Grammar in Centre in 2011, which means that coverage For MGGS this unique approach means needs to be increased to accommodate a professional, helpful, and Fortinet’s Wireless LAN Solution delivers the new facilities. Fortinet’s single-channel problem-free manner, on time simultaneous wireless access to high solution means that channel replanning and on budget.” numbers of users in areas such as will not be required, so coverage holes the science and technology building and created by the new buildings can be the library. seamlessly plugged by simply adding more APs. Premachandra concludes, “Fortinet’s TWO FORTINET APs TAKE THE Wireless LAN Solution was delivered to PLACE OF SEVEN Melbourne Girls Grammar in a professional, With the APs operating at full power and helpful, and problem-free manner, on time supporting a larger number of users, the and on budget.” existing micro-cell system’s seven APs in the library were replaced with just two of Fortinet’s APs. Fewer APs mean reduced costs and maintenance of equipment.

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