The pain of poor connectivity
Slow or Unreliable Connectivity?
Many think that deploying Wi-Fi in their office or school is just as simple as if it was for their home. Unfortunatley this is not the case. Your home typically has just one access point (your home router provided by your ISP) which only deals with typically a few devices, limited performance requirements, no other APs to coordinate with and very little security and zero user/ device monitoring and identification. Of course in a typcial school environment each AP may need to connect 30-60 devices, support roaming, various security mechinisms etc Many deployments suffer from problems as various aspects are not considered, some of which are highlighted below.
NOT USING ENTERPRISE GRADE EQUIPMENT
The wireless router you may use at home at very different to enterprise grade wireless equipment. Professional grade equipment has much higher processing power giving the ability to work with many more devices simaltaniously. Classrooms now have to work with anything from 30 to 60 devices. Combine with enterprise grade security and management features which is missing on consumer grade hardware.
BAD PHYSICAL PLACEMENT
Wireless surveys are an important aspect of preparation for a new deployment ensuring APs are located correctly to ensure correct coverage is provided. In addition the orientation and surrounding materials are also important factors to consider. Thickness of walls, glass and metal all have considerable impact on wireless signals. For example placing an AP above the ceiling tiles amongst pipes and other materials will significantly reduce wireless performance.
POOLY CONFIGURED
There are many facets to professional wireless implementaion that require an experienced professional to alter and tweak to adjust to the environment, type of clients etc even though enterprise systems come with automatic configuration settings they cant adjust for everything. Just as a professional photographer uses a high grade camera they will still manually tweak the settings such as focus and exposure to get the best outcome just as will a wireless engineer.
INTERFERENCE
High density wireless needs “clean air” to operate effectivley. Unfortunatley due to the fact that Wi-Fi uses “Unlicensed frequencies” it also means that many other devices also use the same. These cause interference and cause reduced performance & disconnects etc. Such devices include but are not limited to… wireless keyboard and mice, other APs, microwave ovens, DECT phones, mobile phones with tethering enabled, electrical distrobution boards, IR cameras, CCTV, consumer wireless printers, wireless building control systems and more! Engineers need to adjust for such things to manage and reduce the impact.
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Contact us to arrange a free & no obligation initial consultation to find out how you can achieve enterprise grade wireless for your school or business.
Benefits
HIGHER ENGAGEMENT
Increase student engagement. Slow connectivity is reduced learning time.
REDUCED RESOURCES ON SUPPORT
More time for your IT staff being proactive instead of firefighting
INCREASED STAFF PRODUCTIVITY
How many times have you or your staff complaned the Wi-Fi doesnt work?
HIGHER SCHOOL RATING
One less thing to get in the way of a higher Ofsted rating
Here’s how it works…
Three simple steps
Schedule a Consultation
Contact us. Telephone, email or web form. Book in an initial call.
Fact finding session
We will work with you to understand your needs & current challenges
Report
We will provide you a report providing key recommendations and how to achieve Wi-Fi fit for purpose