In-Building Wireless for Education
Provision of enhanced in-building wireless services to cover a multitude of wireless services to meet the needs of the students and faculty staff
The Challenge
Today's student expects to have the world at their fingertips. Whether they're accessing
emails and surfing the internet from their Smartphone, receiving text alerts with the
latest campus news or researching their dissertation on their wireless laptop; they expect
coverage at all times, in all areas. As Fouad Yatim, CIO at Suffolk University, Boston, USA
commented, "Originally, in-building wireless was not even on our radar, but it quickly
became an issue when we realized that poor cell phone coverage was hindering the ability
for students to receive important in-campus notifications via e-mail and text when they were
located in certain buildings." Universities and colleges are increasingly under pressure to
attract the brightest students and faculty staff through the provision of a first class
education; wireless coverage across the entire campus ensures access to state-of-the-art
amenities and therefore cements an establishment's profile as a cutting edge innovator,
providing a strong, progressive learning environment.
Security of all students and staff on campus is an additional concern and one which can be enhanced with in-building wireless coverage.
Wireless services may include:
Commercial cellular communications
The emergence of pioneering, new mobile applications has dramatically increased the mobility and expectations of students and staff for ubiquitous coverage wherever they may be on the campus.
Public Safety Communications
Education providers have the need and very often the regulatory requirement, to improve the provision of wireless services in their facilities. This is most apparent in the area of public safety. In recent years, ensuring the safety of emergency service personnel entering a building in their day to day work and in emergency or disaster situations has become critical.
Benefits of Enhanced Wireless Coverage
Many education providers are now embracing in-building wireless technology as a means to solving the issues of security and network access across the campus. The provision of seamless, reliable coverage
ensures that everyone from students to faculty staff can benefit:
- Optimisation of IT expenditure
- Staff and students work more effectively, productively and conveniently.
- Strengthen the image of the educational institution as being pioneering and technologically innovative to attract the finest students and faculty staff.
- Provision of a safe, secure environment through ubiquitous public safety coverage.
- Selective streaming of services to certain areas within the building or campus.
The Solution
The wide variety of structures on a college campus brings their own unique set of challenges for
the provision of in building wireless coverage. Different building shapes and different materials
such as steel and tinted glass, cause in-building penetration of RF signals to weaken resulting in
reduced data rates and even complete loss of signal. In addition to this, a number of the older
buildings or constructions that may contain asbestos may preclude them from being wired, so
their only option for network access is through wireless technology.
Zinwave's unique 3000 Wideband Active Distributed Antenna System (DAS) removes many
of the traditional issues and considerations associated with delivering multiple RF services in
buildings. It provides ubiquitous coverage for all wireless services on one easily installed system.
In addition, services can easily be routed to the areas of the building where they are required ie
WiFi can be routed into the libary, lecture theatres, classrooms; but may not be needed in food
preparation areas - see diagram.
Key Benefits of the Zinwave 3000 DAS
Wideband
Supports any service, protocol and modulation scheme from 150MHz to 2700MHz
Low component count
With as few as four components, an in-building wireless network can be built to support any mix and any number of services
Lowest cost per sqm
Comprising of a single hardware layer, the Zinwave 3000 system becomes more and more cost effective compared to a traditional solution with each additional service
No costly upgrades
Additional services can be added without the need for supplementary hardware, therefore avoiding further cost & disruption
Easy planning & installation
Self-calibration and auto-configure features simplify design & deployment
Summary...
By enabling the latest exciting advances in wireless technology and emerging mobile
applications, the university or college distinguishes itself as secure, cutting edge and an
educational leader. However, in order to take advantage of these exciting new developments,
it is essential that there is ubiquitous, reliable in building wireless coverage in place.