TALKING BUSINESS
NINE MYTHSABOUT WI-FI IN HIGHER EDUCATION
In the first article of a three-part series , Moe Raslan , Director , Middle East , Ruckus Wireless , outlines below the nine myths about campus Wi- Fi deployments , which if avoided , mean there is a much better chance it will work as promised .
Until a few years ago universities were Wi-Fi hot spots . Many institutions lacked the budget for robust deployments and many others avoided the technology for security or educational reasons . Today , Wi-Fi is a reality on most campuses , but it still has a bit of spotty reputation in some circles .
1The average student brings 3 devices to campus Most students carry a laptop and a smartphone . Some have a tablet too . In their room they have hooked up a gaming console , wireless printer , smart TV . According to re : fuel Agency ’ s 2014 College Explorer report , the average student brings seven internet-connected devices to campus . All of these devices are Wi-Fi enabled , and all of these devices are trying to connect to campus Wi-Fi .
2
More access points in high density areas will ensure better wireless coverage It is a common mistake to think that throwing money at a problem will solve it . Adding APs to a Wi-Fi deployment can add capacity to a point , but there comes a time when it becomes counterproductive .
APs can see performance degradation due to over-deployment when more than one AP is covering the same channel to the same device . For some Wi-Fi installations , APs are configured with low transmit power to give the illusion that an over-deployment has been avoided . Don ’ t fall for this . Wi-Fi is a two-way
MOE RASLAN
Director , Middle East , Ruckus Wireless
communication technology , and thus decreasing AP transmit power fails to prevent channel congestion problems .
3
Wave 2 APs won ’ t help without Wave 2 clients While it ’ s true that the full benefits of the Wave 2 Wi-Fi standard won ’ t be recognised until the devices are available , Wave 1 APs do not deliver the same performance as Wave 2 .
Wave 2 APs use a more modern chipset , which offers better sensitivity . This means better connectivity and greater range , regardless of what standard the connected device supports .
4
Wi-Fi is the weakest link in your IT security It would be silly to argue that adding Wi-Fi has no effect on IT security .
Student , faculty and administrators will all have to be authenticated . However , Wi-Fi security is now strong , standardised and widely available . Passwords aren ’ t flying through the air , because every certified Wi-Fi device must support AES encryption .
5
Upgraded PoE is needed when upgrading APs With new standards , comes greater power requirements , and when three-stream Multiple Input , Multiple Output ( MIMO ) was made commonplace , it led to APs needing even
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