Wifi Revolution

Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago has selected Aruba's 802.11n Wi-Fi network for its Holy Name Cathedral and Old St. Patrick campuses for streaming video and tablet PC applications.

 

The new system works with Intel (News - Alert)-based Laptops will replace a single channel network that was less than four months old.

 

The school selected Aruba network as it supported teachers' 802.11n tablet computers and mobile computer cart 802.11b/g laptops that are used by 4th-8th grade students.

 

"Our networking needs are fairly simple: we need a secure, reliable Wi-Fi network to deliver stable streaming video and provide Internet access to laptops and computer carts," said Jomar McDonald, Frances Xavier Warde School's director of technology, in a statement.

 

McDonald said that the school made the mistake of purchasing a single channel 802.11n network only to find that its virtual cell architecture didn't actually work, it required manual channel and power adjustments, and it couldn't reliably connect to any of our laptops with Intel Wi-Fi chip sets.

 

“After four months of tweaking we called in Aruba -- the difference was like night and day. Aruba's AP-125 802.11n Access Points worked with all of our tablets and laptops from the moment we commissioned the system," he said.

 

Aruba officials claimed that the company’s patent-pending ARM (News - Alert) 2.0 technology lowers Wi-Fi deployment and maintenance costs by automating site surveys and using infrastructure-based controls to optimize the performance of Wi-Fi clients in real-time.

 

Officials said that ARM 2.0 uses a variety of techniques to control how Wi-Fi clients interact, thereby helping to ensure that data, voice, and video applications have sufficient network resources to operate properly. The result is that users enjoy a better wireless experience.

 

"Mobile computer carts, laptops, and handheld devices are common tools in K-12 institutions, and the Wi-Fi network that supports them is an indispensable component of electronic teaching initiatives," said Robert Fenstermacher, Aruba's head of education marketing.

 

"As such, the network must work reliably, day in and day out, with a wide range of computing platforms, and in conditions that are not necessarily RF friendly. Tests demonstrate that Aruba's networks are interoperable with Centrino, Pentium, Apple (News - Alert), and other standard clients. Frances Xavier Warde School's experience highlights the benefits of our approach to interoperability through the use of open standards."

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