Education

Wi-Fi that copes with a full classroom, content filtering, gate cameras and bell systems for schools, colleges and universities.

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What makes this sector hard

A class of 40 can bring 60–80 devices. The home router in the school office gives up in the first period.
Parents expect the school to filter inappropriate content, but teachers still need YouTube for lessons.
Budgets are tight, and the IT person is often the computer teacher with a full timetable.
The school needs to know who comes and goes, and parents want to know their child has arrived.
Grades, student records and fees often sit on one PC that has never been backed up.

Reference IT design

For most schools we recommend getting one building working properly first, then expanding each term on the same Wi-Fi management platform.

Wi-Fi: design for headcount

Design for density, not floor area. One Wi-Fi 6 access point per classroom, ceiling-mounted in the middle of the room, beats a high-power AP in the corridor trying to serve three rooms. Halls and libraries need several APs with transmit power turned down. Sports fields get outdoor APs.

Separate SSIDs for teachers (802.1X with individual accounts), students, guests and IoT, all managed from one cloud controller.

Network and filtering

Managed PoE switches for APs, cameras and phones. Size the PoE budget with room for next year's cameras.
Fiber between buildings. Copper run across a playing field will pick up lightning in the rainy season.
A firewall with content filtering by group: primary students, secondary students and teachers each get different rules. Throttle streaming and gaming during lessons.
Dual internet links for universities running online classes or exams.

Labs and teaching

Computer labs that restore to a clean image on every reboot, with lightweight endpoint protection.
Google Workspace for Education or Microsoft 365 for email, online classrooms and storage. Both have programs for eligible institutions, so check before buying licences.
Classroom displays or projectors that teachers can cast to wirelessly from a laptop.

Student safety

IP CCTV at gates, corridors, playgrounds and parking.
Access control and time attendance for teachers and students. Linked to the school management system, it can notify parents when their child scans in.
Public address for bells, announcements and emergencies. Fire alarm in classroom blocks and especially in dormitories.

Data and power

The school management system in the cloud, or on a server with automatic nightly backup and one copy kept off campus.
UPS for network cabinets and servers.
Simple network monitoring that messages the teacher in charge when an AP goes down.

Install during school holidays. Schools with dormitories should set separate evening bandwidth and usage rules. Publish an internet-use policy that parents, teachers and students understand, and train teachers in online safety so they can pass it on.

Tell us how many classrooms you have and the largest class size, and we'll work out the number of APs and switches.