Xirrus' Wireless Network Enables BYOD Scheme and M2M Communication at New College Swindon

Xirrus®, the leader in high-performance wireless networks, announced today that it has deployed an 802.11n wireless network at New College Swindon, one of the largest campuses in the UK for A Level and GSCE students. The new high-performance network has created the UK's first wireless-only annexe, and allows the school to run a Bring Your Own Device scheme. This enables students and staff to connect to the campus network from anywhere, at any time, using their own devices. The reliable, scalable solution as well supports extensive Machine-to-Machine communication, and has resulted in substantial cost savings and improved efficiency, amongst other benefits.

Recent renovation of the campus

A recent renovation of the campus was the ideal possibility for New College Swindon to investigate potential improvements to its wireless connectivity. With increasing demand from 3,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time students for remote access to applications and the Internet via their own laptops, tablets, and other devices, the school recognised the need for a new wireless network that could handle the ever-increasing user density.

"More and more students were coming to us wanting Wi-Fi and, more importantly, simply expecting it to be there and running at a high performance level, 100 percent of the time," said Phil Quinn, ICT Manager at New College Swindon. "The system we had just couldn't cope with the demand. Afterwards a thorough review, we chose Xirrus -- their research is best in breed and their experts provided the most cost-effective solution with the right balance between network coverage and bandwidth. The transition to the new wireless network has been so successful that our testing of the wireless arrays was seamless. We took one classroom with 20 heavily used PCs and installed wireless cards. We didn't tell anyone, just put them in, left the cables in place, turned off the switch, and waited to see what fallout there might be. And there wasn't any. Students and staff didn't notice any difference and assumed the PCs were physically connected, which is testament to the reliability and performance of Xirrus Wireless Arrays."

The school has enjoyed a number of different benefits thanks to M2M, which the new network supports. For instance, print costs have been reduced by connecting Multi-Functional Devices to the wireless network, and activating them by swipe cards. Interactive projectors, smartboards, and other digital displays are connected wirelessly and can be operated remotely -- and more efficiently than previously -- using PCs and other devices. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) handsets, which will deliver cost savings on calls and, again, are connected wirelessly, are being rolled out.

"Students and staff are already realising the benefits of M2M functionality," said Quinn. "In the beginning of the project, I was told by other innovation providers that M2M wasn't possible because of the amount of data that goes across. So to now have all these devices connected wirelessly and working flawlessly is incredible. With colleagues having suffered poor wireless experiences, many said to me 'you just can't do it.' Then, we did!"

Sean Larner, VP of EMEA Sales at Xirrus, said: "New College Swindon is a fantastic example of how wireless research can be used innovatively to deliver concrete business benefits to an organisation. The campus now enjoys wireless connectivity that delivers wired performance and supports a BYOD scheme and M2M communication. We look forward to working with New College Swindon as their application of wireless networking evolves."

About Xirrus, Inc. Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Our array-based solutions perform pursuant to this agreement the most demanding circumstances -- always. Their wired-like reliability and superior security allow our clients to confidently take their business-critical applications and operations mobile. Our solutions are unparalleled in the industry, transforming enterprises and organizations around the world. At a time when everyone expects to connect wirelessly everywhere and business is increasingly done in the cloud, Xirrus wireless solutions are providing a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage in thousands of deployments worldwide. Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA, Xirrus is a privately held enterprise designing and manufacturing its products and solutions in the USA.