4 Classroom Technology Trends Hitting Your School Wireless Network

Educators are constantly searching for ways to enrich education for  . Engaging students can be enhanced with classroom technology which is growing faster than ever. Check out these 4 important trends in classroom technology that should be a part of every school wireless network.

1.     Improved Audio and Visualization

The use of the Internet, instructional visuals, and simulations are vital to every classroom. Kids these days have grown up around technology and are used to visually stimulating mediums. Many classrooms these days are improving visualization by adding large screen displays and projectors. High definition video, enhanced sound, and fast, secure wireless networks are making a difference. Even simple changes, such as reinforcing the teacher’s voice, are helping students better engage with the instruction.

 

2.     Enhanced Interactivity

 Every educator knows the importance of getting students engaged in learning and how this can be quite a daunting task, but implementing interactive technology can definitely change that. Many schools have already enhanced their interactivity using interactive whiteboards, on-screen explanation, and various types of collaborative software and systems. One good example of this is smart boards, which have web access built right in and many run interactive software that enhances the materials in each class. Teachers can also save content from class and make it available to students online for later review.

3.     More Media Streaming

Providing teachers with the ability to capture video and audio of lectures and classes has proven tremendously helpful, whether for live viewing off-site or review later from a video-on-demand server. Videos can also be uploaded to YouTube very easily and inexpensively with a webcam and by adding web conferencing software and you can tie in a remote teaching source as well. Absent students can keep up with their classes and students can go back to content available online to review and study.

 

4.     More distance learning

Imagine bringing in guest speakers and professors from campuses in China without any cost. Well that can easily be accomplished through distance learning. Distance learning can cross all boundaries; across campuses, cities, states, countries, and even across the world, allowing students to experience cultural exchanges without leaving their classroom.  Distance learning is cost effective due to the fact that you only have one paid teacher for multiple classrooms. It's also one of the fastest growing sectors right now and it's being integrated by everyone from major universities to k-12 schools.

Pictured below is a distance learning classroom we installed recently. Students can view not only the teacher, but the whole other class as well. This along with microphones around the room makes interaction between classes alot easier.

All of the above improve the quality of learning for students and increase the ability of instructors to capture students’ attention and imagination. Implementing these ideas can make can make educational outcomes improve measurably.

As technology in the classroom increases, the IT department needs to know everything about their school wireless network, what they can support and how they can plan their school wireless network to support devices of the future. SecurEdge Networks provides planning, deployment, and design for school wireless networks as well as installing the types of audio and video technology in the classroom.  Contact us with any questions or for a Free Consultation! You can also download our free school wireless design guide. Good luck implementing these exciting technology in the classroom trends into your school wireless network! 

 

3 Big wireless network design changes for 2012

It’s 2012 and lots of industry experts are making predictions on what technologies and operating systems will drive wireless technology development in the future. Will it be android or apple’s iOS, or will there be another player that will take a hold of the wireless device space?I don’t have any idea who will win that battle. But what I do know is that the methods and thinking around wireless network design has to change based upon the rapid changes in the devices and applications running on the average enterprise wireless solution.

Here are 3 big wireless network design changes in RF design for 2012

 

1. It’s not just about Coverage anymore:

RF design way way back in 2008 was more about saturating a large area with Wi-Fi signal. Our engineers would lug around a big wireless design kit with access points and test a hospital floor for the distance the AP could transmit in that environment. It’s still important to do some wireless site surveys like that but many wireless engineers overlook the capacity and performance issue. Today you should think as much about wireless network capacity and application performance as you do coverage area.

2.  It’s not your mobile device anymore:

Consider this fact: in 2008 a user primarily had one mobile device, it was a laptop, it was most likely a windows device, and the company owned it. In the old days, the corporate policy was that the only devices allowed on the corporate WLAN were corporate owned devices. Today the average user has 3-5 mobile devices (smart phone, tablet, laptop, etc.). Chances are only one of those devices are windows machines, and only one of them is owned and controlled by the IT staff. It’s a BYOD wireless world today (bring your own device), which is a whole new animal.3.  It’s not a high powered mobile device anymore:

 What’s cool about laptops when it comes to wireless is that they have powerful wireless cards for the most part, which makes building enterprise WLAN pretty easy. Unlike laptops, tablets and smart phones are built for long battery life more than having strong wireless capabilities.

What this means for the wireless network design is that the system has to have distributed coverage and lots off it. This is really important:just because a mobile device can see high signal strength from an access point, doesn’t mean it has the transmit power to be able to communicate with it. This is a big big change from the past.

These are just three of some of the many big wireless network design changes for 2012. Here at SecurEdge Networks, we can help by designing a secure wireless network that doesn't just support the amount of current devices, but future proof the wireless plan to keep future wireless levels in mind. For more information about the rapid changes in wireless network design please CONTACT US, or download our free wireless network design kit. We are happy to be your resource for wireless networking!

 

3 Benefits of iPads in your school wireless network

With iPads being one of the top selling gadgets of all time, it’s no surprise they have made their way into schools wireless networks.  Before we know it every school will be filled with the interactive benefits of the iPad. While many schools aren’t wasting any time integrating this effective classroom technology, some are still a little leery about how to utilize the iPad for education.  There are over a hundred of great ways to use them in your school and everybody has their own method or preference.  So, let me get you started with 3 iPad usages that can benefit students in your school.

1.       No more heavy textbooks!

 

If for no other reason than to replace those back-breaking textbooks, having the iPad in school is worth it. I will never forget how awful it was to lug around that hefty backpack to and from and around school. And trying to remember which books to bring home, well that was another issue of its own. The lightweight iPad is a lot healthier for children’s backs, saves trees, and is definitely a more economical alternative. Textbooks are very costly and most change editions annually. Now, with the iPad students can have all their textbooks in one place and easily accessible for a fraction of the cost. Also, students can highlight and write digital notes with their iPad without damaging the books so they will be in new condition forever.

 

2.       Invaluable Resource Guide

There is a limitless amount of information available through this great wireless classroom technology. iPads allow students to access tons of reference apps for facts, questions, statistics, articles, dictionaries, data, and much more. All of this is available quicker and better than ever before. Imagine looking up types of volcanoes and instead of just a list you get exciting interactive videos.  Students can now have more information and better quality content at the tips of their fingers.

 

3.      Fun Study Tool

Put down the textbook and flash cards and play a game, that’s what every kid wants to hear. Turning study time into an exciting game makes students actually want to study! There are many apps out there that can be downloaded for various subjects that allow a more interesting and fun approach to studying. Some apps will also keep up with your progress and assess the areas that need the most improvement giving parents and teachers a progress report on the student.

These are just 3 of the many benefits of the iPad coming to your schools wireless network. Such a valuable learning tool should be utilized at all schools. As the demand for wireless devices like the iPad in the classroom continues to rise, your school wireless network needs to be prepared to support it. That’s where we can help.

Here at SecurEdge Networks, we can help by designing a secure school wireless network that doesn't just support the amount of current devices, but future proof the wireless plan to keep future wireless levels in mind. We have designed outdoor and indoor wireless networks across school campuses throughout the United States. Contact us today for a Free Wireless Network Design for your school or download one of our Free guides.

 

 

 

 

3 Reasons why Wireless Network Design should include NAC

In the IT world, there are a lot of terms that are defined differently based upon who you talk to. Network Access Control or NAC, is one of the terms that if I polled 20 SecurEdge clients, most of them would have a different way to define NAC. The issue is that there are so many security products out there and there is so much discussion around the term, that the lines are blurred as to what it is and what a true NAC solution should do.

The reality is that currently, you can’t solve the NAC puzzle with just one product (regardless of what equipment providers tell you). You have to build a wireless network system and a wired network system that are integrated with security appliances that will give you the control and enforcement you need to feel comfortable.

But before we get into the details of the hardware and software and all of that, let’s just start with the basics of what we’re trying to accomplish.
What is NAC and what should it do?

Here are the three things a Network Access Control Solution should do:

1. Validate Identity (and all of the other details)- Before you control the user and device, you need to know what and who it is. Your NAC system should understand these things:

1. Who- Who is this user and do they exist in directory services?
2. What- What is this user trying to access?
3. When- What time of day are they connecting?
4. Where- Where are they? (Dorms, Administrative buildings, outside, etc.)
5. How- How is this user connecting with? (iPad, iPhone, Laptop)
2. Assign a Role- If you know everything about validating identity, now you need to assign a role with specific policies for that user or group of users. We call this Role Based Access Control. For example:

Student Role: this user can access the internal student shared drive, learning applications, and the internet.

 

Faculty/Staff Role: this user can access all internal resources, with the exception of the financial and HR servers; they can also access the internet of course.

 

Guest: This user can only access the internet and check email.

 

3. Policy Enforcement- this is also called “endpoint integrity” or “endpoint compliance” but the idea is that you are controlling the behaviors of the devices connecting to your network. This includes making sure that viruses aren’t being transmitted and the users are complying with your terms of use including internet content, etc.

So there you have it, those are the things that a true NAC solution should do on your wireless network. These solutions are pretty complex, So if you need some assistance, you can CONTACT US here for free help from one of our consultants. We will be happy to help! We’ve also got some free resources on our site that will help point you in the right direction. 

Why is captive portal important for wireless guest access?

 

Have you logged onto a public wi-fi system in a Starbucks or Panera Bread recently?
If you have, you’ve seen a log on page otherwise known as a “captive portal” page. It looks like a standard webpage and most people click through the log on process without giving it much thought.
But there are some really important things that that page does if you’re the one offering free wireless access for guests. Many times small businesses or even hospitals will provide guest access without a captive portal page; I think a guest wireless network with no captive portal is a mistake for these reasons:

 

1.      You need a page identifying it is your business and Wi-Fi network: Why?

 

•        So users don’t connect to a hacker’s network: One of the easy ways hackers are stealing data is to pose as a legitimate Wi-Fi network, have a user associate to it, and you’ve got an easy way to grab someone’s info. So if your business is a coffee shop or even a hospital providing guest access for patients in the waiting room, your network should be properly identified.

 

Be aware of someone setting up a network nearby and calling it something similar to yours. They may even call it “free public wi-fi” or something similar. The next time you’re at Starbucks look for the available Wi-Fi networks in the area, chances are you’ve got someone close by looking to steal data.

 

•          To Take Credit, you deserve it: If you’re going through the hassle of providing a wireless guest network, you might as well let them know you did. So throw up a page that has your logo and maybe even an offer for something that helps you market your business and connect with customers. Offer a coupon; ask them to connect with you on facebook or twitter. These are all fantastic things for your business and can really make the cost of a guest network worth it.

 

2.      Protect your business from being sued: How could this happen?

•           Identity or Credit Card Theft: Chances are you’re providing “open guest access” meaning you aren’t providing authentication of users and encryption of data. Simply put: the information the user is sending over the Wi-Fi network is not secure. That may seem logical and you may not think you have to tell the user not to send their credit card information over your wireless or use their social security number anywhere. But you do have to say that, and you want to require the user check a box that says they understand that you aren’t liable if they do something stupid like try to collect on the money given to them by a Nigerian prince.

 

•          If your Wi-Fi Guest does something illegal: You know that the internet isn’t private right? The reality is that when you buy internet access from a provider that they provide you an IP Address. That IP address works just like a physical address to identify the location of where something happening.

 

If someone is pirating music or movies from your network the companies looking to sue look for the “Source IP”, meaning they have the potential to track it to your location. We’ve actually been on college campuses when the IT Director is dealing with a threatening letter from the music industry. It can get nasty and you don’t want to be involved.

 

A Captive Portal lets you include your rules into the terms of use policy, force your wireless guest to accept it, and that will help you limit your liability for all of that bad stuff. (you may want to also consider using web filtering or application filter software but that’s for another discussion).

 

At SecurEdge we’ve been designing and deploying secure wireless infrastructure for a long, long time. If you need some help, you can contact us here for a free consultation. There’s also some good stuff we offer on our site for free like the wireless network design kit, we hope we can be a valuable resource for you.

5 iPad Apps coming to your Campus Wi-Fi Network

Walk around any college campus these days and start counting how many students are intensely absorbed in their iPones and iPads. You'll notice the vast majority are living in an increasingly app-obsessed world; thier eyes and fingertips perpetually glued to the screen.

That's why many apps target those tech-savvy, time-constrained college students. So here are some of the most useful iPhone applications that are connecting students to the classroom through their beloved iPad.

• Blackboard Mobile Learn, from Blackboard, provides mobile device access to the vendor's learning management system.

• Apple Facetime, from Apple, is the video conferencing application that's part of the iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads, allowing a face-to-face connection with students and other teachers across the globe.

• Apple AirPlay, from Apple, is for automatic wireless streaming of video to an Apple TV, which can be connected to the classroom's projector.

• Furnace IP Video System, from HaiVision, distributes local video content.

• iWork, from Apple, contains three productivity apps including Pages (for documents), Keynote (for presentations), and Numbers (for spreadsheets). All of which allow students to design and organize information in a professional way with the flick of a finger.

These apps and hundreds of apps like these continue to improve the classroom experience for students  and allow an endless amounts of materials and learning tools right at their fingertips.

As technology in the classroom increases, the IT department needs to know everything about their school wireless network, what they can support and how they can plan their school wireless network to support devices of the future. SecurEdge Networks provides planning, deployment and design for school wireless networks. Contact us to get started with a Free Consultation or click now to download your FREE Guide.  

3 Great Ways to Use Wi-Fi RTLS

If you’re going to spend the money to have a campus wifi solution, why not take full advantage of all of the features you can get with the system?

One of the important benefits of an enterprise wireless solution is the ability to track wireless users and devices in real time. Real Time Location Tracking (RTLS) is a feature that many smaller schools, hospitals, and retail stores may think they can’t afford….But many times it’s the way the system is deployed that enables RTLS ability.

The reality is that you may have to spend a little more on wireless network consulting on the front end, but if you have the ability to track users and assets in real time after the deployment, in most cases it’s well worth the additional money.

 Here are the 3 most common ways RTLS is being used by our clients:

1)      Troubleshooting

The primary way users are connecting on large campuses is wireless. Hospitals, schools, even manufacturing and retail stores have huge open areas and users carrying wireless devices. This spells trouble for the network administrators who have to address networking issues.

 You’ll need to use Real Time Location Tracking to determine the user’s location. Only then will you be able to go through the trouble shooting process.

 

2)      Wireless Network Security

So you’ve got some wireless security software that says you have a rogue AP on campus. What good is it unless you can determine where that rogue AP is?

RTLS will allow you to see where the rogue AP is located. You only have to send campus security out once to confiscate someone’s equipment for word to spread that you mean business.

3)      Improve Business Processes

Hospitals and clinical locations really are the case study for Real Time Location Tracking. RTLS in healthcare is a growing market because of all of the great things you can track and what that can do for the clinical process and work flows. There is already so much wireless technology inside hospitals; RTLS can help determine the location of the equipment, its current status, and all sorts of other data depending on the intended use of the device.

Want to find out where the closest insulin pumps are and more importantly which ones are clean and ready for use?

Want to know how many wheelchairs on your floor and their location? No problem, you can do that too.

If you know where your resources are and their status, you can write all sorts of rules to make your medical practice run more efficiently.

By using Wi-FI RTLS, an organization can solve many problems that they face today. The foundation of Wi-Fi RTLS is having the right wireless network in place, which is what we are experts on here at SecurEdge Networks. If you have any questions on wireless infrastructure or Wi-Fi RTLS for your organization, we offer a FREE Consultation to help you determine the scope of the project. We also have a number of free resources on our site for you to use. Good Luck!

 

3 Wireless Management System features for Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting network issues in the old days were relatively simple. You could use simple network monitoring tools to look at ports on switches and routers combined with remote PC software. As long as you had some simple logic in your troubleshooting process- Is the power on? Is the switch port up? etc., you could solve most networking issues.

In today’s mobile environment the users are no longer plugged into a wire. Go to a college campus today and take a look at the type of connectivity the students are using. We found that with our higher education clients the average student has 3-5 Wi-Fi enabled devices- tablet, notebook, smart phone, and gaming console. We also have used traffic sniffers to monitor wired port traffic in an average college dorm no one is using the wired ports, not so shocking.

 I still remember the days when network design for schools was “a port for every pillow”? Today’s campus network design should be “a port for every AP”….seriously.

On the Hospital Wireless network the IT staff has an even more challenging environment because even insulin pumps are going wireless these days. Almost every medical device in the hospital is being shipped with a Wi-Fi chipset in it. That’s pretty scary to think about if you’re an IT admin in a hospital and all you have is Wireshark to help!

So in today’s world where the primary access method is wireless; What features should you look for in a wireless network management system?

1)      Wired and Wireless Monitoring

This is titled “wireless management system” but you really need to monitor connectivity and throughput on both wired switches and wireless access points. There is no other way to get a true picture of what is going on in your network and pin point challenges.

2)      Real Time RF Visibility

Radio Frequency changes in real time, you need to be able to monitor it in real time. It’s pretty cool to watch actually. If you roll a big piece of medical equipment across the floor of the OR, you can see the change in the RF coverage in the area. If the nurse call system has problems, you’ll need to see what’s going on with the Wi-Fi coverage area.

3)      User and Device Visibility 

 Switch ports are helpful when you’re troubleshooting a desktop PC….but not so much when you’re troubleshooting a Dr.’s iPad roaming around the floor in the OR. You need to be able to identify where the user is, what they are connected to, what they are connected with, and all of the relevant data of the history of the device.

 

At SecurEdge, we design, deploy, and support secure wireless networks. If you have a large campus Wi-Fi network already (100+ APs), we can help design a system that will help you monitor and troubleshoot wireless issues. For smaller wireless deployments, we offer remote monitoring services to help you deliver the best experience possible for your users. Contact us here to talk to one of our experts or feel free to download some of our free guides on wireless network design. We hope we can be a resource for you.

 

4 ways Doctors are using iPads on Hospital Wireless Networks

Wireless technology in hospitals is continuously progressing, particularly with the uses of the iPad. It’s lightweight, manageable, powerful, and contains a large library of built in applications, so it’s easy to see why its range in hospitals is expanding daily. Apple has a medical app section for health care professionals on iTunes, so now with over 3,665 apps intended for health care professionals, iPads are now being utilized by technicians, nurses, and doctors every day in some intriguing ways.

1. Electronic Medical Records and Patient Monitoring

Electronic medical records apps allow doctors and nurses to carry around full access to the hospital’s medical records system in their pocket. iPad patient monitoring  assists physicians with checking-in on patients and keeping track of their patients progress. Now keeping up with patient results and stats, health care records, and submitting orders can be accessed with the flick of a finger.

2. Point of Care

Point of care apps are an invaluable communication tool for physicians during patient visits. These apps allow doctors to display vivid images, accurate diagrams, and video on their iPad while talking with patients which helps transmit clearer information to them more easily.

 

 3. Reference Information

 There are a mass of medical reference apps available that deliver health care providers with everything from broad to very detailed medical information. Clinicians can access qualified material and images about things like medications, conditions, diseases, and symptoms.

 

 4. Diagnostic Image Viewing

The iPads extraordinary image quality allows doctors to immediately view or transfer patients’ clinical images and make a faster diagnosis. This is not only a much easier method of viewing these images, it's also more accurate. With the touch of a finger, doctors can measure distances on images, image intensity values and annotate images.  

 

The use of the iPad in hospitals is changing the way medical professionals perform. The days of clinicians being tied down at a work station are over and the iPad and other wireless mobile devices are taking the quality of patient care to the next level. Yet, with all these innovative developments there are some serious concerns about still keeping the hospital wireless network secure and safe from harm.  This is where we can help.

 

SecurEdge understands the importance of new mobile devices create new challenges for IT departments ranging from new sets of securities, configurations and management. Apple iPads use 802.11n technology and the IT department needs to ensure that these high performance devices do not adversely affect the performance of clients using legacy Wi-Fi technology. SecurEdge Networks can provide your hospital wireless network with the security and management it needs to authenticate and track users on the wireless network.

At SecurEdge Networks we always plan for the future of wireless technology. If you need help preparing your hospital wireless network for the future download or free hospital wireless design guide or contact us for a FREE consultation.

 

Are Wireless Site Surveys Worth The Cost?

 

 

In the old days of wireless network design, there weren’t many Wireless Network Planning tools available. So to design wireless for a new building we took a floor plan, and literally plotted out access point locations, power settings, channel settings, etc. A wireless engineer would always need to go onsite. They would set up a wireless site survey kit which included the access point model they were planning to use, antennas, and some software running on a laptop. Then they would physically walk around the building to test the coverage area in the real world environment. Needless to say, it was a very time consuming but necessary process to make sure your system had the coverage it needed and that the system didn’t actually interfere with itself (which can happen when two Access Points in the same area are using the same channel).

 

Today’s wireless design world is different. For example, most of the wireless networking solutions for a college campus or hospital wireless network will auto adjust power and channel settings so that you don’t have to manually set all of that stuff. This makes the planning process much simpler. Another tool we have now that we didn’t have in the old days is some cool wireless planning software that will populate a floor plan with access point locations, expected coverage, and it will even tell you the angles the antennas will broadcast a signal….pretty cool stuff for wireless geeks like us.

So the question comes up, do I need to incur the expense of having a wireless network engineer help with the design?

At SecurEdge we design, deploy and support large scale wireless networks. So obviously I’m going to say yes. But I do have reasons that even the non-biased people (like myself) would agree on.

                  

Here are couple reasons why I think you’ll need a wireless engineer working with you on design:

1)      Devices and Applications are complex: wireless planning is no longer just about coverage of an area. It’s about being able to support the capacity of the devices on the network- sometimes 3-5 devices per user. And it’s about being able to deliver the performance levels the applications require. Even if you use predictive wireless planning software, most of it is based around coverage only. You need to have a plan that incorporates Capacity and Performance as well.

 2)      Wireless Networks are critical: when SecurEdge started deploying wireless infrastructure years ago, most of the systems we were installing were primarily for wireless hotspot access. Like wireless student networks in schools or guest access in retail stores. Of course, since then wireless speeds are getting faster and faster (gigabit wireless is coming) and everything is going mobile.  Today we have hospitals running wireless insulin pumps, nurse call systems, and prescription drug bar code scanners- all over Wi-Fi. Those same school systems we began deploying years ago, are now doing broadcast video over wireless and many of the testing systems are using Wi-Fi. Wireless networks today is not a nice to have amenity, it’s a critical system that can never go down.

            

If you’re planning on deploying a wireless system contact us and we can help.  If you’d like some help right away, you can talk to one of our consultants at no charge as well by registering for a Free Consultation. A good starting point would be to download our free wireless network design kit. Good luck with your project, hope this helps.