Since 2,000, we have designed and deployed solutions for dozens of universities and colleges, beginning with wireless laptop programs for students using the original 802.11b standard and traditional access points (APs). Today, we continue to help many of our original customers evolve with the latest cost-effective wireless platforms. In the past few years, we have deployed third-generation WLAN with a combination of intelligent, centrally managed (light-weight access point protocol) LWAPP controllers and APs with 802.11abgn standards and data rates up to 300Mbps.
We help educational institutions both large and small by:
- Allowing students and faculty to create knowledge and share it instantly
- Providing campus-wide access so students can study and learn anywhere, from outdoor areas and athletic facilities to off-campus dorms and laboratories
- Integrating remote classrooms and offices with Wi-Fi, even those miles away from the main campus
- Meeting today’s demanding mobility requirements for smart phones, laptops, netbooks and tablets
- Enabling online instruction with video on demand, podcasts and live webcasts
- Using Advanced Encryption Security (AES) and other reliable methods to transfer knowledge securely
Customer Stories
Here are a few of the educational institutions we’ve worked with:
Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts
With classrooms, studios and performance spaces dispersed across city blocks, this college continually has pushed the boundaries when it comes to reliability and connectivity. After our site survey and several rounds of rigorous testing with the college’s IT team, we upgraded the wireless network campus-wide, deploying more than 150 APs and integrating new full-duplex, building-to-building systems at 1.25Gbps.
Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts
During the initial deployment nearly 10 years ago, we added the library and common-use areas in the college’s campus center to the college network. As more vendors integrated power over Ethernet (POE) into their equipment, we reduced installation times dramatically while increasing data rates from 11Mbps to 54Mbps and adding all remaining classrooms and dormitories to the network. Recently we completed coverage of all outdoor common areas and began deploying third-generation WLAN with data rates up to 300Mbps. Additionally, we installed a link that connects Amherst College to University of Massachusetts for consortium Internet access.
Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
The university operates campuses in multiple cities and towns around Greater Boston. We surveyed and installed an 18GHz, 100Mbps system used over the licensed microwave link from the school’s main campus in Medford to the dental building six miles away in Boston. Direct Network Services continues to maintain and support this system.
Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts
Starting with a three-building solution nearly a decade ago, this university has expanded its communications capabilities gradually and cost effectively with our help. Recently, we deployed a 100Mbps link to connect the John Adams Court, enabling students to watch Supreme Court cases and view streaming video over the Internet.
