All across the world, schools are faced with the same challenges. Technology has become an integral part of the classroom, and Wi-Fi® is a key piece of that technology. However, Wi-Fi® presents unique problems and questions with regard to
- Security
- Easy-of-Use
- Cost containment
The U4EA suite or products provide a solution to these problems that has proven successful in primary and secondary schools around the world
Secure Wi-Fi®
The Problem
While all businesses have concerns about the security of Wi-Fi®, the concerns of the typical primary or secondary school are slightly different. You need to provide access to two, and sometimes three, very different classes of users:
- Faculty
- Who need access to internal resources, possibly including grades
- Students
- Who need access to some combination of the Internet at large and internal resources, but who absolutely must not be given access to certain of the faculty resources
- Visitors
- Who may need access to the Internet, but shouldn't be given access to any of the internal resources: neither those for faculty nor for students
The Solution
All U4EA products are Wi-Fi® Certified for WPA2, so your data is fully secured with 256 bit AES/CCMP encryption. Beyond that, the operating system, CompleteMobility™ Express allows per-user authentication — through RADIUS or Active Directory. Users can be assigned a separate VLAN either by security suite, BSSID, or individually through assignment by RADIUS; so you are sure that traffic from one class of users does not have access to resources reserved for other classes.
Ease-of-Use
The Problem
School IT staffs are often even more undermanned than the typical business. The challenge of proper staffing is compounded by the fact that the variance in technical ability of the user base — whether student or faculty — is tremendous: ranging from the nearly computer illiterate, to the expert hacker.
School IT administrators need to be able to simply & easily maintain and monitor their wireless network to avoid the costs associated with problems. No one wants to lose precious teaching hours because the Wi-Fi® doesn't come up.
The Solution
CompleteMobility™ Express, comes with EasyPoint™, making your wireless network simple to deploy and manage. The configuration process is handled by the Fusion 300 WLAN Controller, and is completely automated. Just plug your Fusion 50 into your LAN, and within a few seconds you'll have safe, secure Wi-Fi® access, as well as integrated intrusion detection and prevention.
What's more, seemingly challenging tasks, like channel management and dealing with the complexities of the RF environment — from neighboring business networks to the microwave oven in the kitchen — are handled automatically by EasyPoint™. There's no need for expensive RF planning tools or site surveys. Simply distribute your Fusion 50s around the office, and they, with the intelligence of CompleteMobility™ behind them, take care of the rest.
Cost Containment
The Problem
In today's economic environment, everyone faces budgetary challenges. This is true no where else so much as it is in education, where schools are under constant pressure to provide the latest and greatest technology for their students, but are constrained by fixed, and often small, budgets.
U4EA's products provide the best value in the industry. All of the key features required are present, easier to use, and available at a fraction of the cost of typical enterprise-class equipment. Call IntelliSource and we can discuss how we can affordably solve your problems.
Network Cabling 
