The Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) in Wisconsin supports nearly 7,000 mobile tablets and 12,000 desktops and laptops on the network which serves more than 26,000 students and staff. The district is also planning a bring-your-own-device program, which could add an additional 10,000 devices to the system. To implement a standardized, centrally managed solution across all of its schools, KUSD selected Motorola, after a comprehensive network test and technical evaluation.
KUSD worked with Motorola PartnerEmpower Platinum partner Advanced Wireless Inc. to survey all of its buildings to find the best possible placement for the WLAN equipment. In addition to installing the wireless access points, the district wired all of the buildings and moved to a Gigabit switching system to support the new wireless infrastructure. The Motorola high-speed wireless network has allowed for better equipment options and enhanced educational tools in addition to increased mobility and efficiency.
The WiNG 5 operating system provides the "brainpower" required to create network awareness for the WLAN, promoting transmission efficiency, while centralized controllers provide hierarchical management, allowing both robust security and site-survivability at the edge of the network, and seamless roaming between sites.
“Motorola Solutions’ WLAN equipment allowed us to manage 1,000 access points through a single pane of glass and did not require numerous controllers and other devices," said Jim Hanrahan, support coordinator, Operations and Applications, Kenosha Unified School District. "We needed something that was simple, easy-to-use and would not require a lot of IT manpower.”
KUSD is the third largest school district in the state of Wisconsin with 40 schools covering 3.5 million square feet.
Advanced Wireless, Inc. (AWI) worked with Motorola on the design, staging, installation and support of the KUSD project.
“Many school districts aren’t just viewing themselves as school districts anymore," commented Kris Keckler, executive director, Information and Accountability, Kenosha Unified School District. "They are approaching education as a business, where they care for the customers and their needs. Motorola Solutions’ WLAN technology is providing us with the tools that allow our students to develop the technological capabilities they need to succeed.”
