January 2006 — Features
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A World Without Wires
Whether helping to resurrect the Katrina-devastated South or upgrading educational access in districts far and wide, more affordable wireless mesh and voice networks are changing the learning environment across the nation.
THE WIRELESS BANDWAGON is rolling across Mississippi, picking up a fresh load of converts and turning calamity into opportunity. Traditional wired school networks, many of which unraveled during Hurricane Katrina, are giving way to advanced wireless mesh networks that frequently include voice-over-IP (VoIP) capabilities.
“The hurricanes provided an inflection point for many Southern school districts,” says Craig Plunkett, CEO of CEDX Corp. (www.cedx.com), a wireless integrator in East Northport, NY, that works closely with technology providers across the country. “When your existing infrastructure has been ripped apart, it’s an opportune time to wipe the slate clean and rethink your infrastructure strategy. Wireless is the first technology that comes to mind when you need to get classrooms online fast.”
Vendor funding is helping to drive the wireless cause in the region. Cisco Systems Inc. (www.cisco.com), for one, is donating about $40 million’s worth of wireless networking gear and related services over three years to help rebuild Gulf Coast schools. Mississippi schools and districts initially targeted include Forrest County Agricultural High, the Forrest County district, the Hattiesburg district, the Lamar County district, the Petal district, Moss Point High and the Moss Point district, and Harrison Central High and the Harrison County district, according to the Clarion Ledger, Mississippi’s daily newspaper. Cisco Chairman John Morgridge, a longtime crusader for technology in education, personally kicked in $10 million to the initiative.
Though the impetus for the introduction of wireless networking in the Gulf was a unique set of circumstances, the conversion to wireless is certainly not exclusive to the region; indeed, it is taking root in school districts throughout the US. And though Cisco enjoys strong mindshare and market share in the wireless sector, the field is filled with a range of competitors, from established players like 3Com Corp. (www.3com.com) to savvy startups such as Firetide Inc. (www.firetide.com).
As wireless network infrastructure has evolved over the past decade to support even the most demanding broadband applications, including full-motion video and voice-related phone services, demand for its implementation continues to accelerate. Shipments of wireless LAN (WLAN) switches grew 61 percent in the second quarter of 2005 compared to first-quarter 2005, according to Gartner Inc. (www.gartner.com), a Stamford, CT, market research firm. Moreover, the number of WLAN hotspots will exceed 200,000 globally by 2008, up from 120,000 this year, predicts Gartner.
Eager adopters include John Savage, executive director of Technology for Newport News Public Schools in Virginia. During a typical school day, nearly 40,000 students and staff members communicate over a secure wireless network that Savage designed. The network, based on 3Com’s Wireless LAN Mobility System, provides approved users with rapid access to e-mail, streaming media, and other services.
Although Newport News is extremely satisfied with the wireless system, the school district isn’t ready to cut all ties to its traditional wired infrastructure. “It’s a matter of choosing the right tool for each job,” says Savage. “Wireless is the obvious choice in some situations, while hardwired networks remain the preferred option in others.”
Of course, not all classrooms are ready to cut the cord. Some schools, nervous about instant messaging and other digital distractions, have consciously limited their wireless service to libraries and public gathering areas. Other schools have resisted wireless deployments until the picture on emerging standards (such as WiMax) comes into focus.
Simple Math
Plummeting prices and maturing products, however, have made it difficult for schools to withstand jumping on the wireless bandwagon. In many scenarios, wireless switch suppliers are giving customers 10 to 15 percent discounts for orders exceeding $30,000; and those discounts go as high as 30 to 35 percent off list price for orders exceeding $200,000, according to Unstrung Insider (www.unstrung.com/insider), a newsletter for wireless network managers.
Prices are also falling for enterprise-grade access points, which connect wireless computers to a wired infrastructure. The typical list price for a wireless access point is now $700, compared to $840 last year. And street prices for these products have dropped to about $400 or less, Unstrung Insider estimates. “Wireless isn’t a commodity market,” says Plunkett. “But the falling price points pave the way for more and more schools to embrace Wi-Fi.”
Meshing It All Together
The two biggest trends in wireless school networks involve mesh systems and VoIP convergence. According to Cisco representatives, a mesh network allows wireless access points to communicate with one another without routing traffic through a central switch. This approach eliminates central failure points and sets the stage for self-healing networks: If one wireless access point goes dark, data is automatically diverted to the next nearest access point.
