The aim of the project was to build a unified and secure Wi-Fi network that will provide students and university staff with reliable connectivity and an access to information anywhere at the university. Having launched it, availability of internet services has improved , which has consequently increased efficiency and satisfaction of students and university staff.
We started the project in July 2019 and successfully completed it in August 2021.
Client: UKF - University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra
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Assignment and its challenges
At UKF, a WI-FI network was being built gradually and as a result of that it consists of many components from different manufacturers, which do not ensure unified administration, sufficient throughput, easy identification of problems and troubleshooting. The university management had an ambition to change this situation, and therefore decided to build a high-speed wireless network in all of the university buildings. This was supposed to be based on a unified technology of some of the proven manufacturers, and thus could be easily administered centrally.
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Approach
The assignment of the project was demanding because a network-load develops unevenly in space and time, which is why it was decided to build an entire solution on ARUBA technology from the portfolio of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. At the beginning of the project, we performed detailed measurements to determine the signal permeability through the building materials of all 14 university buildings. Thanks to a special modelling tool, a three-dimensional model of signal distribution and its decrease due to any obstacles and longer distances was created, which allowed to design a placement of individual access points and other network elements so that the signal sufficiently overlaps and provides 100% network coverage in all areas of the university. The results of measurements and a proposal of locations of access points at the university campus were consulted with designated employees and approved by the university management. After its final approval, the network was built up, consisting of more than 1,000 access points, almost 60 switches and 2 controllers. Due to high financial costs, the implementation was divided into three stages. In 2019, during the first stage, a network infrastructure was implemented in the building of the Zobor Student Home, and partially in the main building. In the next stage, at the beginning of 2020, the network was expanded to the buildings of the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care. The project was completed in 2021, when the network infrastructure was finalized in the premises of the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Central European Studies, the Faculty of Natural Sciences, the University Library, and the Nitra and Brezový háj Student Homes.
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Result - benefits of the new solution
Since a complete WiFi network was built, employees, students and visitors of UKF in Nitra have had a high-speed WiFi network with a unified authentication available in all areas of the university.
Over 1,000 access points installed in 14 buildings
A high-speed internet for almost 8,000 students and university staff
Easy authentification of devices in network and monitoring the activities
Due to central administration, a quick identification and troubleshooting of network problems is possible
Delivered services