A wire-free campus
Wi-Fi is making rapid strides in the educational
segment. SHRIMCA has recently unwired its campus by providing
wireless connectivity to its students and faculty, says Abhinav
Singh.
Shrimad Rajchandra Institute of Management and
Computer Application (SHRIMCA), Bardoli, Gujarat, has finally
realised its dream—to provide its students and faculty with the best
possible IT infrastructure and Wi-Fi Internet connectivity. The
entire campus is now wireless and offering all-round Wi-Fi Internet
access to students. Earlier, the wired connectivity was on D-Link
fibre, and now the wireless connectivity is provided using D-Link’s
Access Points (APs) and omni-directional antennas.
The need for Wi-Fi
The institute has provided 30
wireless-enabled notebooks from HCL to the faculty
members. The notebooks are extensively used by these members
while giving lectures in the
classrooms |
SHRIMCA wanted to provide its faculty and students
with wireless Internet access across the campus. Besides, many NRIs
who had given donations to the institute wanted it to be a Wi-Fi
zone. These NRIs regularly frequent the campus with their
Wi-Fi-enabled notebooks. Bankim Patel, Director, SHRIMCA says, “The
institute has provided 30 wireless-enabled notebooks from HCL to the
faculty members. The notebooks are extensively used by these members
while giving lectures in the classrooms.” Many students are in the
process of buying Wi-Fi-enabled notebooks for research activities
and also to access the Internet. Besides this it had been the
endeavour of the institute to provide the best of the technology to
its students. The importance of information-sharing, convenience of
information processing and need for mobility meant users could not
be tied-down to their desktops hence a Wi-Fi network was crucial for
the institute.
Geo Integrators, a Surat-based organisation,
carried out the entire implementation while the infrastructure was
developed using D-link devices. Vinod Bhateja, Technical Support,
Head, Geo Integrators explains, “It is a tedious process to lay
wired cables inside a building or a campus. Moreover it was not
possible to provide Internet connectivity in every nook and corner
of the campus especially near the garden and the lawns using the
wired network.”
SHRIMCA also holds seminars and conferences
regularly which are attended by delegates using Wi-Fi-enabled
notebooks. It was not possible to provide the delegates with
physical nodes at a short notice with the wired network.
However, a sustained effort by Patel made the
Wi-Fi connectivity a reality. Patel elaborates, “Since we had been
using D-Link products for our wired network and were quite satisfied
with the performance and support it provided, we decided to go ahead
with these products for the Wi-Fi connectivity as well.” A complete
solution using the D-Link Layer 3 switches and DWL 2100 Access
Points are used in all buildings of SHRIMCA. These are connected
with a single mode fibre and total of 20 APs and 45 wireless LAN
cards which are installed to provide a comprehensive Wi-Fi
infrastructure. A 1 Mbps dedicated microwave link has been set up
with dedicated routers.
Gauging capacity
Many of our students are
working on consultancy projects and it is important for them
to stay connected from anywhere in the campus. Earlier, there
were many places where there was no wired Internet
connectivity even at the desktop level. Now even the desktops
are Wi-Fi-enabled and can be connected to access the
Internet |
The entire Wi-Fi network was completed in just 20
days. But prior to the rollout a thorough survey was conducted which
enabled the implementers to place APs and check whether they were
giving appropriate coverage in a particular area in the campus. The
implementation began in November 2005 and the Wi-Fi network went
live in December 2005. Bhateja says, “We tested the placement of APs
and before actually installing them gauged their coverage capacity
in an area. Based on our findings we placed the APs across the
campus. We also wanted to ensure that the beauty and aesthetics of
the campus were not disturbed when the APs were installed and
minimum cables were placed while connecting them.” The APs are
protected by fibre boxes and have an in-built antenna and the box
protects them from water.
Two units of Radio Frequency-enabled
omni-directional antennas from D-Link, one on the terrace and the
other at the entrance of the campus have been deployed. These
antennas are connected to the APs, which in turn are connected to
the central server. These antennas have been placed to give the best
coverage across the campus. Four buildings and different classrooms
on the campus have been connected by the Wi-Fi network. The APs
across the campus are connected to the existing LAN infrastructure,
which is based on a fibre optic cable that runs all over the area.
The cable connects all the buildings to the central core switch,
which is connected to a server.
Wi-Fi everywhere
Wireless connectivity is now available to anybody
having a notebook with a wireless card. SHRIMCA provides Wi-Fi
connectivity free-of-cost to its students, faculty and visitors. On
any given day, an average of 200 students and faculty members are
connected to the Wi-Fi network. Now visitors can access Internet
connectivity without any hassle. Patel adds, “Many of our students
are working on consultancy projects and it is important for them to
stay connected from anywhere in the campus. Earlier, there were many
places where there was no wired Internet connectivity even at the
desktop level. Now even the desktops are Wi-Fi-enabled and can be
connected to access the Internet.” Students mainly access the
Student Information System, upload information and prepare
presentations using Wi-Fi. There is a new hostel and residential
area coming up in the campus, which will also be Wi-FI-enabled
gradually.
The institute |
Shrimad Rajchandra College of
Management and Computer Application (SHRIMCA), Bardoli,
Gujarat |
The products |
D-Link Layer 3 switches and
DWL 2100 Access Points |
Average users on a single
day |
200 |
System Integrators |
Geo Integrators, Surat |
Number of Access Points
deployed |
20 |
Benefits of the
implementation |
Wireless connectivity is
available to anybody having a notebook with a wireless card.
SHRIMCA provides Wi-Fi connectivity free-of-cost to its
students, faculty and visitors. In places like the garden and
the lawns, Net connectivity has become smooth and easy. Many
desktops are also connected to the Wi-Fi network
| |