Student Centers: The Commercial Districts of Your Small City

On a typical campus, the student center is equivalent to a city’s community center, convention center and marketplace all rolled into one. When combined with the rec center and retail establishments that populate the college grounds, you’ve got a commercial district that necessitates a robust, pervasive wireless network.

In each of the campus cities, commercial districts and public spaces are where residents meet up, shop and relax—from student unions and dining halls to bookstores, cafes and food courts. And the always-on campus Wi-Fi® becomes the grease that keeps the wheels of commerce turning.

Understanding the digital backbone of your campus city

Additionally, campus wireless is often relied upon to support warehousing and logistics functions for food services, furniture storage and delivery, office and cleaning supplies, as well as interoffice and U.S. Postal Service activities. Not to mention retail venues such as convenience stores, banking services and apparel shops that all require robust wired and Wi-Fi networks to ensure seamless Point of Sale (POS) revenue capture.

The business POS systems, inventory tracking, and mobile payments all count on fast, secure wireless to keep the lines moving and sales flowing. Inconsistent wireless service could mean downtime at the register or, worse, lost revenue. And, on a busy homecoming or graduation day or a big-game weekend, the number of transactions could easily double or triple—making these enterprises, more than any other, vulnerable to the unpredictability of the campus social fabric. But campus wireless networks in these commercial business areas do more than support businesses, they also provide seamless Wi-Fi access for shoppers and students alike.

Engineered for campus environments

RUCKUS® can also be found thriving across the world in a variety of higher education environments that require enterprise-grade campus solutions such as Amrita University, Del Mar College, and Butler University. We’re also the trusted networking provider for college student housing such as Texas A&M’s Park West and The Rev Student Living, the University of Houston’s Haven at Elgin, and Brussels University’s Unest.

To help colleges and universities conquer wireless network issues, RUCKUS Networks offers a number of high-performance solutions that can fit any budget range. Our scalable, high-density solutions feature a variety of proprietary technologies that help them outperform our competition. By working with cities like San José and Hossegor, France, to destinations like the Cincinnati Zoo and Saratoga Race Course, we’ve obtained hands-on experience that helps us know how to deliver expert guidance on creating a ubiquitous, reliable wireless network.

We challenge you to challenge us

Still not sure about RUCKUS? Put us to the test.

We’re happy to go head to head with any existing vendor in your network upgrade or to compete in any proof-of-concept challenge. We’re not only eager to prove how our technology is better, we’ll also demonstrate how our people are more responsive to your specific needs. Try us.

Or, if you want to see more about how we design networks for higher education small cities, download our free solutions guide.

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Read the other blogs in this series:

• Your Campus Is Actually a Small City
• Campus Libraries Have the Same Needs as Those of a Small City 
• Like City Hall in Small Cities, Administration Is Critical to Your Campus-City
• When a Campus Becomes a Small City Overnight
• Student Housing Is Like a Small City’s Residential Neighborhood
• Your Classrooms Are Like City Business Centers