Author
Gary Mitchell
Director, Higher Education Market Development
Categories
Higher EducationIn this Article
The operations of today’s modern college or university mirror a small city—where classrooms and lecture halls are like business centers, administrative buildings correspond to city hall, and the student unions and retail resemble bustling commercial districts. Here, the one place that puts “life” into campus life are the dorms and on-campus apartments.
These student housing options emulate a city’s high-density urban districts that require always-on Wi-Fi® for residents who seem to never sleep. With student populations that can range from 15,000 to 70,000 residents, this on-campus housing emulates the complexity, infrastructure needs and social dynamics of your typical metropolitan hub.
But what makes this especially challenging today is how current students are all digital natives—each expecting to connect multiple devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles, smart TVs, and IoT gadgets (printers, smart speakers and streaming sticks) in their rooms. Multiply this across each building that can house hundreds—sometimes thousands—of students, and you’re looking at the density of a very tall downtown high-rise.
On top of that, many universities now run digital services that depend on the connectivity of these residential neighborhoods, including smart laundry systems, keyless entry, online work orders for maintenance, and even AI-driven resident engagement apps. All of this puts massive pressure on a campus network.
As a trusted source for multi-dwelling units (MDUs) and smart campus networking, RUCKUS® knows firsthand the challenges of coverage gaps, device overload and bandwidth strain that has to be managed by a sometimes-lean IT team with limited resources. That’s why student housing companies like CBX Connect and Unest, along with telecommunications company WireStar, turned to RUCKUS for premier network infrastructure and solutions.
These companies sought out our advanced security technology like Cloudpath® Enrollment System and Dynamic Pre-Shared Keys (DPSK™) for simple and secure onboarding; AI-driven platforms like RUCKUS ONE® for network monitoring and threat protection; as well as RUCKUS Edge™ for network segmentation and granular access control. Add to this how our sophisticated Quality of Service (QoS) protocols and patented technology help ensure that bandwidth hogs don’t unfairly monopolize your network, and you’ve got the foundations for a very happy residential neighborhood.
Those are a few reasons why higher education institutions like Blackpool and the Fylde College, and Park West luxury student housing, both designated RUCKUS as their best-in-breed wired and wireless network solutions provider.
But don’t just take our word for it. See for yourself how our solutions are not only high performing but also sustainable and economical. Ask our HiED experts for your personal demonstration. Or, to learn more about how RUCKUS helps design better college and university networks, download our Dorm Connectivity ebook.
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 Centers: The Commercial Districts of Your Small City
- Your Classrooms Are Like City Business Centers
