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Remington College Deploys WiFi with Cloud-Based Control

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/09/10

Remington College, a confederation of private career colleges, has deployed campus wireless networks that are managed centrally through a cloud-based service. The 19 schools in 10 states have chosen Meraki to supply 802.11n WiFi gear to extend wireless access to previously uncovered areas. The campuses have a total of about 9,000 students and 1,400 staff.

The previous setup included a multitude of vendors' access points. As the students' consumption of digital content increased, the strain on the network--and the college's IT staff--grew. Remington wanted to standardize on a wireless platform that could be managed centrally from its headquarters and that would deliver a better user experience.

After an evaluation of systems from various vendors, Meraki was chosen. The expansion with Meraki didn't require deployment of a wireless controller at each location, according to the college. Meraki's access points can be managed over the Web by the vendor's Cloud Controller, a Web-based network management console.

"I would definitely recommend Meraki and have already referred it to other school groups who would benefit from this offering," said CIO Chuck Farraj. "We are big fans of the Cloud Controller, and Meraki has created the most user-friendly dashboard we've seen. It's a great product and a very ingenious way to approach enterprise wireless."