Campus Networking | News

Brandeis U Overhauls Wireless Infrastructure

• By Caitlin Moriarity
• 04/16/12

Brandeis University is currently upgrading its entire wireless infrastructure to meet student and faculty network demands. Brandeis has approximately 7,000 users and 100 buildings that access the wireless network every day, and many of those use multiple devices to do so.

Brandeis, a private liberal arts and research institution based in Waltham, MA, is currently installing Aruba S3500 mobility switches, as well as the Aruba AirWave management system. The Aruba switches replace the previously installed Cisco and Juniper switches, according to information released by Aruba.

The university decided to make the changeover based on testing of the Aruba S3500 switches on the Brandeis campus, said John W. Turner, director for networks and systems, Brandeis University, in a prepared statement.

Additionally, Brandeis has plans to turn “their edge into a single continuous access layer” by combining the Aruba Mobility Access Switch with previously installed wireless controllers.

Since changing over to the Aruba S3500 switches, Brandeis IT can identify individual wired network users, as well as their applications, devices, and roles; the same way Brandeis IT can identify users on the wireless network. Prior to the change, campus IT was only able to identify wired network users by MAC address.

Brandeis started the changeover to Aruba products in 2005, when the university replaced its Cisco wireless network with an Aruba wireless network. Brandeis then expanded its wireless network to the point that it completely replaced wired Ethernet in residence halls in 2011. Brandeis reported it will complete the wireless infrastructure upgrade by fall of 2012.

For more information about Brandeis University’s wireless infrastructure upgrade, watch the video here, or visit the Brandeis University Library & Technology Services projects page.