Networking & Wireless | News

Coppin State U Expands Campus Wireless Network

• By Kevin Hudson
• 03/13/13

Coppin State University (CSU) has upgraded its wireless network for greater bandwidth and to accomodate more devices, while expanding the network to include campus outdoor spaces and sports venues.

The campus has provided wireless access for nine years, according to a release, and made this upgrade to accommodate the growing number of tablets, laptops, and smartphones accessing the network.

For the update and expansion, CSU chose Aruba Networks and its Mobile Virtual Enterprise (MOVE) architecture, which boasts six of eight ivy league schools on its list of deployments, according to the company Web site.

The school will also use the Aruba AirWave Management System to monitor and gather network statistics and the company’s ClearPass Access Management System to address demand for guest access on campus.

Highlights of Aruba’s MOVE architecture include:

• Consolidated infrastructure that unifies security, access policies, and management across wired, wireless, remote buildings, and VPN networks;
• Integration of smartphones and tablets via ClearPass, which automatically detects and provisions student- and staff-owned mobile devices;
• Adaptive radio management technology that can increase available wireless bandwidth per user up to 220 percent, according to the Aruba Web site; and
• Granular traffic prioritization and dynamic multicast for up to 40 video sessions per radio.

CSU also has plans to expand wireless coverage to newly constructed buildings on campus, including a new Science and Technology Center that will be home to their onsite data center.

Coppin State University was founded in 1900 and is an urban, residential liberal arts university located in the northwest section of the City of Baltimore. Coppin offers 33 majors and 12 graduate-degree programs and is a fully accredited institution. Major academic programs include education, health care, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Aruba is a provider of network access solutions for the mobile enterprise based in Sunnyvale, CA, with operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific regions.