Access points are at their most effective when they are quietly operating behind the scenes, providing connectivity to its users so that they may enjoy it without thinking about it. High-quality Wi-Fi is essential in several higher education initiatives, and access points are crucial to making it work.

We’re going to discuss the importance of an advanced Wi-Fi network when it comes to successful, diverse campus initiatives. We’ll explore the benefits of Wi-Fi deployments and how they can be used effectively to fuel any initiatives that a university may take on. Read on for more.

Facilitating Connectivity & Resulting Data With Reliable Access Points

When Butler University decided to upgrade its network, which was ten years old, they decided on a solution from Cisco Meraki and ultimately installed 1 300 access points around the campus. The idea was to meet the minimum connectivity that is expected by students, particularly during high-demand periods. 

The Meraki dashboard allows for increased insight into a network’s traffic, making a difference in the university IT teams’ ability for network management. Better Wi-Fi also helps Butler pursue a data-driven intervention and insight program for students.

For example, data about campus traffic patterns help administrators understand how their students use the school’s facilities. According to their personal preferences, application programming interface integrations and Bluetooth beacons allow students to receive notifications in an app as they visit certain areas on the campus. 

The Meraki Dashboard Aids IT Staff With ‘Rogue Devices’

While advanced network solutions can facilitate diverse campus initiatives, they can also make it easier for IT teams to do their jobs. Notably, they make it easier to identify and manage ‘rogue devices.’ 

For example, a staff member can see that something on the network is behaving as a router would, which would alert them that a student might be trying to set up a restricted device. The Meraki dashboard allows IT teams to identify these devices and quickly take the appropriate action. 

Rogue devices can become a significant issue when they create performance problems that users can’t understand. As a result, they trigger complaints about the IT team, senior staff, or even social media. 

Student Safety

Being able to aggregate data regarding the locations of students also has some applications in public safety. In the past, missing persons reports, even if they were false alarms, often resulted in police searching for a needle in a haystack, so to speak. 

Now, staff can view a student’s location via the network, determine where their devices might be, or track their location using card access within a building. The next step to leveraging that data could be to develop behavioral insights, which can help students in other ways as well. 

Concluding Thoughts

Advanced Wi-Fi solutions can benefit students and staff in many ways, with one of the most significant being the facilitation of diverse campus initiatives. They are also able to improve student safety and better manage network-connected devices.