Morehouse College

Xirrus: Fastest and Most Reliable Wi-Fi

Morehouse evaluated leading Wi-Fi solutions by deploying them in challenging campus areas, including old buildings with walls four feet thick.“Of the three Wi-Fi networks we tested, Xirrus was the fastest and most reliable,” Russell says.“Now we have abundant throughput. We have excellent coverage. And we have fantastic cloud management tools.” More than 3,000 people use the Xirrus network, including the President, Provost, vice presidents, faculty, staff and students. Students and staff have a single sign-on for multiple campus systems, including Xirrus Wi-Fi, the learning management system, video-over-IP and others.

In the Residence Halls: Studies and Entertainment

The Xirrus Wi-Fi network made its debut in the residence halls. Students use it both for studies and relaxation, such as watching movies and playing games.“Now everyone in a study group can connect at the same time,” Russell says.

In the Classroom: Foundation for Innovative Instruction

Faculty members take advantage of the Xirrus network and students’ mobile devices to introduce new ways of learning. One example is the flipped classroom: Watching video lectures before class and using class time for activities that hone students’ communications and critical- thinking skills.

“Saying Wi-Fi contributes to learning is like saying air contributes to living,” says Russell.“It’s an invisible foundation. With Xirrus, the technology fades in the background. Students and professors can focus on the subject matter instead of worrying about the technology because it always works.”

For IT: Easy to Manage, Easy to Upgrade

The IT team monitors and manages all network activity in the cloud, using Xirrus Management System (XMS).“XMS-Cloud makes it easy to see how well the system is performing and how people are using it,” Russell says. After discovering that Netflix is one of the top bandwidth consumers on campus, for example, the IT team decided to throttle the bandwidth it can consume.“During class hours we keep enough bandwidth free for academic applications by ramping down access to Netflix,” Russell says.“In the evenings we ramp it back up so that students have an excellent viewing experience. Xirrus Application Control makes it easy.”

The ease of upgrading Xirrus access points cuts costs. When the 802.11ac Wave 2 standard was ratified, Morehouse simply snapped in a new module, tripling network speed. The upgrade cost far less than replacing the access points.

The IT team can quickly add coverage for special events, some with up to 15,000 attendees. Guests and vendors such as caterers and sound crews need secure Wi-Fi.“We can set up temporary access points in minutes by using Xirrus Rapid Deployment Kits,” Russell says.“They save the cost of setting up access points that will only be used once or twice a year.”

Continuing to Prepare the Next Generation for Leadership

Russell concludes,“Higher ed is a competitive world. Technology is one of the things Millennials look at when choosing a college. With Xirrus we can offer state-of-the-art Wi-Fi to prepare students to be leaders and enjoy their time at Morehouse. We’re pleased that our relationship with Xirrus didn’t stop after we deployed. They continue to be part of the Morehouse success story.”