Wi-Fi Support Service

About the Service

Our Wi-Fi Support Service can be used to support schools create Wi-Fi enabled learning spaces, single Wi-Fi enabled classrooms or Wi-Fi flooded schools. The service provides comprehensive support for your school's Wi-Fi system and is designed as an add-on to your Technical Support for Curriculum Networks service.

Our Wi-Fi installation service ensures that your school's Wi-Fi hardware and controller are correctly configured to balance devices around the Wi-Fi network and ensure the ongoing performance of your system.

What are the benefits?

Wi-Fi networks allow staff and pupils with a wireless-enabled device e.g. laptop, netbook, tablet or iPad to exchange data or access the internet without the need for a physical cabled connection.
Our Wi-Fi Installation and Support services can help improve situations where there is little existing cabled infrastructure in place or where cabling is difficult (e.g. listed buildings, large open spaces).
Many modern devices such as tablets and iPads only have Wi-Fi connectivity and rely on having a robust Wi-Fi network for their effective use in the classroom.
Our Wi-Fi networks are scalable, providing an option to improve your school's network infrastructure as the numbers of Wi-Fi devices increase in school. Older Wi-Fi networks may struggle to keep pace.
Our Wi-Fi Installation and Support services ensure your Wi-Fi network is carefully planned to ensure that all devices trying to access the network simultaneously can connect successfully.
Our specialist design, implementation and support services aim to help your school to get the most from your investment in wireless devices.

What's Included?

Service Features

Feature	Description
Wi-Fi Support Service Overview	Lancashire County Council Education Digital Services offer Wi-Fi installations with ongoing annual support as a managed service. Our Wi-Fi solutions include configuration and installation of access points, user setup for either simple or complex whole school solutions.
Secured Wi-Fi	All our Wi-Fi installations will be secured to current industry standards typically WPA2 AES-CCMP.
Load Balancing	Our Wi-Fi installations will automatically balance client connections over suitable access points and between the 2.5 and 5GHz channels.
Bring Your Own Device	On request we can create a secure separate BYOD wireless network for non-school owned devices to access the internet (additional charges may apply).
Highly Experienced Technical Support	Regionally based specialist field support team available for fast response to faults.

Installation Options

Feature	Description
Initial Site Survey (Required prior to installation)	Initial site survey to assess cable runs, existing containment, size and capacity of cabinets, available power, building construction and layout and suitable locations for the wireless access points. Older network infrastructure may need upgrading to install a new Wi-Fi system e.g. your may require new switches. The survey checks your school's requirements and ensures that sufficient Wi-Fi capacity will be created for the number of devices you plan to connect (your will need to identify your planned pattern of use and locations for where mobile device usage is required prior to the survey). Currently we design Wi-Fi solutions based on Ubiquiti wireless products. These provide excellent functionality for school environments. Options for external and internal wireless access points can be provided. A quote for installation can then be prepared following further discussion of your school's requirements.
Wi-Fi Installation	The installation of the wireless access points and data cabling will be carried out by our contractor under our management. The installation will provide Wi-Fi coverage to the areas identified in our quote and have sufficient capacity for the number of connecting devices detailed by your school. The Wi-Fi solution will then be configured and tested by a one of our skilled technicians. The school's representative will then be asked to sign off the installation. We recommend our Wi-Fi Support service is also purchased for ongoing support.
Wi-Fi Installation Only	For schools purchasing Wi-Fi installation only: Following sign-off as above, we will supply the password for management of the Wi-Fi system to the school's representative. Any issues experienced following this will be the responsibility of the school to resolve. The school will need to register all hardware warranties and report any future failures to the manufacturer should these occur.