1 / 23

Wireless Networking in Education

Wireless Networking in Education. Tom Franklin TechLearn Tom@Franklin-Consulting.ac.uk. Introduction. What is wireless networking Key issues Wireless technology and education Recommendations. What is wireless networking. Benefits. Reduced installation costs Flexibility Extended reach

hudsonj
Download Presentation

Wireless Networking in Education

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Wireless Networking in Education Tom FranklinTechLearn Tom@Franklin-Consulting.ac.uk

  2. Introduction • What is wireless networking • Key issues • Wireless technology and education • Recommendations

  3. What is wireless networking

  4. Benefits • Reduced installation costs • Flexibility • Extended reach • Networking Students’ Computers • Enhancing education

  5. Disadvantages • Many rapidly evolving standards • Security • Management • Cost of network cards in computers • Performance • Need to understand how signals propagate • Point-to-point needs line of sight

  6. Why so many standards? Mobility Vehicle Walk Fixed 2G Cellular 3G Bluetooth Wireless LAN IrDA Wired LAN 0.1 1 10 100 Data rate Mb/s

  7. Wireless networking standards • Infrared (IrDA) • Radio (unlicensed – ISM and UNII) • IEEE (802.11) • ETSI (HiperLAN) • Bluetooth • (Mobile telephony) • (Radio (licensed)) • (Broadband fixed wireless access)

  8. IEEE Standards }

  9. Security • Doing nothing is not an option • Not as good as wired network • Greatest risk is that it is often not even turned on • Can be easily monitored and used • Basic security easily broken (at the moment) • Treat as insecure network (as external) • Implement security

  10. Threats • Eavesdropping • Rogue access points • Denial of service • Any PC can access the network

  11. Security Solutions • Wired Equivalence Privacy (WEP) • Additional solutions • Custom solution from network vendor • Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) • Treat as insecure network (outside the firewall) • Security need be no greater than elsewhere

  12. Performance • sufficient for text and images • Not sufficient for video (especially multi-user)

  13. Signal propagation • Signals partially blocked by walls, plumbing etc. • Signals “leak” through walls • Can only have limited number of access points in an area • Maximum distance for point-to-point – beware trees! • Undertake a site survey

  14. Reduced Installation costs • Less equipment • Less cabling • No need to flood wire • May be only solution in rural areas

  15. Increased flexibility and reach • No need to flood wire • Can be connected to the network anywhere • Anywhere in a “room” • Can cover areas that you would not wire • Public spaces – like cafes • Outdoors – smokers can access email from their cars • The whole resource centre / library

  16. Networking students’ computers • Increasing number of students have their own PC • Increasingly this is portable PDA or laptop • Students want to be able to use them in college • Wireless simplifies these issues • Access is where the student is • No ports to be damaged through frequent use • Separate subnet for security

  17. When to use it • Teaching areas • Extending the network to new areas • Public areas (library, café) • Occasional use • Out doors • In conjunction with the existing network

  18. How to put computers in teaching • Computer ownership is like literacy • 90% literate you still have to read everything • 100% literate changes everything • Putting computers in students’ hands • Ubiquitous computing • Computer carts • “loan machines”

  19. Computer cart

  20. Computers at teaching • Computers go to the studentsCurrently students have to go to the computers • All spaces can be used with computersCurrently just computer labs • Computers can be integrated into learningCurrently dominate or are absent

  21. Ubiquitous computing • All students required to have their own computer (Laptop or PDA) • Student purchase • Loan machines • Internet enabled everywhere; at all times • Fully embedded in education

  22. Recommendations (LANs) • Use wireless LANs • To extend existing LANs • To provide student access • To bring computers to teaching • Use Wi-Fi (802.11b) with upgrade to 8012.11g • Do not buy 802.11a until compatibility between products demonstrated • Ensure that security meets institutional needs • Perform a site survey • Consider the educational benefits from the start • Assume that there will be an increase in use in networked computer use in teaching and learning

  23. Recommendations (WANs) • Consider for connecting remote sites • interoperability does not matter as it is point-to-point • Consider wireless and satellite

More Related