College students need food, sleep… and Wi-Fi. [VIDEO]

How important is Wi-Fi to education? When it comes to earning a college degree, reliable Wi-Fi is essential. Students want to be connected anywhere, any time in classrooms, dorm rooms, student centers, stadiums, or just walking across the quad. Reliable Wi-Fi is not only fundamental in promoting consistent learning, but it is also a major factor when students are selecting a school. Why? Because Wi-Fi is almost considered a utility—as essential as water or electricity. Now, students carry more than just a cell phone; they have tablets and laptops in their bags, a smart watch or fitness tracker on their wrist, all seeking connection at the same time. With the fast growing capabilities we are all witnessing in smart devices, the lines between using technology for educational and recreation has blurred and students expect higher education institutions to support this growing trend. As students spend more time on their devices, teachers have noticed. They have taken steps to modernize their teaching, integrating smart devices into everyday classroom activities and curriculum delivery. Now, the classroom includes online testing platforms, in-class research, distance learning, polling and more. To make this all possible, reliable Wi-Fi is key—a wireless network that can support waves of high density connections both inside and outside the classroom. Until recently, Evangel University has been struggling to meet the needs for reliable Wi-Fi. With an outdated Wi-Fi network, students and teachers were complaining almost daily about the poor Wi-Fi experience throughout the campus. Within the past year, the university made a change. Working with Ruckus Wireless, Evangel upgraded its entire WLAN infrastructure, leveraging the ZoneFlex R710 indoor access point (AP), the world’s first enterprise-class Wave 2 11ac AP. And the benefits were instantaneous. To learn more, check out the case study.