De Nassau

Overview

De Nassau is a secondary education school located in Breda, in the south of the Netherlands, with over 1,600 students and 200 staff. The school specialises in preparing students for university education through bilingual learning and rigorous course work which mirrors the major/minor structure.

 

Challenges

• With no existing network to build from, wireless needed to follow strict education-centric security standards
• School composed of two separate buildings that require unified coverage for roaming students and staff

The configuration took 15 minutes and then 5 minutes to place each AP. The Meraki APs are easy to control and have many features.

 

W. den Ronde

Systems Engineer

 

Why Cisco Meraki

• Centralised management of access points distributed throughout floors and between buildings provides admins with complete control over the network
• Intuitive Cisco Meraki dashboard permits deep visibility into the users, devices, applications, and general usage of the wireless
• Built-in Layer 7 firewall and traffic shaping rules on each SSID give admins the flexibility they need to create a secure environment for students
• Seamless handoff between access points provides students and staff much needed mobility between classrooms and buildings
• Per-SSID and per-client bandwidth limits ensure optimal and fair usage by client devices
• Remote management and troubleshooting capabilities let admins monitor the infrastructure and resolve issues from anywhere

The Deployment

• Tested the wireless APs and chose Meraki due to its reliable connection and simple management via the dashboard
• Configuration of the network took about 15 minutes, then 5 minutes to install each AP in the school buildings
• Users access the network via a De Nassau branded and customised splash page before being redirected to a site of the school’s choice
• Customisable Layer 7 firewall settings restrict access to certain recreational sites, ensuring safe WiFi usage
• Dual band operation with band steering provides maximum throughput on each AP, intelligently sorting 2.4 and 5 GHz capable devices between frequencies

Results

• Modern media devices and interactive whiteboards deployed in every classroom are now connecting to the wireless network, integrating technology into the learning environment
• Pilot program using WiFi-capable tablets, instead of textbooks, launched in two classes
• Cloudshark integration allows admins to perform live, remote packet captures to troubleshoot potential issues
• Over 1500 devices transfer hundreds of gigabytes of data over the network each month
• Automatic alerts and live troubleshooting tools in the Cisco Meraki dashboard enable admins to proactively monitor the network