Wireless Access Point for iPad 1-1

[Zvordauk]

Hi all,

Just wondering what people are using for iPad labs or 1-1 deployment.
I'm currently testing a SonicWall NSA with SonicPoints for my 1-1 but I need to set up a roaming cart of 30 iPads with a plug-able WAP. Any thoughts?

Regards,
Ger...

[charliethacker · Accepted solution]

We usr Meru wireless (http://www.merunetworks.com
) throughout our entire 1:1 deployment of 5,300 laptops to students grades 6-12 (and all staff, 800+). I highly recommend them and am willing to share all our experiences, good and bad. We are in the process of replacing another 100 stand alone APs with Meru APs in our elementary schools over the next two months.

We use this same network for our iPads although the number of those is small right now. The use of about 6,000 laptops running 802.11abgn on the Meru network has proven that it will work for all our wireless needs. They have even been working on specific iPad compatibility and speed issues at a rapid pace, faster than we realized their might be an issue under a high density deployment.

This type of setup may not work with a mobile cart though and this would be a major consideration to keep in mind.

[Zvordauk]

Thanks for that Charile. I'll look into Meru for wide scale deployment. Good to hear that they are listening to the marketplace and are iPad aware!

[EQB]

We have a 3COM/H3C/HP (take your pick, as they're all one-and-the-same now) enterprise managed wireless system (5002 series access controller with dual-radio 802.11 a/g APs), and sadly don't recommend it.

Though it is very powerful, the interface is highly obtuse, and inefficiently setup. You can only configure it via IE, and portions of it haven't been translated well. You can only run a maximum of 64 APs per access controller, and you can't leave on auto-configuration for multiple access controllers, as they begin to fight for control of the access points.

We've looked at Meraki and Aerohive, but haven't had any first-hand experince with either.

For anyone looking to purchase a wireless system for a 1-to-1 initiative, a general tip:

For any high-density deployment, keep in mind the channel overlap! There are only three non-overlapping channels in 2.4 ghz (802.11g and some n) wireless, meaning if you have more than three APs (or clients accessing the three APs for that matter) in close proximity to each other you will start to see a lot of re-sends and packet loss. Bandwidth will plummet, and clients will get dropped/have trouble connecting.

802.11a is better, providing 12 or 23 non-overlapping channels (the exact number depends on the revision of 802.11a the AP is using). In addition, 802.11a operates at 5ghz, and thus dissipates quicker when it encounters physical obstacles. This quicker dissipation makes 5ghz RF better suited for use in lots of close-packed classrooms, since there will be less "bleed" between rooms. Lower bleed means you can put more APs in a smaller space, maximizing the number of clients that can be connected in any given area.

802.11n gets really tricky. N can operate at either 2.4ghz or 5ghz (one at a time, or simultaneously. Check your AP to see if it's "simultaneous dual-band"), and can have either just as many non-overlapping channels as 802.11a/g, or half as many, depending on if channel bonding is being used. Channel bonding takes two adjacent channels and uses both to transmit and recieve data. This destroys the 2.4Ghz band, as it strips it to a single non-overlapping channel. Channel-bonded 2.4Ghz N will annihilate a high-density deployment.

The 5Ghz band is a little better for channel-bonded N, reducing the number of non-overlapping channels to still-workable 11. Depending on your building layout/construction, using channel-bonded 5ghz 802.11n will probably be OK.

You can tell if channel bonding is in use if the 2.4Ghz 802.11n network is connecting (or advertises) at rates higher than 54Mbps, or the 5Ghz 802.11n network at rates greater than 150Mbps. Anything that's "finalized" N will use channel-bonding by default, and advertise a maxiumum connection rate of 300Mbps on 5Ghz, and 108Mbps on 2.4Ghz.

If the rates are 450Mbps or 600Mbps on 5Ghz, then the AP is using unofficial triple or quadruple channel bonding, reducing the non-overlapping channels to 7 and 5 respectively.

Whatever system you go with, look into how granular you can get with the AP channel usage, rates, frequencies, transmit power (It's counter-intuitive, but lower is better, since you increase your potential AP density), radio activation/deactivation, etc. If your APs are simultaneous dual-band then either kill the 2.4Ghz side, or only run 802.11g on it. Managing the channel madness can make or break a 1-to-1 project.

[ekarkau]

We are a 1:1 iPad school with 500 iPads (currently) and probably 700 or so in the future. When I started at CA in 11/2010, I gutted the network infrastructure from the ground up. In looking for wireless vendors, I had several criteria including price point, scalability, management, and a few other factors.

We opted to go with Aerohive. I have been unbelievably pleased with the implementation and would highly recommend them to anyone.

We are a private PreK-12 school with 720 students and 80 employees. The county where we reside is approximately 15-20 times our size as a school system and after our implementation, they went with the same solution. They had identical results.

[Zvordauk]

Thanks EQB and ekarkau. Invaluable information!!!