EnSky Series - Tech-Based School on a Budget Upgrades to Flawless EnGenius Wi-Fi
Located in the rural hills of Sonoma County, Geyserville New Tech Academy (GNTA) is focused on the integrated use of technology and rigorous project-based learning. The school serves high school and middle school students.
The Need: Campus-Wide Wi-Fi Coverage at a Reasonable Price
The only high school in the district, Geyserville’s high school was “rebranded” and established as the Geyserville New Tech Academy in July 2014. Though the school is on the small side, the Geyserville Unified School District has big plans for its tech-based educational success.Each student uses a laptop and regularly accesses the Internet, which makes a strong wireless network on the GNTA campus a must. “We are looking at technology as being the wave of the future for our kids,” said Joe Carnation, Superintendent of the Geyserville Unified School District. “A vast number of our students come from homes where they don’t have Internet activity or access to that.”Not only do these particular students need access to Wi-Fi while in the classroom, they also need access elsewhere on campus to ensure they complete both classwork and homework before leaving for the day. GNTA needed a strong and reliable signal to cover the whole campus – while also sticking to a budget.Superintendent Carnation said, “As with many schools, there’s always a funding issue.” Lockie Gillies, owner of Wine Country Computers, and Martin Wolfe, owner of Wolfe Communications, worked together to explore a variety of options to ensure that GNTA’s network would perform well at a price the district could afford.
“Before, we just had hotspots around the school, and students (and teachers) would walk around with their laptops and try and find a spot. Now, the students come in…there’s no time wasted. They just sit right down, they can see the lesson they have to do for the day, get in their groups, and start working.”
Katherine Hadden
Principal at Geyserville New Tech Academy
The Solution: EnSky EWS Series
Gillies and Wolfe decided to recommend the EnGenius EnSky EWS Series. “We found it’s a cost-effective, robust system. It’s on one platform rather than having to have switches and controllers,” said Martin Wolfe. “One of the big things for us is that there aren’t any ongoing licensing and subscription fees, so it really is a one-time purchase for our clients.”Another benefit of note? “It was easy to install, easy to configure. It was really easy to teach the techs at the school how to use it,” Lockie Gillies said. Simple deployment, management and operation of the EnSky system minimizes labor costs and service calls – reducing the total cost of ownership (TOC).Did the product deliver as hoped? Yes! The improvement in on-campus coverage was immediate and drastic – in a good way. EnGenius’ EnSky Series 11ac Wave 2 technology enhances performance and efficiently serves the campus with multi-user (MU) MIMO and beamforming technology. Both students and staff benefit from the optimal signal strength and reception reliability. Rick Klug, a teacher and the tech coordinator at GNTA said, “Since we’ve installed the EnGenius system it has worked flawlessly.”“Before, we just had hotspots around the school, and students (and teachers) would walk around with their laptops and try and find a spot,” stated Katherine Hadden, Principal at GNTA. Now, “The students come in…there’s no time wasted. They just sit right down, they can see the lesson they have to do for the day, get in their groups, and start working.”
The Result: Flawless Coverage that Supports GNTA’s Educational Goals & Students
The EnSky EWS Series is performing well for GNTA. “The primary benefit of the EnGenius system is total coverage of our campus site, and a robust signal. A strong signal, and fast – very fast,” shared Rick Klug. “I’m very happy with the product and would recommend it to anyone.”The EnSky Series also provided the total coverage needed to accommodate students who do not have access to technology or Wi-Fi at home.“We’ve provided resources outside…(including) tables and lounge areas and that sort of thing – where they’ll have Internet access through the school’s Wi-Fi and will be able to complete their schoolwork,” Carnation stated. Principal Katherine Hadden added, “It has really changed the whole feel of the school.”Lockie Gillies of Wine Country Computers gives his experiences with EnGenius a gold star. “We’ve worked with different wireless companies in the past, and we’re definitely a fan of EnGenius. EnGenius listens to people like me…and makes changes to support me.” Do you need A+ Wi-Fi for your campus or business? Learn more about the EnSky Series now!
