HILTON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT MOVES TO
MERU NETWORKS FOR EXPANDING, DISTRICT-WIDE WIRELESS LAN
Sunnyvale, CA — September 18, 2006
Meru Networks, the global innovation leader in wireless
infrastructure for the All-Wireless Enterprise, today announced
that Hilton Central School District of Hilton , NY, is deploying
the Meru WLAN System, district-wide, to deliver Internet access
and a wide variety of applications and multimedia content to its
4600 students.
Hilton Central had previously deployed a wireless network using
Cisco Systems equipment, but found that as they added more users
and attempted to support multiple users simultaneously in dense
areas such as classrooms, the performance of the network
suffered. After evaluating a number of WLAN solutions, the
district chose the Meru Networks WLAN System both for its
ability to deliver pervasive coverage in the highest density
environments and its built-in support for data, toll quality
voice and video.
"One of our primary goals is to give students greater access to
technology in the classroom, while reducing our district's
overall costs," said Joshua Ennis, Network Administrator, Hilton
Central School District. "With the Meru WLAN System we've been
able to increase the computer to student ratio, purchasing
mobile labs that immediately put computers into the hands of our
students without the cost of building and cabling a room. With
Meru's ability to support high density, we've reduced the number
of access points that need to be deployed, further lowering our
costs."
Students at Hilton Central can now access a wide range of
district-standard applications, multimedia-rich content, and the
Internet via the district-owned laptops in the classroom. One of
the district's unique examples of using the wireless LAN to
enhance students' learning takes place in the science classes
offered by one of its elementary schools. As part of their
Salmon Creek watershed studies, the science teachers can take
students and their laptops out of the classroom and to
neighboring Salmon Creek for a combination of hands-on
activities and computer-aided research and learning. Students
use their wireless-enabled laptops for data collection and
management, digital imaging via a handheld digital microscope,
downloading of video footage and downloading of data from palm
handhelds, attached to probes that record pH, temperature and
other characteristics of the stream and its plant and animal
life.
In addition to the primary goals of providing students with
better access to technology, Hilton Central is also using its
wireless LAN to let faculty and administrators who have laptops
stay connected as they roam around the district, accessing all
of their documents, calendar and email applications.
Once it has completed its deployment goal of having 100%
coverage district-wide, Hilton Central will evaluate the
addition of wireless VoIP to the network. According to Joshua
Ennis, adding VoIP to the network could save the district
substantial amounts of money in cell phone costs.
"Since most cell phone usage occurs between district employees
who are roaming throughout our district, providing them with
wireless VoIP could create a much more productive, mobile work
environment and simultaneously save our district a lot of
money," he said. "Fortunately, with the Meru WLAN System, we
have built-in support for toll-quality voice, so whenever we
choose to upgrade the network, we'll be ready."
About Meru Networks
Meru Networks is the global leader in wireless infrastructure
solutions that enable the All-Wireless Enterprise. Its industry
leading innovations deliver pervasive, wireless service fidelity
for business-critical applications to major Fortune 500
enterprises, universities, healthcare organizations and local,
state and federal government agencies. Meru's award-winning Air
Traffic Control technology brings the benefits of the cellular
world to the wireless LAN environment, and its WLAN System is
the only solution on the market that delivers predictable
bandwidth and over-the-air Quality of Service with the
reliability, scalability, and security necessary to deliver
converged voice and data services over a single WLAN
infrastructure. Founded in 2002, Meru is based in Sunnyvale,
California. For more information on Meru Networks and its
products, visit www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300.