Pine Crest School

Location
Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Needs
Anytime, anywhere network connectivity that is simple and affordable.

Applications
Support for student studies including completion of assignments, access to learning resources, and email

Key 3Com Products
3Com AirConnect® 11 Mbps Wireless LAN, Switch 4007™, SuperStack® II Switch 3300

Overview
Founded in 1934 to help children of winter tourists keep up with their studies, Pine Crest School today is a highly regarded co-educational day and boarding school known for its progressive, multidisciplined curricula.

The 1,600-student school serves local students in preschool through 12th grade. Boarding students in grades 7 through 12 come from all over the U.S. and as far away as Thailand to reside on Pine Crest's verdant 49-acre Fort Lauderdale campus.

Leveraging its programs and facilities with the expertise of its faculty, Pine Crest provides a rich, well-rounded academic experience for "talented boys and girls with above-average intellectual potential." Among its many distinctions, Pine Crest has been named an "Exemplary Private High School" by the U.S. Department of Education.

Network Challenge
As part of a $10 million science and technology campaign launched to sustain its tradition of academic excellence, Pine Crest School recently implemented a "Laptops for Learning" initiative that incorporates laptop computers into the daily curriculum for grades 7 and up. Currently, all 7th, 8th, and 9th graders are required to own laptops.

With the increase in the number of laptops on campus, more students need access to the school's 10/100/1000 Ethernet network-also based on 3Com® systems. Because installing additional data ports in classroom buildings was neither practical nor affordable, Pine Crest deployed a simpler, more cost-effective wireless LAN based on innovative 3Com® AirConnect® access points and 3Com PC Cards.

The AirConnect wireless LAN today enables 400 students and teachers to transmit assignments and work collaboratively at speeds up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps) from seven classroom buildings, plus outdoor areas and covered walkways surrounding them. Eventually, the new wireless solution will support nearly 1,000 users on the Fort Lauderdale campus, including every 7th to 12th grade student and most faculty and staff.

"Using 3Com's wireless networking solution, we're able to provide students with high-speed access whether they're in a classroom or sitting out under a shady tree. We're giving them connectivity to the Internet and other educational resources at any time in a wide range of convenient locations at a fraction of the cost of laying additional cable."

Scott Wray, network administrator for Pine Crest's Fort Lauderdale campus

Network Applications
Driven by the new wireless LAN, Pine Crest students enjoy fast, flexible access to all the learning resources on the school's Ethernet LAN and the Internet:
 

• One hundred and twenty 7th grade students who attend full-time classes routinely access the wireless LAN with laptop computers to support their studies.
• Another 125 students in other grades are currently enrolled in 13 classes-including U.S. History, Introductory Physical Science, English, and Geometry-that utilize laptops, and regularly use the 3Com® wireless solution for research on the World Wide Web.
• Students additionally use the wireless LAN to connect to the school's own academic network, PantherLink, where they can download learning software and retrieve homework assignments via the Internet from teachers' Web pages, which are stored on a local hard drive.
• Students further use the AirConnect® solution to send and receive e-mail and access the school's online library catalog.
• In addition, students take notes and create multimedia presentations instead of standard written reports with Microsoft Office, then turn in their assignments to their teachers using the network.

"Computers are wildly popular with our students, and the wireless network makes them even more motivated and enthusiastic. The AirConnect access points and PC cards extend the learning experience beyond the class, and indeed, beyond the walls of the classroom. It's a wonderfully enriching way for our students to capture the full benefit of the Internet and our online resources."

Bill Morrison, director of technology for Pine Crest School

Business Benefits
 

• Cost Savings-3Com's wireless LAN enabled Pine Crest School to fulfill the objectives of its "Laptops for Learning" technology initiative-a program that incorporates laptop computers into the curriculum for grades 7 to 12. Using 3Com® AirConnect® access points, Pine Crest circumvented the high cost of installing additional data ports in classroom buildings. As a result of this savings, the school was able to invest funds from its $10 million science and technology campaign in other technology-related academic services.
• Anywhere Access-Driven by 3Com's wireless solution, Pine Crest School is providing students with reliable, high-speed LAN and Web access from virtually any location across its 49-acre Fort Lauderdale campus. Whether in their dormitories or resting in the tropical shade of a campus palm tree, students swiftly retrieve their homework assignments from teachers' intranet web pages, search library catalogs, or exchange e-mail with fellow students for the ultimate collaborative learning experience.
• Increased Learning Productivity -AirConnect access points enable students to maximize their learning productivity. Without the need to plug their laptops into data jacks or use wired PCs, students can get on and off the school LAN with unprecedented ease and convenience. Benefiting from AirConnect's hassle-free connectivity, nearly 1,000 Pine Crest students will eventually use the 3Com wireless solution to complete their school assignments and projects.

Implementation
Pine Crest School's decision to launch the new wireless LAN emanated from its need to rapidly increase access to its existing network to accommodate new users resulting from its Laptops for Learning initiative. While the prep school initially considered extending its fiber optic network, school officials determined that flexible wireless access, supporting the IEEE 802.11b standard, was the easiest and most economical way to manage the influx of new laptop users.

The school evaluated Lucent's wireless product, but discovered that 3Com offered more complete coverage and higher 11 Mbps speeds at a lower cost than any competing vendor. Having driven its Ethernet network with 3Com® systems, Pine Crest was confident the 3Com AirConnect® wireless access would live up to its billing.

"3Com's AirConnect solution allowed us to provide the hassle-free connectivity we required as our Laptops for Learning initiative took hold and more students needed network access. The wireless access points were effortless to deploy and far more affordable than adding hard-wired data ports. Students love the freedom of access the 3Com wireless LAN gives them, and AirConnect's reliability can't be beat."

Bill Morrison, director of technology for Pine Crest School

Technical Solution
Deployed across Pine Crest School's campus, the 3Com® AirConnect® access points act as a bridge between the school's wired Ethernet backbone and wireless laptop client systems, sending and receiving data from up to 63 simultaneous users within a radius of 300 feet. Each access point includes a PowerBASE-T module, which supplies both data connectivity and DC power, eliminating the cost and time of running additional cabling.

Presently, the wireless network consists of 23 AirConnect access points strategically positioned on ceilings and walls, in wiring closets and in attics throughout seven classrooms and office buildings. Laptop users connect to these systems at up to 11 Mbps speed via 3Com® AirConnect PC Cards.

Most of the access points have 10 Mbps links to 3Com SuperStack® II Switch 3300 or SuperStack II Switch 1100 switches located in wiring closets throughout campus; a handful have 10 Mbps links through a SuperStack II PS Hub 40. All access points have either 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps links to a 3Com Switch 4007, the core of Pine Crest's switched 10/100/1000 Ethernet network. The campus backbone network provides high-speed access to the Internet and the school's own online resources.

Why 3Com
Pine Crest School chose a 3Com® AirConnect® solution for its wireless LAN because it offered superior performance and a lower price than competing alternatives. The school's decision was also buoyed by the proven performance of its 3Com-based Gigabit Ethernet network.

By selecting 3Com's wireless solution, Pine Crest was able to space access points to provide the maximum 11 Mbps speed inside buildings. The AirConnect network additionally enabled the school to provide students with connections of at least 2 Mbps even when they're outdoors in the main campus quad.

"The AirConnect solution is typical of 3Com: cost-effective, easy to install, and requiring minimal configuration and maintenance. As we move toward making wireless-capable laptops mandatory equipment for all upper grades, we can quickly and conveniently deploy more AirConnect nodes and affordably extend connectivity when and wherever we need it."

Scott Wray, network administrator for Pine Crest's Fort Lauderdale campus