Outfitting a network designed to support an educational establishment like a school or university always proves to be a unique challenge; as is the way with most of the modern world, schools have increasingly high demands for high-speed, reliable networking and consistent WiFi with 100% coverage across the campus. We’re increasingly seeing a wider variety of networking devices being used to enhance and enrich the curriculum - goodbye pen and paper, whiteboards and chalk, and hello laptops, tablets, desktops, smart whiteboards, and even VR headsets in some cases - and this doesn’t even include all of the other non-education related devices the network needs to support like IP surveillance cameras, phones and intercoms relying on VoIP to operate, and even biometrics to track access control and cashless payments for students.
Put simply, schools are more connected than ever before, and this means an unprecedented demand on education networks; the increased load can mean that even some of the most well-equipped ecosystems can struggle to keep up, let alone the establishments making do with outmoded, mis-matched kit, all running different software and all requiring a different management portal to operate.
The obvious answer is - time for an upgrade!
However, as any IT Systems Administrator will tell you, a comprehensive, top-down restructuring of any busy network is a mammoth undertaking, especially when navigating the heavy workloads and air-tight security measures that need to be implemented to protect the network both from without and within. Schools and universities need kit that’s robust, powerful, secure, and can be easily and internally managed by a small team from a single pane of glass.
Fortunately, DrayTek can offer a solution!
With their powerful selection of network switches, access points and routers, all either self-hosted or cloud-hosted, and controlled by the revolutionary VigorACS management platform, DrayTek delivers smart, secure and scalable solutions for education networks of all sizes.
Routers
As the gateway between the wider internet and locally connected devices, the router is often the first port of call when looking to bolster a network’s power and performance. As the device responsible for creating subnets, managing all traffic and handling the intricate VPNs and VLANs a school would require, it’s paramount that the router can keep up with the network’s requirements.
DrayTek offer a huge variety of routers featuring powerful and sophisticated software, and support both wired and WiFi-enabled options to suit a wide range of use-cases. Versatile and feature-rich wired options like the 3912 supports 8 x WAN interfaces, two of which are 10G SFP+ ports for super high-speed fibre connectivity, as well as up to 500 VPN tunnels to support remote working for students and staff alike! The 3912 is an ideal choice of router to support the core network switch of larger, busier education networks, able to run up to a million concurrent sessions and featuring both IP and Session-based load balancing to optimise traffic throughput even in busy environments.
However if the network isn’t as busy as that, or if you’re looking for a router with WiFi capabilities, DrayTek offer a wide variety of other options; the 2865LAX-5G, for example, an support both WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and 5G connectivity by virtue of its dual SIM slots for super robust failover, as well as four detachable LTE antennas to maximise connection range. The 2865LAX-5G also features eight LAN subnets with VLANs, ideal for administering to VoIP devices or IoT services, and an intelligently implemented SPI firewall and content filtering - ideal for preventing tech-savvy students from accessing unsuitable content.
For smaller networks, the V2763 can be a great option; with features like Gigabit LAN ports, 2 VPN tunnels and an integrated superfast VDSL modem, the 2865 could easily support primary schools or admin buildings.
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| V2763 | V2865LAX-5G | V3912 |
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Network Switches
Once the router is taken care of, the next important factor to consider is the ideal network switch; like routers, depending on the network size and complexity, the ideal network switch could mean a variety of different things. Whether you need a basic unmanaged edge switch for administrative office setups, a managed switch for more control over traffic, VLANs, and security features, or a PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch to power devices like IP cameras and phones, choosing the right option is crucial to optimizing network performance and scalability.
For an instant, easily managed boost to network capacity, the VSG1080 can offer eight Gigabit RJ45 ports, separate network segments through tag-based VLANs and port-based quality of service; this makes it an ideal choice for an edge-switch to support a single building or small team.
When connecting a switch as small as the VSG1080 to a larger and more powerful switch such as the VSP1282, the smaller switch could easily result in a traffic bottleneck; however DrayTek implement link aggregation on their switches, meaning that, with two Gigabit network links between the switches, traffic can be shared between the two ports to effectively double the bandwidth and provide failover in one fell swoop. This means the VSP1282 can easily provide connectivity for more complex and demanding network environments like larger buildings supporting devices like VoIP phones, IP cameras and smart whiteboards with both network connections and PoE through its 400W power budget.
To act as a core switch connected directly to the router, the VSP2540XS would be a great option; a 48-port Gigabit switch with 6 x SFP+ ports, 400W PoE budget and L2+ switching capabilities, the VSP2540XS also has an automatic surveillance VLAN for IP cameras and IP conflict prevention technology to solve IP and DHCP conflict issues. This is ideal for networks with a large number of devices that require their own IP address, such as access points, VoIP phones and cameras - an IP conflict can easily take down multiple devices on a network simultaneously and cause havoc on traffic-intensive networks, so seamlessly and automatically preventing any possible issues can contribute a great deal to network uptime.
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| G1080 | P1282 | P2540XS |
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Access Points
Once the bones of the education network have been figured out - routers, switches and gateways - it’s time to think about Access Points!
Considering the number of devices on an average school’s network that need a solid, high-speed WiFi connection like tablets, laptops, smart whiteboards and even WiFi wireless speakers and VR headsets, the network of access points supporting these devices needs to be robust enough to keep up.
Luckily, Draytek’s portfolio of APs are more than up to the task; with both WiFi 5 and WIFi 6 options and both indoor and outdoor deployments available, DrayTek access points can support the complex and high-intensity traffic environments that educational institutions require.
The VAP912C, for example, is best geared to handle lower intensity environments spread across a wider area; it’s capable of delivering dependable WiFi 5 (802.11ac) to up to 128 simultaneous clients, and features Mesh technology to optimise connection strength and eliminate dead-zones in the connection environment. This AP is able to mesh together with up to seven other units for a total of eight VAP912Cs - seamlessly extending coverage without needing the purchase and installation of expensive network cabling.
For an increase in power, the VAP1060C is a ceiling-mounted option featuring both dual-band WiFi 6 technology and a 2.5GbE RJ45 LAN port through which it can be powered via PoE. It also contains an embedded third radio prioritising RF analytics and security - perfect for security conscious networks liable to experience a large number of simultaneous connections, which the auxiliary radio supports by filtering out interference.
For outdoor connections across a wide area such as a sports field or common area on campus, DrayTek also offers the rugged VAP918RPD with an IP67 rated enclosure, tough enough to be installed outdoors in uncovered environments, and delivering dual-band WiFi 5 to up to 256 simultaneous clients. This access point also includes two RP-SMA antennas to propagate dependable connectivity over a wider area, and even PoE output of up to 18W on the second RJ45 port.
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| VAP912C | VAP1060C | VAP918RPD |
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VigorACS3
We’ve taken a long look at DrayTek’s huge portfolio of powerful, intuitive networking hardware; however there’s one unique point that puts DrayTek ahead of the competition, and that’s VigorACS.
VigorACS is a groundbreaking remote management platform offering oversight and control across the entire Draytek ecosystem, with both Cloud and Self-hosted options available. The entire DrayTek collection - access points, switches, routers and all other devices - are all fully compatible, meaning a single systems administrator can maintain oversight and a steady hand across an entire complex network.
Using VigorACS3, a single admin achieve the same level of oversight that would normally necessitate a full-time staff of multiple IT professionals; new devices can be remotely provisioned and instructed to download the latest firmware, and each networking device on the network can be monitored with automated notifications when devices lose connection to WAN, VPN or the ACS server.
Crucially for education networks, ACS3 also features a comprehensive VPN wizard in which an admin can create IPsec and SSL VPN tunnels between managed devices in seconds; VPN links can be up and running in a heartbeat, meaning that remote students and staff can easily and securely connect to faculty resources. Another handy feature for student connections is the ability to implement a robust splash page, with terms and conditions and marketing terms, and the ability to set bandwidth limits, time quotas and device management - perfect for setting up guest networks. To support the network's telephony needs, ACS3 also includes intelligent VoIP optimisation, with live failover and at-a-glance scores of call quality.
All of these metrics are easily and clearly displayed through a single quality-driven dashboard; real-time measurements on latency, loss and jitter ensure that network performance remains optimal, saving costly and chaotic downtime and boosting the resilience of the most critical aspects of the network.
Conclusion
In light of the growing demands placed on educational networks, the equipment you choose for your network is more important than ever; a more interconnected classroom means both that the network needs to account for the load, and simultaneously leads to significantly more disruption should the network ever keel over.
DrayTek offers a comprehensive suite of solutions designed specifically for these unique challenges, delivering the critical combination of robust, powerful hardware, sophisticated and intuitive software, and a centralised management platform that loops it all together through a single pane of glass.
Whether upgrading an existing network or building a new one entirely, DrayTek provides the tools necessary to build a robust, future-proof educational network - addressing all the usual pain-points of education IT administration like security, cost and complexity with intuitive, seamless devices capable of supercharging learning.
