Transcript MRC - Educause

The Road to a Wireless
Campus
Carl Whitman
Executive Director
American University, e-operations
Agenda
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About American University
Wireless project objectives
Highlights
Problem and development of a
solution
Details of the hardware and
software approach
Financial considerations
Social and educational impact
Questions and answers
About American University
 An independent, private university located in Washington D.C
 Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, AU enrolls 11,000
students from all states and 140 foreign countries
 84-acre main campus, 5 remote locations, 44 major buildings
 Academic units include:
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College of Arts and Sciences
Kogod School of Business
School of Communication
School of International Service
School of Public Affairs
Washington College of Law
 “Ideas into Action, Action into Service”
Objectives of the Wireless Campus Project
 Distinguish AU among its competitors by being first to
implement a comprehensive wireless campus strategy
 Encourage use of technology in teaching
 Improve student services by delivering new and existing
applications via any type of wireless device
 Create cost savings
 Create new revenue opportunities
 Provide benefits to parents and alumni
 Facilitate a transition to a next generation telephone system
for staff and faculty
Highlights
 Entire campus will have wireless access via a single
infrastructure supporting both WLAN and cellular telephone
service
 Wireless-enabled technology will be provided to all faculty
 E-mail and selected web content will be available on datacapable cell phones and other devices (Palm, Pocket PC)
 Reduced cell phone rate plans will be offered to all students,
faculty, staff, parents, and alumni
 Conventional residence hall telephone service will eventually
be replaced by student-owned cell phones
The Road to a Wireless Campus
 Began February 2001 as part of an information technology
strategic planning engagement with BearingPoint (then known
as KPMG Consulting)
 Feasibility study identified wireless technologies as a possible
source of competitive advantage and cost savings for the
university
 75% of AU’s competitors were offering some form of wireless
network access
 Revenues from resale of long-distance telephone service to the
3,500 students living in campus residence halls were declining
sharply
The Road to a Wireless Campus
 Student surveys and market research revealed great student
interest in cellular telephone use
 In a survey of AU students conducted by BearingPoint:
– 61% said they own a cell phone
– 89% indicated interest in an AU-sponsored discount cell phone
plan
– 48% indicated a willingness to replace their conventional
residence hall phone with a cell phone
 Discussions with wireless carriers were held throughout the
summer and fall of 2001 to explore the business case for the
carriers and the university
The Road to a Wireless Campus
RFP to hardware vendors issued in December 2001
Pilot project began in two buildings in March 2002
Full deployment announced in May 2002
Six campus residence halls, business school, and one other
classroom building online by September 2002
 Completion in April 2003
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Background – Data Network
 Named as one of the 50-most wired campuses in 1997 by
Yahoo! Internet Life magazine
 Gigabit Ethernet fiber optic backbone links all buildings and
five remote locations within a two-mile radius of the campus
 Over 8,500 switched network ports
 Most classrooms only provide network access for the instructor
 Wireless technology can be used to:
– Give every classroom seat access to the campus network and the
Internet
– Provide network access outside of buildings and in large areas
such as the campus theater and arena
Background – Telephone Service
 Clear shift in usage patterns to cell phones observed as more
students adopt their use
 Pay phone usage almost non-existent
 Local call trunk lines underutilized
 Decline in student long distance resale revenue:
– FY’97 = $311,000
– FY’00 = $164,000
FY’99 = $255,000
FY’03 = $30,000
 Staff use of university-funded cell phones is increasing and
rate plans are too costly
 Reception is frequently poor inside of buildings, especially the
residence halls
The Solution?
In-Building Distributed Antenna System
 Radio equipment from Foxcom Wireless provides signal to
multiple antennas installed on each floor of all buildings
 System is capable of simultaneous transmission of 802.11
wireless Ethernet and cell phone signals from multiple carriers
 Ethernet access points are installed in central wiring closet and
linked to the Foxcom equipment. They can be from any
vendor; AU is using the Cisco 1200 series
 Carrier cell sites on campus connect directly to the antenna
system via fiber links
– Cingular Wireless is first participant
– Negotiations underway with other carriers
In-Building Antenna System
 Scope of project:
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40 buildings; 167 floors
2 million square feet of coverage area
640 antennas; 190 access points
13 miles (!) of coaxial cable in addition to existing fiber optic
distribution network
– 14 months installation time
– $2 million investment
802.11b Channels
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(14) 22 MHz wide channels (11 under FCC/ISTC)
3 non-overlapping channels (1, 6,11)
11 Mbps data rate
3 access points or bridges can be co-located in the same
location for a total of 33 Mbps aggregate throughput
802.11 Positioning
5GHz - 802.11a
2.4GHz - 802.11b & g
 Maximum Wireless LAN
performance: 54Mbps
 Higher expected throughput
than 802.11g, yet smaller
footprint
 8 channels
 Works only in U.S., Japan, and
other FCC countries
 5 GHz band has less
interference
 11Mbps  36Mbps  54Mbps
 3 channels / Worldwide
compatibility
 Compatibility with installed base
of 802.11b products
 Easy upgrade path to high-speed
802.11g
 Wide selection of client devices
 Lower cost products
 Lower power products (important
for handhelds)
5 GHz vs. 2.4 GHz
 Range of 5GHz is much
smaller— about 30%
 Overall investment of
infrastructure is higher
(more access points)
2.4GHz Range
4
2
5
2.4GHz
1
7
3
6
100'
5GHz
30'
Single Access Point +20 dbm Power
150x120 ft
Coverage of a Typical Office Floor
Single Access Point +10 dbm Power
150x120 ft
Coverage of a Typical Office Floor
WLAN – One Access Point
Coverage
Area
Chnl 1
Access
Point 1
Chnl 1
WLAN
ModuLite
Aux
Module
840
Chnl 1
Chnl 1
MRC
WLAN – Two Access Points
Coverage
Area
Chnl 1
Access
Point 1
Chnl 1
WLAN
ModuLite
Aux
Module
840
Chnl 6
Access
Point 2
Chnl 6
MRC
WLAN – Three Access Points
Coverage
Area
Chnl 1
Access
Point 1
Chnl 6
WLAN
ModuLite
Aux
Module
840
Chnl 11
Access
Point 2
Access
Point 3
Chnl 11
MRC
WLAN – Four Access Points
Coverage
Area
Chnl 1
Access
Point 1
Chnl 6
ModuLite
840
Chnl 11
Chnl 1
Access
Point 2
Access
Point 3
Access
Point 4
MRC
Add Cell Phone Services
Access
Point 1
Chnl 6
Access
Point 2
ModuLite
840
Access
Point 3
Chnl 1
Access
Point 4
Services
AT&T
Sprint
ModuLite2000
Cingular
Chnl 11
Verizon
Coverage
Area
Chnl 1
MRC
Typical Building
WLAN
7th Floor
SWITCH
MRC
WLAN
6th Floor
Fiber
For Voice Traffic
SWITCH
MRC
WLAN
5th Floor
SWITCH
Cat5
SWITCH
Fiber
For Data Traffic
MRC
WLAN
4th Floor
MRC
WLAN
3rd Floor
SWITCH
MRC
WLAN
2nd Floor
SWITCH
MRC
WLAN
1st Floor
SWITCH
MRC
WLAN
Lower Level
SWITCH
To
Wireless
Carrier
MRC
MBU
Foxcom
Modulite
Remote
Cabinet
(MRC)
Riser
WLAN
Cisco Access Point
Mini
Cell
Typical Building
Antenna
Cabling
In-Building Antenna System
 Advantages:
– All wireless carriers can be supported simultaneously
– Fewer 802.11 access points are needed
– Access points and RF electronics are secure in central closet; only
passive, low-cost components are exposed
– Cell phones from participating carriers are guaranteed excellent
signal quality in all areas of a building
– Lower overall RF power levels are required; battery life improved
Software Applications
 E-mail (Lotus Notes) can be sent and received on cell phones
and PDAs with WAP browsers
 E-mail functionality provided by Lotus Domino Everyplace
Access Server
– But …
 More than half of the students forward their mail to other
service providers, so additional products are also being
evaluated to meet their needs
 Future plans include use of Domino Everyplace SMS and
Sametime Everyplace to enhance available features and add
awareness applications
Software Applications
 Web site transcoding products under evaluation
 Software / hardware combination that transforms web site
content into a format appropriate to the receiving device
– Modify page layout for small PDA and cell phone displays
– Remove graphics
– Optimize data transmission
 Examples:
– IBM WebSphere Transcoding Publisher
– Net6 Mobile Transformation Gateway
– (Also available as Cisco CTE 1400)
– Eizel Technologies Amplifi Server
Software Applications
 Location aware technology under evaluation
 Software / hardware combination that permits the physical
location of an 802.11b device to be determined
 Enables location-specific content and network control:
– Virtual campus tour
– Limit network access within classrooms
– Detect security exposures
 Examples:
– Newbury Networks
– Bluesoft, Inc.
– Vernier Networks
Wireless LAN Security
 Registration system created to limit network access
 “MARS” – MAC (“Media Access Control”) Address Registration
System
 Only authenticated devices can access the network
 Upon first connection to the network:
– Limited IP and domain name server information is assigned to the
device
– Access is confined to a web site that is used to register each
device; all URLs resolve to this one site
– User must provide valid AU ID and password, and agree to usage
policy
– After client reboot, valid IP network credentials are provided
Wireless LAN Security
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SSID broadcast disabled
128-bit WEP encryption
Controlled access to key and SSID values
WEP key changed periodically
Applications rely on SSL protocol
Financial Issues
 Business case for the carriers:
– Joint marketing effort with the university reduces cost of
attracting new customer
– High average usage can be expected
– Students are likely adopters of new data services and other
revenue generating activities (e.g., download ring tones)
– Access to broader audience of parents and alumni
– Network capacity management
 Issues for the carriers:
– Cell site and antenna system investment
– Rate plan discounts for students
– Revenue sharing
Financial Issues
 Business case for the university:
– Relatively low cost to add cell phone capability to a wireless LAN
system
– PBX trunk line reduction savings
– PBX maintenance and support savings
– Avoid future capital cost of residence hall telephone system
– New revenue sharing opportunities to recover lost revenue
 Easier migration to IP-based telephone system for faculty and
staff
 University facilitates discounted cell phone rate plans for
students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni
 University facilitates purchase discount for students for
computing hardware needed for wireless connectivity
Social and Educational Issues
 What will students REALLY use their wireless connectivity for?
 Not all faculty are convinced of the value of computing
technology in the classroom
 More opportunities are available to “misbehave” in an
academic setting
 The New York Times recently reported that:
“One professor at a law school in Texas became so upset by the
level of student distraction in 2001 that he took a ladder to
school, climbed up to reach the wireless transmitter in his
classroom – and disconnected it. The students protested. The
administration told him to plug it back in. But the point was
made …”
Contact Information
 Carl Whitman
– [email protected]
– 202-885-2279
Questions ?