Londonderry School District

Cutting the Cord

Mad River Enterprise Transforms Londonderry School District with Seamless Wireless while Saving Money

In 2016, Londonderry School District faced a critical decision regarding its aging network infrastructure. The district, comprised of 6 schools and a district office, physical network infrastructure was aging. There was a need to increase capability and connectivity across the district to meet the ever increasing needs and demands of student and staff.

Mad River Enterprises proposed a wireless networking solution that saved the district over 30% of the projected cost, while reducing operational costs of service, support and power consumption. This cost-effective solution laid the foundation for a fast, reliable network that meets the district’s growing demands for years to come.

Assessing the District – Site Surveys save money

The mission was to upgrade Londonderry School District’s network infrastructure using the latest WiFi offering, which was WiFi 5 at the time. Going with wireless at that time was a bold move. Using best-in-class Wi-Fi survey tools, Mad River Enterprises conducted a ‘passive survey’ measuring the existing wireless infrastructure. thorough assessment of the district’s infrastructure. The team recognized coverage holes in the existing network and conducted an “Active Survey” to design a more robust network, particularly in underserved areas.

The result was a comprehensive design and comparative analysis feature, function and costs between new ethernet or expanded, reliable wireless infrastructure. This analysis suggested a 30% savings in capital expense alone. This did not account for savings in service, support or power as compared to an expanded wire infrastructure.

Replace Costly Cabling with an Efficient, Wireless Solution

Mad River Enterprises aimed to create a scalable, high-speed wireless network across the district’s six schools and district office, ensuring it could handle both current demands and future growth.

The initial deployment featured Ruckus R710 access points for a portion of the district, moving other assets around the district to better service and create more reliable coverage throughout the district with centralized management using Ruckus Zone Director controllers. The results were immediately recognized with improved wireless connectivity district wide was applauded by students and staff alike.

Multi-year strategy – Mad River’s commitment to customer success

With a successful first phase of the project complete, Mad River Enterprises and Londonderry worked together to created a multi-year plan to address the rest of the district’s wireless and wired infrastructure, surveying network closets and switches, and identifying critical areas for upgrades.

Mad River Enterprises implemented a comprehensive network upgrade, beginning with the deployment of Ruckus Wireless R710 access points and a thorough plan to upgrade the district’s wired infrastructure. This included assessing fiber runs between IDFs (Intermediate Distribution Frames), and identifying switches that were nearing end-of-life.

Mad River Enterprises helped the district transition to Ruckus Networks ICX switching, creating a homogeneous, manageable network monitored from a single pane of glass using Ruckus SmartZone. The solution not only optimized wireless coverage but also ensured the wired infrastructure was future-proof.

Cost-Saving Wireless Upgrade & Ongoing Support

The district continues to improve their wireless infrastructure with consistent monitoring and survey of the radio frequency environment provided by Mad River. Mad River Enterprises’ multi-year, phased approached, saved tax payers money while supporting staff and students with an enhanced wired and wireless infrastructure. Today this Ruckus infrastructure services over 4k wireless and 2k wired devices daily, supporting students, staff, and guests. Londonderry continues to take advantage of Ruckus R850 access points and ICX7600 series switches. The Ruckus SmartZone solution gave the district seamless management and control over the network allowing for seamless upgrades with no downtime to the network. The improved infrastructure also resulted in reduced power consumption and lower maintenance costs.

Today, Mad River Enterprises continues to help manage and support the Londonderry School District’s network infrastructure. As New Hampshire’s second-largest school district, with Mad River Enterprises’ ongoing support, the network remains fast, reliable, and trusted by students and staff alike.