Providing Lightning Fast Access To Educational Content Using MediaFast Caching
"We explained the problem to Peplink. And they promptly got back to us with a caching router- the MediaFast overcomes all our network congestion problems! The speed difference in content retrieval is extremely impressive.” - Alberto Pamos. President, Colégio Next.
Apple Distinguished School: Colégio Next
7th Grade Student Enrico: Books are boring. But the iPad makes learning fun!
Located in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Colégio Next is an Elementary, Middle and High School attended by 600 students from ages of 2 to 17. Colégio Next deploys over 500 iPads to its students as a learning tool. Recognized as one of the best schools in Brazil and above all, it’s also recognized by Apple as an Apple Distinguished School. To earn this accolade, the school would have to be outstanding in providing innovation, leadership and education excellence.
600 Students, Congested Network
"Imagine over 500 iPads trying to download media content all at the same time over suburban links. This can create a deadlocks on any network, making download times unbearable.” - Alberto Pamos. President, Colégio Next.
Situated in the suburbs, high quality Internet connections did not fit the school’s budget. 500 iPads simultaneously downloading media-rich content results in a congested network. Teachers became discouraged and frustrated and the students were not receiving the intended learning experience.
Content Caching Is The Answer
To overcome this challenge, Pamos deployed the Peplink MediaFast series router. The setup allows for load balancing between affordable Internet connections from multiple service providers. The MediaFast also caches frequently accessed educational content such as iOS apps, iTunes U, iBooks and Apple TV media.
One Access Point Per 50 Users
Each class has over 50 students and they had problems simply staying connected to the Wi-Fi network. After putting in a high performance AP One 300M, they are able to stay connected and concurrently download large files with no interference, thanks to the AP’s 5GHz Wi-Fi frequency. Built on the Balance series, MediaFast includes all advanced features such as load balancing and per user group bandwidth control. Colégio Next makes great use of these to give teachers first priority access to the bandwidth, then the students and then outdoor areas and guest access.
Peplink’s solution for Colégio Next.
Becoming A National Reference
With all issues resolved, the teachers and students are discovering the full potential of their iPads. Whether they are taking notes, accessing course materials from the intranet, wirelessly mirroring their presentations or simply doing online research, they are assured they can do so with speed, simultaneously. Because of the successful implementation, Colégio Next has become a national reference. Other schools are constantly requesting to tour the facilities to learn about their unique network infrastructure and how the iPad is benefiting the learning experience.
Colégio Next IT Director, Alberto Pamos: We needed a network infrastructure that could fully support our teachers and students, and one that can allow them to make full use of their iPads.
This free iBook is an enhanced version of what Colégio Next presented to Apple for consideration as a Distinguished School. We are proud to have played a role in their recognition.