The WLAN deployment was driven by the need to give large numbers of students simultaneous, uninterrupted Internet access via the school's laptop computers, which are moved around as needed on mobile carts. It also supports a recent district initiative allowing students to bring their own laptops to school for educational use, and the district's implementation of the Moodle open-source course- management system, which helps teachers create interactive online instructional programs and distribute assignments.

Kevin Whitney, district technology coordinator for Cresskill Public Schools, said the Meru WLAN, which involves hallway-mounted wireless access points managed by a central controller, replaces an earlier scheme that required plugging wireless hardware directly into the school's computers.

"When a cart with 25 laptops rolls into the classroom, everyone expects to log on immediately and begin doing research for their projects," Whitney said. "With our old system, half the class often wasn't able to authenticate and get access, and even then there were lots of timeouts. I kept coming across references in the trade press to Meru's ability to handle high density very well, and it's true. Now everyone can connect at once, no matter what kind of laptop they're using, and our wireless network is incredibly reliable."

Meru's single-channel approach to WLAN architecture has also made it easy for Whitney and his team to set up and manage the wireless network. "Other vendors' products require a formal and extensive site survey to avoid co- channel interference," Whitney said. "But with a single channel there are no interference issues to contend with, so there's no channel planning. If we find any 'dead' spaces [areas without wireless coverage], we just plug in another access point - it's that simple."

Meru products being used in the Cresskill deployment are the AP201 single-radio IEEE 802.11a/b/g access point and the fixed-configuration MC3000 series controller. Meru's award-winning Air Traffic Control technology provides the WLAN with centralized intelligent RF management, advanced quality of service and security.

Meru's single-channel approach to wireless minimizes interference by automatically selecting one channel for use enterprise-wide and layering additional channels where more capacity is required. With all access points occupying the same channel in a single "virtual cell," the network can select the AP that will provide a given client with the highest data rate; reliability of wireless connections is maximized independent of client type, and the elimination of "handoffs" when mobile users move between APs reduces lost connections. In contrast, most WLANs use a "micro cell" approach, which assigns different channels to adjacent AP cells, requiring precise channel planning and access point power adjustments, and limiting future network expansion.

Cresskill, N.J., is located in the northern valley area of Bergen County. The Cresskill Board of Education operates three schools: Edward H. Bryan School and Merritt Memorial School for grades kindergarten through six, and Cresskill Junior/Senior High School for grades seven through twelve. A Newsweek Magazine ranking placed Cresskill Junior and Senior High School in the top one per cent of high schools nationally.

Keywords: wireless Internet access, co channel interference, district technology coordinator, course management system, wireless access points, cresskill public schools, interference issues, matter what kind, meru networks, uninterrupted internet, dead spaces, mobile carts, high density