The Duke University to the biggest feature of the network 802.11n

Duke nuke looks at the competition with an attractive new network

Networking giant Cisco, in the news recently for corporate raids, has announced a more positive tone when they broke the news today that at Duke University on board their efforts 802.11n. Duke pledged to install a network of routers, 2500, the largest network 802.11n by a single organization to date.

The slow pace of ratification of the 802.11n standard caused many to avoid technology, although wireless companies like Cisco have been marketing as the wave of the future. IEEE, after much discussion and work, finally pushed through the latest draft of the rule, 3.02, last month. Version 4.0 of the project will be put to a vote in March. The final draft will not be ratified until November of this year, increasing red flags for fear that some compatibility problems with the networking equipment based on the final draft with the team based on previous projects.

Despite these concerns, Duke decided to be the poster child for 802.11n, and announced plans to cover the 6 million square feet of Durham, NC campus 802.11n routers. Duke used Cisco Aironet 1250 Series access points. The deployment should allow students and staff to receive wireless dormitories and classrooms.

Duke’s chief information officer, Tracy Futhey, said 802.11n help improve the quality of life for the campus population of 45000 Duke students, faculty and staff. She said that will service faster and more reliable. In addition, he said that the position of cements Duke as a leader in technology.

Duke Futhey seen as a perfect field of technology. She said, “on our campus wireless is absolutely critical to our 24-by-7 population. Universities are an ideal testing ground for new technology, particularly the uses and wireless devices, because students are spending their entire day on the campus of a cellphone. they live, learn, work and play at school. Duke, who actually have an opportunity to apply innovative wireless technology that can meet the demands of a diverse base of mobile users and enrich their academic and social experience as a result. “

Initially, the trial showed pumped data rates up to 130 Mbps per customer for users with receivers 802.11n. For users with receivers 802.11g, 802.11n nodes also increased speed, but less significant. The speed of 802.11g clients was approximately twofold greater in the initial testing.

Duke plans on the use of new, speedier network video to pump education to students, including high definition TV (HDTV) via Wi-Fi. Campus officials state that students have access to digital recordings of all classes and all course materials at any time. Some teachers are already planning to use the network to enable improved tie increasingly real-world current events in their conferences.

Ben Gibson Cisco was ecstatic about the association, which says “802.11n is clearly ready for the big moment, and Cisco continues to provide a reliable solution 802.11n to meet the mobility needs. Duke is one of the first organizations to realize the benefits of an 802.11n wireless network from Cisco and allowing them to do: transform the way we learn, play and live. “

The breaking news Duke 802.11n provides no doubt with a little more traction, as it has won its first major ally outside the enterprise networking.