Newcastle Grammar School Turns to Xirrus for a Wireless Network as Fast and Reliable as the Wired Network

Xirrus Wireless Arrays Found to Be the Only Solution Capable of Supporting Hundreds of Simultaneous Video Connections in Densely Populated Classrooms


SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwire - Nov 28, 2012) - Xirrus®, the leader in high-performance wireless networks, today announced the deployment across one of Australia's leading co-educational schools, Newcastle Grammar, located in the state of New South Wales. Leading the use of technology in earning for many years, this historical school is consistently ranked in the Top 100 schools in Australia, producing students who excel in their respective fields. The newly deployed Xirrus Wireless Network provides impeccable coverage for 900+ students and faculty, allowing for inventive methods of education to continue their longstanding tradition of excellence.

"We've been using an IT infrastructure for about eighteen years; we have a fiber optic network which was put in seven years ago, and we're on the leading edge in educational technology," Phil Hale, IT Manager of Newcastle Grammar, explained.

"We use the wireless network heavily in our science department. The microscopes plug directly into the laptops, allowing digital video to be run wirelessly for demonstrations in front of the class. We also use the wireless to provide video, PowerPoint presentations, lesson plans, etc., all across the multi-acre campus. The performance of the wireless network allows our students to stream video simultaneously. Some files are as high as 8MB, which our old network could not manage. As you can tell, we like to use a lot of very rich multi-media content in the classroom and the Xirrus solution makes that possible."

Newcastle Grammar previously had only a wired system in place, but wanted to continue their leadership in technology and install a wireless network. The network needed to accommodate a large amount of throughput content such as 150 sessions of 8Mbps each. Many providers could not offer a practical solution due to the layout of the school and the dense population of wireless devices.

"Advances in the use of tablets and other devices to support core learning objectives have accelerated in the past 12-18 months," said Sean Larner, Vice President, International, Xirrus, Inc. "Newcastle Grammar is clearly a thought leader in promoting technology in the classroom and in preparing future generations of the workforce to contribute enormously to their chosen professions and career choices. We are honoured that Xirrus was selected to be a core enabler for this best in class application of technology in education."

"Wireless integration for us was a big step," Hale went on to say. "When it came to a wireless network, particularly with the high densities that we are using, it became critical for us to get the right wireless solution, which is why we started looking at the Xirrus Arrays. We're building our next generation environment across the school, and we've settled on a solution that works really well for us."

About Xirrus, Inc.
Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus' Array-based solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances with wired-like reliability and superior security. The Xirrus wireless solutions provide a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage to the education, healthcare, government and enterprise industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical applications. Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA, Xirrus is a privately held company that designs and manufactures its products and solutions in the USA. For more information please visit: www.xirrus.com and follow us on Twitter: @Xirrus.

Xirrus and XR-Series are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xirrus. Other trade names used in this document are or may be the property of their respective owners.