A robust, secure, and scalable wireless network is essential to support modern teaching and learning. All our designs are carried out by our accredited and highly-experienced network engineers using the latest tools such as Ekahau AI Pro. This ensures your school gains a reliable and secure network that meets your exact needs with the scalability to support future technology and device adoption. Our network designs deliver consistent wireless connectivity for students and staff from anywhere on campus. Our proven design expertise ensures that your network will be more efficient, collaborative and secure with high availability, predictable performance, strong security, and ease of management for school IT teams.
In addition to schools, we also provide long-term strategies for multi-academy trusts transitioning to a single, unified IT network solution across all their schools. Our approach to this centralised design enhances the operational efficiency and educational outcomes of MATs, whilst also preparing for continued growth.
Before we can improve your schools’ network, we use the latest heat-mapping, audit and WiFi survey tools to confirm your current network infrastructure. This includes a layout of your existing network and any potential WiFi coverage challenges. The number of devices needed to connect to the network (including BYOD, 1:1 devices and IOT equipment and the bandwidth required by your school.
School Wi-Fi must be designed for device density, not just coverage. Classrooms often contain 30 students, each with at least one device, alongside staff devices and IoT equipment . The network should be engineered assuming all devices are connected simultaneously and actively using bandwidth. Access point placement should prioritise classrooms and learning spaces and each classroom should typically have a dedicated AP to ensure a consistent signal strength and minimise contention. High-density areas such as libraries, sports halls and staff rooms should be treated as separate design zones with increased AP capacity.
We recommend your network should use modern WiFi standards (WiFi 6 or WiFi 7 preferably) to improve efficiency, device handling, and battery performance. Dual-band operation is essential, with a strong emphasis on 6 GHz to reduce interference and improve throughput. Channel planning should minimise co-channel interference through careful channel reuse and transmit power tuning. Automated radio resource management can assist but should be monitored and adjusted based on real-world performance.
A high-performing wireless network depends on a strong wired foundation. All APs should be connected via Gigabit Ethernet at a minimum, with multi-gigabit uplinks considered for high-density areas. Switching infrastructure should support Power over Ethernet (PoE+) and provide sufficient backplane capacity. Internet bandwidth should be sized based on peak usage, with headroom for assessments, video streaming, cloud applications, and future growth.
Security must balance protection with usability. The network should use WPA3 or WPA2-Enterprise with centralised authentication for staff and students. Network segmentation should separate student, staff, guest, and IoT traffic using VLANs and firewall rules. Content filtering, intrusion detection, and monitoring should be implemented to meet safeguarding and compliance requirements.
Centralised cloud or controller-based management should be used for visibility, troubleshooting, and reporting. Key metrics such as client count, airtime utilisation, and roaming performance should be continuously monitored. The design should allow for easy expansion, supporting additional devices, new buildings, and emerging technologies without requiring a full redesign.
We will develop a clear, low-risk deployment strategy to ensure a smooth implementation with minimal disruption to your school. This includes the creation of a phased implementation timeline where we work with your team and coordinate with vendors. The process includes define testing, rollback and validation procedures user training and documentation updates.
A Redway Networks ‘ designed network will provide improved performance and reliability so you can benefit from faster, more stable connectivity across all your devices and locations. Your network will provide improved performance and reliability so you can benefit from faster, more stable connectivity with the scalability to support growth and an increase in users, school devices and bandwidth demands over time.
Wi-Fi design is not a one-time task. Regular reviews, site surveys, and performance assessments should be conducted to ensure the network continues to meet educational demands and delivers a consistent user experience. We provide three levels of support to ensure you gain optimum performance from your wireless network.