Acquired in May by Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT), the intelligent Wi-Fi networking specialist Meru Networks last month showcased its Meru Education-Grade (MEG) wireless platform at the Campus Technology 2015 conference in Boston's Hynes Convention Center (July 27 - 30).
Central to the MEG platform is Meru's AP122, a 802.11ac Wi-Fi access point that the company bills as especially positioned "to help campuses avoid interrupted learning -- halted due to inadequate wireless connectivity -- [while] providing ubiquitous learning environments, by meeting and exceeding Wi-Fi expectations throughout the campus, and especially [in] residence halls."
At the conference, Meru announced that has deployed its AP 122 wall plate recently on the following campuses: Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana; Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pennsylvania; Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and Texas A&M University-Commerce in Commerce, Texas.
"According to the NMC Horizon Report 2014 Higher Education Edition, the average 18 - 34 year-old college student owns seven tech devices, and will bring any combination of these devices onto their university campus each day," asserts Rich Nedwich, senior director of Education Business at Meru Networks. "The significant number of devices coming onto the network can cause strain. It is up to the small IT teams who support major universities to ensure their networks are capable of handing the influx of connected devices. These unsung IT heroes of education are charged with uninterrupted 24x7 Wi-Fi access that has become expected in 21st century learning environments."
Designed to provide maximum coverage and capacity in multi-tenant environments, Meru notes that the AP 122 wall plate access point's inconspicuous wall-mounted design eases in-room cabling and placement and maximizes deployment flexibility.
"By enabling 802.11ac gigabit-data rates for wireless networking, the AP122 is perfectly suited for in-room deployment needs of the higher-education residence-hall market," concludes Meru's Nedwich.
Learn more about the Campus Technology 2015 conference.