Author
Kati Clark
Founded in 1794, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is older than its state. Despite the academic institution’s rich historical roots, the university is connected for the modern age. UT has indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi access points, operates three data centers, and maintains 220 miles of singlemode fiber optic cable and hundreds of security cameras across its 580 acres.
With such a complex infrastructure, UT constantly looks for ways to update its networking power to provide staff and students the fastest and most secure wireless experience possible. As a part of a $1.2 billion renovation and expansion project in pursuit of that goal, UT turned to CommScope to deploy more outdoor wireless access points and security cameras throughout its campus.
CLICK TO TWEET: Powering Campus Connectivity at the University of Tennessee
Deploying an outdoor wireless network with secure, seamless performance across a large university campus presents a unique set of challenges:
- Gaining access to the necessary electrical power for an effective network can be difficult and expensive.
- Safety is an issue when this much power is in play.
- A jumble of cables and visible “big boxes” for wireless access would mar visual aesthetics, particularly at a campus as beautiful as UT.
The university’s IT department chose to test out the CommScope Powered Fiber Cable System before committing to a full partnership that would keep the university’s staff and students constantly connected. The Powered Fiber Cable System consists of hybrid copper/fiber cable and power over Ethernet (PoE) extenders. The CommScope system also comes with cable/ fiber management, power transmission management, safety and overload protection and a universal power supply. The entire system is built to withstand the elements of an outdoor setting.
“After the trial, we felt comfortable in using the CommScope cabling solution to upgrade our outdoor network for the needs of our students today and in the future,” said Ben Rayfield, IT Technical Specialist IV at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
For more information about why, view the Interactive Presentation and download the Case Study Document.
