Essa Academy Deploys over 2,000 Apple Devices on the Meru Education-Grade (MEG) Wireless Platform to Deliver Uninterrupted Learning

With no fixed telephones the Wi-Fi network will also carry all of academy’s VoIP traffic

Bracknell, UK – January 31, 2013 – Meru Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:MERU), a leader in virtualised wireless LAN solutions, today announced that Essa Academy – one of the brightest success stories from the academy school system established 13 years ago in the UK – has deployed a Meru Wi-Fi network based on the Meru Education-Grade (MEG™) wireless platform to connect more than 2,000 Apple devices issued to teachers and students.  

With its motto ‘All Will Succeed’, reflected in its innovative use of technology to inspire creative personalised teaching and learning, Essa Academy has become the first school in the UK to issue every student and every teacher with an Apple device, including iPads, iPods and MacBook Airs all running over a Meru wireless network.

Echoing the consumerisation of IT trend in the workplace, the academy has adopted a 1-1 mobile device programme across the school, enabling students to use mobile devices for both school and homework.  One of the key requirements for the implementation was a reliable, secure, high performance wireless network that covered the entire academy – including both internal and external areas – enabling fast, seamless Wi-Fi access anytime, anywhere for the thousands of devices simultaneously.

“With over 2,000 Apple devices running over a Meru wireless network, we are enabling creative teaching at Essa Academy that uses learner-led techniques for uninterrupted learning.  We are also supporting one of the largest deployments of Apple mobile devices in any sector, let alone in education,” according to Mark Howell, area director, UK & Ireland for Meru Networks. “Supporting over 2,000 devices in a very small area is an extremely difficult thing to achieve both practically and technically.  However, with Meru’s virtualised wireless architecture, the Wi-Fi and the delivery of classroom content to all of these devices is completely seamless and hassle free.”

Abdul Chohan, Director at Essa Academy, adds: “The academy’s goal is to ensure every pupil has access to 21^st century learning resources and to move away from buying printed text books.  Imagine being in an environment where a student can use a ‘textbook’ that’s completely personalised for them, flick digital pages over, watch video, look at content, listen to audio, interact with it and then capture their own learning – this is what we are hoping to achieve.  Our vision means that technology will become embedded as the foundation upon which all teaching and learning takes place.”

Additionally, as there are no fixed telephones, the academy is running all their voice connectivity over the Meru wireless network. All voice runs over the wireless network to the Apple devices.

Through its ambitious plans of using technology, Essa Academy has not only pioneered the concept of 21^st century learning and teaching, but has also reduced its £80,000 photocopying bill down to just £15,000 a year.

The Meru wireless network, deployed and managed by partner Northgate Managed Services, includes AP320i access points and a MC4100 wireless controller.

Meru Networks will be at education show, BETT 2013 (30 Jan – 2 Feb 2013), on stand F325 and has a virtualised wireless demonstration facility at North Gallery Suite 16.  The facility will be open on Thursday 31 January and Friday 1February, with demonstrations running every full hour starting from 10:00am through 16.00pm.

Meru Networks: http://www.merunetworks.com

Meru Networks and Essa Academy video case study: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LncJ_UfwO2w

Meru in Education: http://www.merunetworks.com/industries/education.html