Century-old Russian University Smartens Up Its Network

TARA

Kuban State Technological University

“We chose Zyxel Networks because its equipment met all our requirements and its employees could provide helpful support in real time as we needed it. For example, for the one problem we had – that the VPN300 firewall didn’t respond after being turned on – we messaged Zyxel’s tech support and they responded right away with new firmware and instructions. We followed them and everything worked fine.”

Alexander Nesterov
System Administrator
Kuban State Technological University

Summary
Kuban State Technological University’s wireless internet services were lagging for a modern school and needed a network refresh. Alexander Nesterov, System Administrator at KSTU led the the implementation of the project and stated the project’s criteria: “First was the high reliability of the equipment, then the centralized management of the entire network, authorization of users by SMS, calls, and vouchers, and compatibility with equipment that was already out of production. In addition, Russian-language technical support was critical. ”Zyxel’s equipment met all these requirement and this, along with its timely responsive support, earned it the tender over nine other international bidders. One especially important factor, Nesterov explains, was the flexible installation allowed by Zyxel’s equipment. “Access points were originally installed high on walls and ceilings, requiring a tall ladder or scaffolding. Zyxel’s APs can be attached to airlocks, so all we needed to do was stick them there, configure the system, and upgrade the firmware.” The equipment’s smart configuration and maintenance were other winning factors, he said. “Before first configuring the APs, I have problems when setting up an AP. A gateway didn’t detect an AP, so the configuration failed on some APs.” Using Zyxel One Network (ZON) Utility and GS2210 series switches, correcting the configuration was no problem. “Since the installation,” he adds, “the equipment has met all our requirements and worked smoothly without intervention.”

Challenges

• Extend existing network from teachers and students to all campus and all visitors 
• Access points installed high on walls and ceilings, making it hard to install or maintain 
• Ensure product availability and compatibility with existing controllers and APs as well as Russian-language technical support

Benefits

• Guest WiFi network delivers seamless roaming, covering all university buildings 
• APs allow flexible installation without affecting performance 
• Installation provided clear configuration interface, printing vouchers on mobile thermal printers, billing, authorization portal, and easy configuration 
• Easy and smart configuration of devices, with responsive technical support

Product used
VPN300 VPN Firewall
GS2210 Series L2 Managed Switch
GS1920/GS1930 Series Smart Managed Switch
GS1200 Series Web Managed Switch
WAC6103D-I 802.11ac Access Point
NWA5123-AC HD 802.11ac Access
NWA5121-NI 802.11n Access Point
NXC5200 WLAN Controller

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