UK Council Sees Productivity Turnaround after Nebula Delivers Bigger Coverage, Better Management

Zyxel_May

Mid Sussex District Council

“Zyxel’s networking solution has made life easier for our staff. The site’s network coverage, efficiency, log-in speeds, and security have greatly improved. Coverage is much better throughout the site.“

Dan Holden
Infrastructure Engineer
Mid Sussex District Council

Summary

Mid Sussex District Council was relying on a wireless controller that was running 20 APs and connected to a standard broadband line but not the office network. Wireless clients needed to use a VPN to access office network resources like printers and storage. This approach isolated the network for security purposes but added substantial overhead and reduced the quality and speed of corporate network connections. The upgrade also needed to expand coverage at the council building, which was at only 50%, and improve the user experience, including interminable log in times. “The goal was to get a good value for money solution,” Council Infrastructure Engineer Dan Holden says. “After evaluating the vendors, all four team members agreed that Zyxel was the best choice.” Zyxel’s Nebula cloud management solution along with 55 WiFi 6 APs and multi-gigabit smart-managed switches were deployed. “The solutions were really easy to use and allowed us to set up networks for public and private guests with just a few clicks,” Dan says. Putting the office and wireless networks on the same infrastructure, he adds, has greatly improved speed and quality without sacrificing security. And, critically, the staff are happier and more productive, able to log in quickly and take Teams calls anywhere without fear of dropouts.

Challenges

• Inconsistent wireless coverage across the site and lengthy log-in times 
• The existing controller and WiFi network is a separate entity to the office networks and just provides internet access that the VPN was required for wireless clients to access the office network 
• Deploy a high-performance solution that is easy to use and delivers value for money

Benefits

• Seamless, site-wide wireless allows more efficient public service and smooth conference calls without worrying about dropouts 
• Easier network management enables fast network deployment and configuration 
• Office and wireless networks on the same infrastructure improves speed and quality without sacrificing security

Products used

NWA210AX AX3000 WiFi 6 AP (Dual 4x4 + 2x2)
WAX650S AX3600 WiFi 6 AP with Smart Antenna (Dual 4x4 + 4x4 MIMO)
XS1930 Series 10/12-port Multi-Gigabit Smart Managed Switch | Zyxel

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