There’s no Ethernet port on tablets. It sounds like a simple, annoying fact, but for Mark Rodrigue, Senior Network Engineer at Room & Board, that simple fact was the spark that changed everything. His team of three manage IT for about 1100 employees across 34 branch locations, split between retail environments, delivery centers, and warehouses. They used to rely on cables for everything because they didn’t trust wireless to be consistent.
But showrooms change often, furniture moves, and displays frequently shift. Chasing those layout changes with a tablet—the primary selling tool for Room & Board design associates—is a massive chore; and since you can’t plug a cable into a tablet, it’s a non-starter.
Mark joined the Heavy Wireless podcast with Keith Parsons and Cisco’s Dan Davis to discuss how they are now using wireless as the primary way to connect. They’re keeping performance high with a lean team—and you can steal from their playbook to enhance your own.
“We don’t really have time and resources to spend managing management tools,” Mark said. That’s the rule. If your tools require a full-time babysitter, you’ve already lost.
By using cloud-based management, the team stopped worrying about the daily care and feeding of the network. They wanted a system that did the heavy lifting. As Mark put it, “The wireless fabric at the location is tracking, monitoring, and validating itself.”
They use the platform’s AgenticOps capabilities to set the guardrails, then step back. Whether it’s letting AI-Enhanced Radio Resource Management (AI-RRM) balance channel distribution or using the Cisco AI Assistant to interpret complex logs, the network stays in its own lane. It’s not about ignoring the gear, it’s about trusting the tech to handle the noise so you can focus on work that actually moves the business forward.
Wireless engineers know the drill. A user complains about slow Wi-Fi. Suddenly, it’s your fault and you spend days chasing ghosts in the logs. Mark calls it getting to “mean time to innocence.” How do you prove the network isn’t the problem? You need proof—now. The team at Room & Board uses the Meraki dashboard to grab proactive packet captures the second a device trips up, providing a perfect snapshot of the failure.
“One of the things that we’ve gotten additional benefit from the platform is the proactive packet capture piece,” Mark explained. “So when there is a failure, the environment has a snapshot at that point in time.”
They don’t guess. They show the data. “It’s not me, it’s you,” is a lot easier to say when you have a packet trace to back it up. It saves days of back-and-forth. It stops the blame game before it starts. By pulling packets from both the air and the wired side of the access point, they get the full story instantly, providing similar level of insight as the network protocol analyzer Wireshark directly within the dashboard.
This shift toward data-driven validation also changed how they handle deployment. Mark’s team no longer performs manual post-deployment site surveys at every location. Instead, they rely on the cloud-managed dashboard to confirm the network is performing as expected. By monitoring roaming times, handoffs, and response times, they can identify sticky or troublesome clients in real time. The roaming analysis in the dashboard has become a core strength, allowing their lean team to validate the network’s health without ever stepping foot on the floor.
“Cisco Cloud Control has allowed us to focus less on navigating management platforms and more on the infrastructure we support. A single platform makes us more efficient, gives us a centralized view of our entire environment, and helps us quickly identify areas that need attention.”
— Mark Rodrigue, Senior Engineer, Room & Board
Tuning channels in a crowded store is a nightmare. Before, the team spent hours tweaking settings for dense spots like Chelsea or San Francisco. Now? The Meraki dashboard handles it. The Room & Board team started using AI-RRM about six months ago. It balances power and channel distribution without a human in the loop. Mark noted, “We’ve been able to free up some capacity on the access points. We’ve also seen a much better balancing in power and channel distribution by letting the platform start to make those decisions on its own.”
It takes a few weeks for the network to fall into a rhythm. Once it settles, its rock solid. They even let the platform learn their busy hours automatically. Now there’s no sudden, disruptive changes while customers are shopping for furniture. It just works.
At the heart of this transformation is Cisco Cloud Control, a unified platform that brings network management into one intuitive, cloud-based dashboard. By centralizing management, the team moved away from the fragmented, manual tasks that used to consume their day. As Mark noted, “Cisco Cloud Control has allowed us to focus less on navigating management platforms and more on the infrastructure we support. A single platform makes us more efficient, gives us a centralized view of our entire environment, and helps us quickly identify areas that need attention.”
Sometimes, AI can’t fix a wall of mattresses. In the warehouses, high-density storage was jamming the signal—a literal wall the team had to solve for. Instead of just increasing the power, they swapped to directional access points, aimed at a 50-degree angle, shooting right down the aisles. Proof that the best fix isn’t always more tech. Sometimes it’s just pointing the antenna the right way.
You don’t need a massive team to run a massive network. You just need to stop letting manual processes keep you so busy that you don’t have time for the bigger-picture stuff. Trust the platform to handle the day-to-day noise so you can focus on what matters for your business.
Mark’s team isn’t just “doing wireless.” They’re building a foundation that the rest of the company trusts. That’s the goal, right? When the business stops thinking about the network, you’ve done your job.
Want the full breakdown? Check out the latest episode of Heavy Wireless to hear the whole conversation.
By Ken Carnesi, CEO & Co-Founder, DNSFilter
I’ve been going to Black Hat for years, and I can tell you plainly: This year was different.
Shadow AI and AI governance are top of mind now, an evolution from what we were hearing at RSA earlier this year. In an AI era, taking a DNS First approach to cybersecurity isn’t optional, and we’re built to solve exactly that problem.
We have a team focused entirely on DNS First security, backed by real solutions, and the momentum around DNSFilter this year was obvious: We were flooded with meeting requests and demand for a sneak peek at our new platform.
The biggest news of the week was ours: LUMINATE by DNSFilter™, upcoming platform launch that will include controls for Shadow AI and AI Governance. It drove more interest than anything else on the floor, and it’s not close.
Security leaders already know their employees are using AI tools nobody sanctioned. What they don’t have is visibility: Which ones, what data is leaving through them, or when a new one shows up unannounced. LUMINATE by DNSFilter is our answer to that, and the AI Governance conversations we had this week were some of the longest and most detailed of the show.
We’ll have a full GA offer ready in just a few weeks. Thank you to every Beta tester who’s given us the feedback that got us here.
Walk any expo floor this year and you’ll hear the same handful of words from booth after booth: Agentic AI. Autonomous response. Identity security. Those problems are real. The trouble is almost every vendor on the floor is pitching a version of the same story, and buyers have gotten very good at tuning that out.
We competed differently with something real to show, and a point of view most of the floor doesn’t share. A DNS First approach to security is the only control point that sees everything, from managed laptops to AI agents making requests on a user’s behalf. That point of view, backed by real solutions, is what made people stop at our booth instead of walking past it.
We hosted an enterprise dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak and an MSP and channel partner dinner at the Bellagio this week. Time off the show floor like that matters because it’s where we get to hear what’s actually on your mind, not just pitch across a booth.
On the floor itself, our team ran thousands of demos under the banner “Protect Every Click.” Want the full, unfiltered, booth-level version of the week? Our Sr. Director of Product & Content Marketing, Serena Raymond, wrote it up here.
Room after room, customers, prospects, and partners described the same pain points: Remote and hybrid users nobody can see, AI tools nobody approved, and point solutions that don’t share signals with each other. Then, unprompted, they told us they see DNSFilter as uniquely positioned to solve it. We’re not making that claim ourselves. The rooms made it for us, all week.
To everyone who stopped by, asked hard questions, raced our slot cars, or sat down with us for a meal this week: Thank you. So many of you already consider us one of your leading partners, and weeks like this are exactly why.
We have some big announcements still coming. This was just the preview. Stay tuned.
Want to understand why DNSFilter is a market leader, and why a DNS First approach to cybersecurity is the right call in an AI era? We’re happy to show you. Schedule a personalized demo today.
– Ken
Your child’s classroom now runs through your home router. Homework, grades, occasional live classes, teacher updates, and assigned resources all depend on a stable internet connection.
Before the first school day, check that WiFi reaches the study space, your plan can support the household’s online activity, basic protections are in place, and you have a backup for outages. A few checks now can prevent dropped calls, stalled uploads, and last-minute searches for another connection.
The best WiFi setup for students at home needs four things:
Most homes were never set up with school in mind. The router sits wherever the installer left it, and nobody has tested the signal in the bedroom. The rest of this guide covers each one.
Save big on award-winning WiFi with Back to School deals!
List what your child needs to reach online, then check if your home can handle it. Most K-12 students use a small set of tools, each asking something different of your home network.
| Resource type | Common examples | What it needs from your network |
|---|---|---|
| School platforms | Assignment portals, grades, teacher updates | A stable connection and current browser |
| Live online classes | Video calls, tutoring, group projects | Consistent upload speed and low latency |
| Homework resources | Articles, educational videos, digital textbooks | Enough bandwidth for pages and videos to load without delays |
| School devices | Chromebook, laptop, or tablet | Strong WiFi in the study space |
| Communication | School email and messaging apps | Reliable access throughout the day |
Check that each device connects, charges, and opens the required school portals. Bookmark key pages and install updates before classes begin.
A single student doing schoolwork needs less speed than most parents expect. Pressure comes from everyone else in the house using the connection at once.
The FCC defines high-speed internet as 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. Treat that as the floor rather than a target for a busy household.
| Household | Activity at once | Plan guidance |
|---|---|---|
| One student, quiet house | A class, homework, some streaming | Around 100 to 200 Mbps |
| Family of four | A class, a work call, streaming, a console | Roughly 300 to 500 Mbps |
| Several kids at once | Two classes, two screens, gaming | 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps, fiber internet if available |
These ranges are planning guides. Actual results depend on your WiFi equipment, your modem, and what Internet service providers (ISPs) deliver at peak hours.
Bandwidth is the amount of data your connection can carry at one time. Latency is the delay between your device and an online service. Low and steady latency helps conversations during live classes feel natural.
Use the FCC National Broadband Map to compare ISPs at your address. It lists the ISPs that report service, the connection type, and the maximum advertised upload and download speeds available at a location.
A fiber service may suit a household that runs several video calls or uploads large files. Fiber internet often offers stronger upload capacity, but availability depends on your address.
Some plans advertise ‘unlimited’ data but throttle speeds once you exceed a monthly threshold. Confirm whether high-speed data is truly uncapped — or just capped at a level that sounds unlimited until a heavy-use month hits.
Outages do not check the school calendar. A mobile hotspot or phone tethering can keep schoolwork moving during an outage. Test the connection before you need it, check the data allowance, and confirm how much data the plan includes. Many plans include unlimited data, but the speed may drastically reduce once the high-speed data allowance runs out.
Older students hit the same problem for different reasons. Campus and rental WiFi is shared and outside their control, and most ISPs will not run a new line into a dorm. A hotspot gives them a private connection that moves with them at the end of the lease.
Reliable schoolwork needs a strong signal in the exact room where your child studies, not just near the router.
Distance, thick walls, metal, and multiple floors can weaken a signal. Moving a router into an open, central position may help. However, one router may still leave dead zones in a larger home. A “dead zone” refers to the spot or space where the WiFi barely reaches, like the basement and back bedroom.
Mesh WiFi fixes that. A mesh system, like the NETGEAR Orbi series, uses a main unit plus satellites placed around the house, forming one network under a single name. Devices connect to whichever unit is closest. This extends the coverage beyond the room containing your modem, so your child can connect in the study space they use each day.
Our guides on what mesh WiFi is and how to fix WiFi dead zones can help you assess the weak areas in your home.
The most durable online safety sits at the network level, because it protects every device your child uses without installing anything on each one.
Start with a strong WiFi password, automatic router updates, and current software on school devices. Set parental controls that match your child’s age and explain why each rule exists.
For NETGEAR routers and mesh systems, you can also add NETGEAR Armor, a network security system powered by Bitdefender. It helps block malware, ransomware, phishing, and harmful sites at the network level. It also scans for risks such as weak passwords, old firmware, and unsafe device settings.
Be realistic, though. No security product catches everything, and none replaces a conversation about what to do when something online feels wrong.
Once the network is secure, the question shifts from how they connect to how they learn. AI tools are now a standard part of the homework experience — used well, they reinforce understanding; used poorly, they replace it.
AI can help a student understand a topic, but it should not do the thinking or final work for them.
A student might ask AI to explain a math method, define unfamiliar vocabulary, or create practice questions. But they should still check every claim against class materials and reputable sources. If you’re helping a child with homework and you find yourself a bit rusty on a topic, AI tools can quickly get you up to speed so you’re ready with the assist.
Many schools and districts encourage responsible AI use and expect parents to be part of the conversation — check your school’s current policy for what is and is not permitted.
Your role changes as your child does, and the network should change with them. A seven-year-old benefits from tight filtering and a device that stays in the living room. A fifteen-year-old on a research project needs fewer blocks and more trust, plus an understanding of why the rules exist.
Loosen controls deliberately rather than all at once. Review device placement, access rules, and security settings at the start of each school year. Then give your child more control as they show sound judgment.
Getting this right takes an afternoon. Start with the speed test and the signal check in your child’s room, because those two results tell you if anything else needs to change.
A live online class uses around 3 to 5 Mbps on its own. Budget 25 Mbps or more for a student running a video call, loading homework resources, and streaming at the same time — and more if others in the home are online too.
Test the signal in that room and place the router in a central, open position. A mesh system can extend one network into rooms that a single router cannot reach well.
Use network security, current software, and age-appropriate rules. Talk about unsafe links, private information, and source checking so your child understands each boundary.
A mobile hotspot is the simplest option, since it runs on a cellular network and works during a home outage. Phone tethering can also cover short gaps, and public libraries are an option for longer ones.
Yes for understanding a topic, no for producing work they submit as their own. Check your school’s policy first, because rules differ by district and by teacher. Do not use it to produce work a student plans to submit as their own.
You need a suitable service plan, a modem, a router or mesh system, strong coverage in the study area, basic network security, and a tested backup connection.
The Lifeline program still runs and takes up to $9.25 a month off a phone or internet bill. Households qualify through Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Federal Public Housing Assistance, or income at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines. Some ISPs also offer low-cost plans under the National School Lunch Program, including schools covered by the Community Eligibility Provision. Check each provider’s current speed, equipment, contract, and installation terms before applying.
The ECS8830F and ECS8854F are built for enterprise core and aggregation networks that require advanced Layer 3 routing, high availability, and scalable network operations.
The ECS8830F provides 24 × 10G SFP+ ports and 6 × 100G QSFP28 uplinks with up to 1.68 Tbps switching capacity, while the ECS8854F expands scale with 48 × 10G SFP+ ports and 6 × 100G QSFP28 uplinks with up to 2.16 Tbps switching capacity. Both platforms support up to 600 Mpps forwarding performance and wire-speed throughput to support high-performance enterprise network environments.
To support scalable network architectures, the platforms combine advanced Layer 3 routing and network virtualization capabilities, including OSPFv2/v3, BGP/BGP4+, IS-IS, ECMP, VRRP, Policy-Based Routing (PBR), BFD, and VXLAN EVPN. These capabilities enable resilient traffic forwarding, network segmentation, high-availability designs, and scalable multi-site connectivity while supporting interoperability across existing infrastructure investments. The result is simplified network operations, improved resiliency, and the flexibility to scale enterprise networks as business requirements evolve.
For maximum network resiliency and business continuity, the platforms support MC-LAG and VSF, along with 1+1 redundant hot-swappable power supplies and 3+1 redundant hot-swappable fan modules. This architecture eliminates single points of failure, enables seamless failover, and maintains service continuity, reducing service disruption and simplifying maintenance for enterprise network environments.
The series also supports a hybrid operational model. IT teams can use EnGenius Cloud for centralized visibility and monitoring while retaining local access through Web UI, CLI, SNMP, NETCONF, syslog, and related operational tools for configuration, troubleshooting, and day-to-day administration.
Right-Sized 10G Layer 3 Core for SMB and MSP Networks: ECS6824F
The ECS6824F delivers a high-performance 10G Layer 3 fiber core to growing SMBs, branch networks, and MSP-managed environments seeking greater scalability, security, and network control without the complexity of enterprise-class core platforms.
The 1U switch provides 24 × 10G SFP+ ports and 480 Gbps switching capacity, with Static Routing, RIP, and OSPFv2/v3 to help organizations segment departments, applications, surveillance systems, guest networks, and server zones more effectively.
For video-centric and multicast environments, the ECS6824F includes IGMP and MLD support to improve multicast traffic efficiency for IPTV and IP surveillance deployments. It also integrates core-layer security controls, including 802.1X authentication, ACLs, DHCP Snooping, IP Source Guard, ARP protection, Port Security, Storm Control, and DoS protection.
Dual internal power supplies add hardware resiliency, while EnGenius Cloud delivers centralized visibility, monitoring, and management for IT teams and MSPs.
Extending the EnGenius Portfolio from Access to Core
“This launch represents a significant expansion of the EnGenius networking portfolio and marks an important step in extending our cloud-managed platform from access to core,” said Roger Liu, CEO of EnGenius. “As enterprise networks continue to evolve, organizations need switching solutions that deliver greater scalability, resiliency, and operational simplicity. With this new series, we are providing a stronger foundation to support modern enterprise and managed network deployments.”
With the introduction of the new series, EnGenius extends its cloud-managed switching portfolio to address enterprise core, aggregation, and SMB core deployments. Together with EnGenius Cloud, the new switches combine cloud visibility with local control, enabling organizations, system integrators, VARs, and MSPs to deploy and manage networks through a consistent operational experience as their infrastructure grows.
TAIPEI, Taiwan – June 3, 2026 – MediaTek, a global leader in connectivity and semiconductor technologies, today announced a significant enhancement to the home cloud gaming experience. MediaTek’s AI-powered AQM (Active Queue Management) represents the industry’s first comprehensive AI QoS engine for Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). Targeting one of gaming’s most challenging bottlenecks, this transformative service now drives up to 10 times lower network latency for NVIDIA GeForce NOW members worldwide.
As cloud gaming platforms like NVIDIA GeForce NOW grow in popularity, seamless gameplay across networks is crucial for delivering the console-class experiences users expect. Traditional home routers and gateways may struggle to manage traffic spikes and congestion, resulting in lag and reduced responsiveness. MediaTek’s new edge-focused solution, available via firmware upgrade on MediaTek T930-based CPEs, brings instant improvements without costly operator core or RAN upgrades.
MediaTek’s platform combines standards-based Active Queue Management (AQM) with an AI-powered QoS engine to proactively manage congestion and keep queueing delay consistently low. By continuously learning from real-time network conditions, such as radio quality, uplink contention, and household traffic load, AI AQM dynamically tunes congestion avoidance and scheduling policies to deliver ultra-low latency when it matters most.
Importantly, AI AQM is ecosystem-agnostic: it works at the CPE edge and does not require changes to applications, content providers, or cloud platforms. As a result, any application, from cloud gaming and video calls to remote work and everyday browsing, can benefit from a smoother, more responsive experience with reduced latency and jitter, even during peak in-home usage.
Unlike point solutions that depend on application modifications or operator-side upgrades, MediaTek’s approach operates entirely at the CPE edge. Using privacy-preserving flow metadata, it intelligently recognizes latency-sensitive traffic and applies AQM-driven congestion control and uplink-optimized scheduling to minimize delay and jitter — without Deep Packet Inspection (DPI).
To elevate the user experience, MediaTek’s AI-AQM optimizes cloud gaming performance across diverse network conditions and real-world user scenarios. AI-AQM at the network edge helps ensure that NVIDIA GeForce NOW streams remain smooth and responsive, even when the home network is busy. By reducing congestion-induced delay and stabilizing jitter, AI-AQM enables faster input response, more consistent frame delivery, and fewer gameplay disruptions, helping cloud gaming feel more like local play.
“With our AI-powered AQM, MediaTek is not only addressing today’s network demands; we’re also laying a future-proof foundation for next-generation home entertainment,” said HC Hwang, General Manager of Wireless Communication Systems and Partnerships. “By bringing intelligence to congestion control at the CPE edge, our solution empowers NVIDIA GeForce NOW gamers with the responsive, reliable network performance they deserve.”
Stadium teams are expected to do more than provide connectivity. They are under pressure to improve the fan experience, create measurable sponsor value, and drive more revenue across the property.
That is what made our Connected Stadiums webinar so timely.
Now that the session is available on demand, stadium and venue teams can watch the conversation and explore how Smart Wi-Fi can support sponsorship, fan engagement, and on-property sales.
A basic guest Wi-Fi network gives fans access. A connected stadium strategy does much more.
With the right Smart Wi-Fi approach, stadium operators can turn guest connectivity into a source of guest insights, branded engagement, and measurable business value.
That can help teams:
The Connected Stadiums webinar focused on how venue teams can use Smart Wi-Fi to support both the fan experience and revenue goals.
Smart Wi-Fi can create branded digital touchpoints that give sponsorship teams more inventory and better reporting. Instead of relying only on static signage, teams can connect sponsor programs to real fan interactions.
Wi-Fi Analytics can help venue operators understand traffic flows, high-interest areas, and fan movement throughout the property. Those guest insights can support better staffing, stronger activations, and more informed operational decisions.
Automated marketing campaigns can help stadium teams promote concessions, merchandise, loyalty offers, and future events while fans are still engaged and able to act.
Branded Guest Wi-Fi can feel like an extension of the venue and team while creating room for sponsor messaging, event-specific promotions, and more seamless experiences across different event types.
This webinar is especially relevant for:
Because connected stadium strategies support multiple departments, the webinar is useful for any venue team looking to align guest experience, operations, and revenue goals.
Austin, Texas and Wakefield, Massachusetts – August 11, 2026 – Wi-Fi Alliance® and prpl Foundation are strengthening their collaboration, reinforcing a shared commitment to accelerating the availability of interoperable, high-quality Wi-Fi® solutions for service providers.
The partnership will improve how the latest generations of Wi-Fi are implemented, validated, and deployed in broadband equipment and by broadband service providers.
“Reliable, high-performance Wi-Fi is essential to service providers’ delivery of the trusted connectivity experiences that users expect,” said Kevin Robinson, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “We are pleased to collaborate with prpl Foundation to accelerate the deployment of next-generation broadband CPE across service provider networks. By bringing together Wi-Fi Alliance’s industry-leading testing and certification programs with the innovation of the prpl Foundation open-source community, we can help speed the delivery of interoperable, high-quality Wi-Fi solutions in service provider deployments.
“By working together, we can each leverage the complementary nature of our organizations in that Wi-Fi Alliance standardizes Wi-Fi protocols and test plans, while prpl standardizes CPE software implementing those same Wi-Fi standards, for carrier-grade deployments around the world,” said prpl Foundation President, Dr. Leonard Dauphinee. “By commonizing those software implementations, prpl increases the conformity of Operators’ mass deployments, thereby improving interoperability in the broader Wi-Fi industry.”
The organizations share a commitment to fostering collaboration that benefits the global Wi-Fi ecosystem while supporting innovation, interoperability, and reliable connectivity for consumers, enterprises, and service providers worldwide.
About Wi-Fi Alliance® | www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 85,000 Wi-Fi certifications. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the Internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.
Back-to-school puts immediate pressure on K-12 networks. This blog outlines readiness steps for improving wireless performance, validating capacity, simplifying secure device onboarding and using AI-driven visibility to help IT teams start the school year with fewer disruptions.
Every school year begins with the same expectation: technology should simply work.
When students return, thousands of district-owned and personal devices reconnect to the network within hours. Classroom applications come back online, campus systems resume full operation and teachers expect reliable connectivity from the first bell.
Preparing for back-to-school is about more than expanding wireless coverage. It is about ensuring your network is ready to support instruction, campus operations and the growing number of connected technologies schools rely on every day.
This guide outlines back-to-school network readiness best practices to help K-12 IT teams improve wireless performance, simplify device onboarding, strengthen network visibility and prepare for the demands of the new school year.
Summer is more than a maintenance window. It is also when many school districts evaluate future infrastructure priorities and prepare for upcoming funding opportunities.
As schools continue expanding digital learning, connected campus technologies and AI-powered educational tools, network planning has become a long-term strategy rather than an annual refresh. With the future of the E-Rate program under review, districts are focused on maximizing the value of every technology investment while preparing for future growth.
Reviewing infrastructure before students return helps districts identify opportunities to improve performance, validate existing investments and build a stronger foundation for future E-Rate funding.
Today’s K-12 network supports far more than classroom Wi-Fi.
IT teams now manage one-to-one student devices, interactive displays, AI-powered learning applications, security cameras, access control systems, VoIP, building automation and cloud collaboration platforms, often with limited staff and resources.
When students return, demand increases immediately. Thousands of devices reconnect simultaneously, online learning platforms become active and campus systems return to full operation. Small issues that may go unnoticed during the summer can quickly become classroom disruptions once schools reopen.
Preparing before the first day of school helps identify potential issues before they affect teachers, students and staff.
Summer projects often include replacing access points, upgrading switches, updating firmware and modifying network configurations.
Before the school year begins, verify that these changes are performing as expected. Review switch health, validate firmware versions and confirm that wireless policies remain consistent across every building. Walking each campus can also help ensure wireless coverage still aligns with classroom layouts after renovations or room changes.
Summer is also an ideal time to review network analytics from the previous school year. Understanding where recurring issues occurred, which buildings experienced the highest client density and how applications performed during peak usage can help guide infrastructure improvements before students return.
Configuration reviews should always be paired with real-world testing.
Verify that users can authenticate successfully, roam between access points without interruption and connect to the classroom applications they use every day. Test guest access, internet connectivity, VoIP services and any critical systems that support instruction or campus operations.
Validating the complete user experience before students arrive helps reduce troubleshooting once instruction begins.
Wireless coverage and wireless capacity are not the same.
A classroom may have excellent signal strength while still experiencing performance issues if too many devices are competing for airtime.
As schools adopt AI-powered educational applications, video collaboration, online assessments and connected classroom technology, network capacity becomes just as important as coverage. Evaluating capacity before the school year begins can identify areas where additional access points or infrastructure upgrades may be needed. Districts planning future refreshes may also evaluate Wi-Fi 7 to support increasing device density and evolving classroom technology.
Many districts are already seeing the benefits of taking this proactive approach. At RSU 25 in Maine, a district-wide RUCKUS deployment increased available bandwidth by nearly ten times, expanded wireless coverage by more than 50%, and reduced network-related support tickets by approximately 60%. With fewer connectivity issues requiring attention, the IT team can spend more time supporting instructional initiatives instead of routine troubleshooting.
RUCKUS® Wi-Fi solutions, including BeamFlex® adaptive antenna technology, help improve performance in high-density environments by dynamically directing wireless signals toward connected devices for more consistent connectivity.
The start of the school year often brings thousands of new devices onto the network.
Students, teachers, administrators, guests and IoT devices all require secure, reliable access. When onboarding depends on manual configuration, even routine requests can consume valuable IT resources during one of the busiest times of the year.
Review authentication policies, certificates, guest access and role-based permissions before students return.
Cloudpath Enrollment System® helps automate secure device onboarding with certificate-based authentication and policy-driven access. By reducing manual configuration and standardizing enrollment, districts can provide a more secure and consistent onboarding experience while reducing administrative workload.
One of the biggest challenges during back-to-school is determining where an issue originates.
Is the problem related to the wireless network, switching infrastructure, authentication, an application or a specific client device? Without centralized visibility, answering those questions often requires administrators to move between multiple management tools while users wait for a resolution.
Modern network management goes beyond monitoring dashboards. AI-driven analytics help IT teams recognize recurring issues, identify patterns across connected devices and surface the root causes of performance problems before they become widespread disruptions.
For example, Gardener Schools Group uses AI-driven insights from RUCKUS to improve visibility across campuses, identify issues earlier and reduce the time IT teams spend troubleshooting daily network operations.
RUCKUS One®, powered by RUCKUS AI™ and the Digital Systems Engineer (DSE), continuously analyzes telemetry across the wired and wireless network to deliver meaningful operational insights rather than simply reporting network events. Acting as an AI-powered network operations agent, DSE evaluates client connectivity, application performance and overall network health to proactively identify emerging issues, uncover root cause and recommend corrective actions before they impact users.
By transforming complex operational data into clear, actionable guidance, DSE helps IT teams make informed decisions more efficiently, regardless of team size or available networking expertise. Instead of manually correlating data across multiple dashboards, administrators receive prioritized insights that help them resolve issues faster, reduce troubleshooting time and maintain a more consistent experience for teachers and students.
As districts continue adopting AI-powered learning applications and managing growing numbers of connected devices, DSE enables IT teams to shift from reactive troubleshooting to proactive network operations. By identifying and addressing potential issues before they become service-impacting problems, schools can deliver more reliable digital learning experiences while reducing the operational burden on IT staff.
Reliable wireless connectivity depends on a strong wired foundation.
Before school begins, review switch capacity, Power over Ethernet (PoE) availability, uplink utilization and redundancy across each campus. Confirm that switching infrastructure can support both today’s wireless requirements and future growth while providing the resiliency needed for campus operations.
RUCKUS ICX® switches provide a scalable foundation for high-performance campus networks while simplifying management across distributed school environments.
Learn more about RUCKUS ICX® switches.
The districts that experience the smoothest start to the school year are often the ones that prepare long before students arrive.
Preparing your network before the first day of school helps reduce unexpected disruptions, improve operational efficiency and create a more consistent technology experience for teachers, students and staff. By validating performance, strengthening security and improving visibility before classrooms fill, IT teams can spend less time reacting to issues and more time supporting learning throughout the year.
Back-to-school success starts with preparation.
Download the Back-to-School IT Readiness for K-12 Schools eBook to explore additional strategies for improving wireless performance, streamlining secure device onboarding, strengthening network visibility and preparing your district for a successful school year.
Alcom brings expert sales, design and technical support in industrial IoT and adjacent applications for Benelux region
Montreal, Canada, July 29, 2026 — SPARK Microsystems, a Canadian fabless semiconductor company specializing in next-generation short-range wireless communications, today announced the expansion of its distribution channel in Northwest Europe, welcoming Alcom Electronics to SPARK’s partner network.
Alcom Electronics is a leader in distribution, sales and design as manufacturer’s representative in Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). Alcom will promote, distribute and support SPARK products in the region, while providing local customer follow-up and sales development.
“The Benelux region is home to global technology leaders that have made it one of the world’s foremost hubs for technology innovation, and Alcom Electronics has been a trusted and valued partner to this community for almost 50 years,” said Jocelyn Carroué, Senior Director of Technical Support at SPARK Microsystems. “SPARK has likewise established a strong presence in Europe and Alcom makes it stronger, capitalizing on surging demand for IoT and AI-caliber, ultra-low power connectivity made possible with LE-UWB.”
“Leveraging advanced ultra-wideband technology, Low Energy UWB, SPARK offers a new and needed approach to short-range wireless communication that transcends the persistent limitations of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and conventional UWB,” said Alcom Electronics. “SPARK’s products equip Alcom to help developers achieve longer battery life, faster response times, higher data throughput and precise ranging for the next generation of connected devices.”
SPARK’s LE-UWB™ technology, implemented in the award-winning SR1120 transceiver, combines high data throughput, ultra-low power consumption and exceptionally low latency in a single wireless platform.
Compared with Bluetooth, LE-UWB™ delivers 40 times greater data throughput, approximately 25 times lower power consumption, and 60 times lower latency. Beyond data communication, LE-UWB™ supports precise ranging at approximately 100 times lower power consumption than conventional UWB solutions designed primarily for positioning.
For more information about Alcom’s expert capabilities and SPARK LE-UWB™ wireless enablement and support, visit Alcom’s customer portal.
About SPARK Microsystems
SPARK Microsystems is building next-generation short-range wireless communication devices for consumer, industrial and medical applications. Leveraging patented LE-UWB™ technology, SPARK delivers ultra-low-power, high-speed wireless connectivity with unmatched interference robustness and exceptionally low latency. LE-UWB™ technology is ideally suited for wearables, peripherals, tags, sensors, and other IoT-connected devices that require reliable, high-performance data communication, as well as ranging and positioning capabilities. SPARK makes it possible to minimize and ultimately eliminate wires and batteries across a wide range of AI and IoT applications. For more information, visit sparkmicro.com.
The race to WiFi 7 is heating up, and with every tech change, it can be tempting to invest in the latest hardware. However, it can be more cost-effective to maximize the investment in the installed CPE by using more intelligent software.
Telecom service providers respond to rising performance complaints the same way each time. They look to enhance their hardware. They focus on upgrading CPEs, adding new access points, and refreshing the devices. This standard response turns out to be an unnecessary financial burden; it also fails to mitigate the root cause.
The real issue with most networks is that they are under-optimized, not under-equipped. The solution therefore lies beyond the hardware. It lies in deploying an intelligent network optimizer across the CPEs in homes and businesses—one that will ensure delivery of the experience subscribers expect.
That is why the conversation about performance must shift from hardware to software.
Consider what a modern home network is required to do. Video calls, 4K streaming, cloud gaming, smart home devices, and remote desktop sessions. All of these run simultaneously, competing for the same bandwidth, while overlooking the fact that each app has different tolerances for latency and packet loss. Raw throughput alone falls short until intelligent application-awareness is built into the network.
A hardware-only solution is boxed thinking. A faster router is unaware that a video call needs priority over a background software update. It lacks the discernment to dynamically queue traffic based on application type, real-time latency, or packet loss conditions. It simply moves data. Managing the data requires intelligent software.
A network optimizer is a valuable addition to your existing infrastructure. It is a software layer that installs directly onto the CPE already deployed across your subscriber base. No truck rolls. No hardware swaps. No major capital expenditure cycle.
Once deployed, it works invisibly. Subscribers experience the outcome without knowing the mechanism. And the mechanism is sophisticated.
The optimizer is an application-aware solution. It understands the difference between a Zoom call, a Netflix stream, and a file download, and it treats each accordingly. Using real-time knowledge of latency, packet loss, and throughput, it continuously prioritizes and queues traffic for every application running on the network at any given moment. Every user on that connection, from the teenager gaming, the parent on a work call, and the smart TV running in the background, gets the quality of experience their application requires, without degrading anyone else’s.
The engine behind this is network slicing. Rather than treating the available bandwidth as a single undifferentiated resource, the optimizer partitions it dynamically, by allocating capacity based on what the network is carrying and what each application needs. The result is the network starts behaving like an intelligent delivery system.
For a CXO evaluating this decision, the answer is straightforward. The cost of deploying a software optimizer across your installed base is significantly lower than refreshing hardware. The impact on subscriber experience is tangible, measurable, and immediate. And the operational model is clean — the software runs autonomously, requiring no ongoing intervention from network operations teams. Zero-touch, self-managing, always on.
The reduction in support calls alone justifies the investment. A significant proportion of tier-one support volume at most ISPs stems from perceived performance issues — buffering, dropped calls, inconsistent speeds. Most of those complaints are rooted in bandwidth competition, prioritization, and application-level delivery, which is precisely what an optimizer addresses.
Churn tells a similar story. Subscribers do not leave because their headline speed is 100Mbps rather than 200Mbps. They leave because a video call dropped during an important meeting or a child’s online exam lagged at a critical moment. Experience drives retention. Software drives experience.
WiFi 7 is already in active rollout across leading ISPs globally. So is the continued proliferation of connected devices, the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications, and the rising baseline expectations of subscribers who demand a network that keeps up.
The ISPs that will navigate that landscape most effectively are those that build intelligence into their networks now. This will create the software foundation that can absorb new technology, adapt to new traffic patterns, and continue optimizing as the environment changes.
An intelligent network is a dynamic asset. It learns. It adapts. It prepares your infrastructure to onboard the next generation of technology without having to start from scratch each time.
WiFi 7 or IEEE 802.11be is the latest wireless standard. With speeds of up to 46 Gbps, it reduces lag using ultrawide 320 MHz channels and the 6 GHz frequency band. The expectation from WiFi 7 is that it will effortlessly handle 8K video streaming, AR/VR gaming, and heavy cloud computing.
How WiFi 7 delivers this is through:
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) that allows devices to split traffic between multiple bands seamlessly during congested times.
Higher Modulation(4K-QAM) that packs in more data per transmission than older standards.
Wider channels with 320 MHz capacity which is more than twice than that of WiFI 6 with a maximum limit of 160MHz.
Multi-RU (resource units) that allow the router to split a single channel into smaller pieces to serve multiple devices simultaneously and quickly.
The catch here is that WiFi 7 requires ideal conditions to deliver results.
