Livermore Unified School District Leads in Innovative use of Wi-Fi

According to Trapeze Networks, more than 13,000 students, faculty and staff in the Livermore Unified School District are now using Trapeze Networks' Wi-Fi infrastructure for seamless and secure communication for emergency response and preparedness.The wireless network allows the district to relay critical information during a disaster when all wireline telephone, cellular service, Internet and local networks may go down, allowing faculty, staff and students to keep in constant communication across the campus. It also provides a potentially life-saving conduit for first-responders such as police and fire department personnel to communicate with each other on-site. For example, in the event of a school evacuation during a fire, teachers can count the number of students present (or missing) on the football field and immediately convey this data back to the Emergency Operations Center via a laptop, while a fire department captain can articulate time-sensitive information and instructions to crew and direct operations.

"We saw that a wireless network could be leveraged across multiple agencies to support our district as well as the police, fire and other local government entities during a crisis," said Kevin Peterson, ISS specialist, Livermore Unified School District. "In addition to aiding the local first responders, the wireless network provides a communication hub for the community so that they can connect with their loved ones."

"Schools are emerging as natural emergency gathering hubs in which communities can congregate during a crisis or disaster when all cellular, wireline phone and IT networks may be severely compromised or down entirely," said Jim Vogt, president and chief executive officer, Trapeze Networks. "In such critical situations, wireless connectivity is indispensable -- and is perhaps the only method for enabling communication. Livermore Unified School District is the perfect example of how a district can use Wi-Fi in an innovative manner for emergency response."

Wi-Fi Solution Ensures Safety for Thousands of Students
In addition to emergency preparedness, the district is using the wireless network to ensure student safety with wireless security cameras at the district's two high schools. It is also using wireless to fuel a more interactive and flexible student learning environment. For example, at Granada High School and Livermore High School, students benefit from wireless connectivity anywhere on campus, including outdoors, which allows them to be more productive and work on assignments no matter where they are on campus.

The district has also deployed Trapeze's wireless location appliance, the LA-200, for tracking of emergency response vehicles and personnel. The district recently held a technology-focused emergency response demonstration to simulate an earthquake and illustrate how innovative broadband and wireless technologies -- including Trapeze's wireless network and location appliance -- can be utilized in such an emergency for connectivity and real-time wireless tracking when all phone and IT networks go down. The demo was held in collaboration with a consortium of local government agencies that included the Livermore police and fire departments, and the Livermore Information Network Collaborative.

At Granada High School and Livermore High School, the Livermore Unified School District has deployed a full wireless network of approximately 550 indoor and outdoor access points and 22 controllers. It has plans to extend the deployment to 19 additional school sites throughout the district.

Trapeze provides a cost effective Wi-Fi wireless networking solution for budget-constrained schools offering discounted pricing on products for qualified educational institutions, including schools, school districts, universities (both public and private) as well as special models of gear designed for the budget-sensitive education market such as the MP-371 Access Point. Through this commitment, the company has seen tremendous growth in the education market in the last year, significantly broadening its education customer base.

Additionally, as a participant in the federal government's E-Rate program, Trapeze's products are eligible for E-Rate funding.