Wireless Communication for Previously Disadvantaged Secondary Schools in Grahamstown, South Africa Ingrid Brandt Alfredo Terzoli Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams Departments of Computer Science and Education Rhodes University

Overview 6ICTs in Education 6School Wireless Networks for Grahamstown schools 7Painting a picture 7IEEE The Experiments 7Discussion 6Other wireless solutions 6Conclusion

ICTs in Education 6Factors which accompany successful implementation of ICTs in schools 7network connectivity 7structured and continuous programmes to educate teachers 6Low teledensity in some rural areas 6Expense of wired infrastructure

School Wireless Networks (1) 6Advantages to schools having some form of connectivity 7Interactivity 7Immediacy 7Currency 7Accessibility 6While it doesn’t alleviate all problems, Internet access can help alleviate access to information 6Networking people

School Wireless Networks (2) 6Other school wireless projects 7Ulwazi 7CSIR projects 6Limiting legislation 7Provision 7Frequency bands - ISM

Grahamstown Schools – Painting a picture (1) 6Only 8.8% of EC schools have computers and 4.5% have PCs for teaching and learning 6Grahamstown is found in EC, population , diameter 10-12km 613 Secondary schools 73 Independent schools (IS) 76 Former Department of Education and Training (FDET) 73 Former Model C schools (FMC) 71 Former House of Representative (FHoR)

Grahamstown Schools – Painting a picture (2) 6Cost limits 7E.g. Annual school fees at FDET3 7Section 21 Companies

for Grahamstown Schools – IEEE (1) 61/3 of secondary schools not in range of DSL 6Investigation of the use of b- and g-bashed wireless LAN technologies as a means of connecting these schools

for Grahamstown Schools – IEEE (2) 6IEEE standard is part of a family of standards for local and metropolitan area networks 6Defines the protocol and compatible interconnection of data communication equipment via air, radio or infrared in a LAN using CSMA/CA is well documented, standardised, low cost and easy to deploy

for Grahamstown Schools – The Experiments (1) 6Initial tests with Symbol AP and 19dB gain Flat panel antenna b 7Sugar Loaf Hill results 7Nombulelo Water Tower/ Makana’s Kop results 6At the Monument 7D-Link AP (b/g compatible) 78 dB omni directional antenna

The wireless Network Topology using the D-Link APs

for Grahamstown Schools – The Experiments (2) b/g with D-Link AP and 12dB yagi at client sites in town 7Slower transfer rates 7Increased delay 7Increased packet loss 6Nombulelo Water tower 722 dB gain directional grid antenna facing Monument 7Association on layers 1 + 2, but no IP traffic

for Grahamstown Schools – The Experiments (3) 6Lots of interference + lower maximum transmission power (63mW vs. 100mW) 6New Ciscos + new grid dish 7Initial tests at the water tower see transfer rates of 6Mbps 7Improved transfer rates and more consistent delay experienced at town client sites

Round-trip time (ms) vs. Time D-link AP in g Cisco AP in g Town Clients

Throughput in Mbps

Conclusion 6Wireless connectivity has the potential to make a difference to SA schools 6Legislative changes are needed to create an competitive industry where 7Encourage innovation 7Bridge the digital divide in Education 6Biggest problems for schools are 7Lack of Infrastructure and associated high costs 7Lack of bandwidth and associated high costs

Wireless Communication for Previously Disadvantaged Secondary Schools in Grahamstown, South Africa Funded by the NRF and the EEE Trust