Wade4Wireless

Education Private Wireless Use Cases


  1. School Buses are something that many have connected to the internet with Wi-Fi on the inside. You’ll probably have to use a carrier when it’s on the move.I am not sure if you’ve heard of Kajeet, but this was one of their first ventures into education and wireless. It was brilliant! As for Private Networks, it would have to be a VPN or connecting the bus on the school grounds or in the parking lot to save on data costs. I think a connected school bus makes a lot of sense. It has been using LTE and 5G routers on carrier networks, but is fast becoming a viable business model. Think about  what the school would like on the bus, a video camera, Wi-Fi, and maybe a secure network for communication and alarms from the driver back to a NOC. At some point they may want a stand alone network inside the bus and not on Wi-Fi so that the kids can’t hack into the camera. A separate secure network may make sense at some point. 
  2. Educational Outreach is another use case. This was popular during the outreach and many schools used this money to connect students at home. Not all students can afford home internet or a mobile device. Schools didn’t want to pay a monthly fee for hotspots. So there were many state and federal grants that would let the schools connect remote students using CBRS spectrum and PLTE. The schools can ensure that the kids have a secure connection to the school’s network. Kids can do schoolwork at home as well as see the assignments and other teacher’s posts on the school network. 
  3. Campus networks are becoming more and more popular. As university and school campuses expand, Wi-Fi may not cover the grounds. Connecting that many radios can be a challenge and mesh networks in that environment can quickly become congested. So using PLTE or P5G to connect the grounds and building will make life easier for the school. They may still use Wi-Fi to connect to the students but they won’t have to run cables to connect the Wi-Fi and they could pop hotspots in almost anywhere with coverage. Use PLTE or P5G as backhaul to cover a larger area.
  4. Emergency communications for teachers, students, and workers can be critical. To have a secure network where someone could send messages out if there is a crisis. It seems that school shootings are on the rise so having a private network with great coverage could come in handy in case a tragedy happens. Coverage and connection has been an issue when students try to call for help or send video of what’s going on. If there was an emergency network in place for e911 calls, it would make all the difference in the world. Doesn’t it break your heart when the students say they can’t connect to make the 911 call?
  5. Video is a huge use case for private networks. For one, they want to put cameras everywhere and running cables won’t work. Wi-Fi may not be secure. However, privacy is a huge concern, especially in schools, so live video may be an issue in some states. But, if there is an emergency where the students are at risk and you can’t see what’s going on, then it becomes a concern. Video can be a lifesaver and a quick way to let people know if students are OK. Security is an issue as well, it would make sense to put it on a dedicated network because the Wi-Fi network will be congested with kid traffic. It would also keep it secure so that the kids don’t hack into the video or the office recordings. If you do add video, you can see it for security, traffic monitoring, safety violations, and potential problems like flooding or a fire.

Promos for a Win-Win:

First: do you want to sell or merge? I have partners looking to acquire or merge small businesses looking for partners or an exit.

  • Looking for companies in IT, Fiber (indoor or outdoor), wireless, Wi-Fi, FWA, Venue or DAS.
  • Looking for owners ready to sell or retire.
  • Smaller companies, maybe 4 to 15 employees.
  • Concentrating on the East coast, but open to US based businesses,
  • Email me at wade@techfecta.com.

Next, do you want to grow, expand, or purchase a business? Maybe you are looking to purchase a company, spark growth, or increase production and need an investment partner. This is how my other partner can help.

  • Here is who they want to help:
    • US based,
    • Someone looking for $10M and up,
    • Needing to grow, consolidate, or merge,
    • Email me at wade@techfecta.com.
  • About the Investment company;
    •  Made 155+ completed transactions,
    • $2.4B+ deployed,
    • $1.4B of assets,
    • Focused on Technology, IT, and Wireless,
    • Been around over 15 years.

Finally, here are some other updates.

Update on next book! I am putting together a new book on Private Wireless Networks. Hopefully by the end of January.

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