The rapid advancement of technology, especially in computers and communications, has far outpaced our society’s capacity to usefully adopt it with a traditional evolutionary strategy. This two-edged sword has been particularly razor sharp in the field of education. The potential competitive gain for our country’s future generations is bridled by the restrictive budgets for educational technology. The real world costs of refitting classrooms with power and network connections, replacing outdated hardware, training teachers and administrators on new software, synchronizing multi-school projects and covering the overhead of related communications networks are indeed staggering.

Even in the wake of recent political commitments to bring our nation’s schools on to the “information superhighway”, the far majority of our schools and educators are woefully absent of the tools necessary to deliver their vision. How many schools count themselves lucky if they have one media lab, with a rag-tag mix of machines and software dotted across a school district?

It is easy for everyone to point fingers and dodge accountability with plausible excuses. The hard reality is that technology is an expensive investment. And investment choices in technology are terribly difficult to undo midstream. Innovative solutions are needed.

A REVOLUTION IS OCCURRING in the computing and communications industries. The development of wireless devices allow users to send and receive e-mail, browse the Web, obtain information, trade stocks, conduct banking transactions and check travel schedules — anytime, anywhere wirelessly (communication by electrical signals without wire or cable between a receiver and a transmitter). The future of wireless LANs and digital wireless communications in general is extraordinarily bright. Wireless technology will do for computing what wireless phones did for voice communications. Instructors now can use computers to incorporate more real-world situations into their lesson plans. Computers and the Internet allow students to explore and learn in a boundless environment downloading files easier and faster exposing more students to computers. Students will learn the importance of computer technology and become prepared with the technological know-how to successfully compete in high school, college and the workplace. This new technology can be used to facilitate both increased classroom efficiency and greater student productivity.

What is it?
Wireless Internet is exactly what it sounds like, getting your connection to the Internet without the use of phone or cable lines. Data travels over high frequency radio waves at speeds unobtainable by ISDN, DSL or even T-1 lines. This type of connection is up to 50 times faster than an analog modem and up to 12 times faster than a dual-channel ISDN connection. Files download in seconds, as opposed to minutes or even hours, saving valuable student time. It provides an inexpensive, high-speed alternative to the obsolete telephone network that was invented over 100 years ago, eliminating the hassles of modem dialing, busy signals and frequent disconnects.

Speed
LemooreNet will provide a speed of 384k downstream and above 128k upstream. It is possible, depending on how many users are currently using the service, to burst at speeds up to 1Mb.

Security
Network security is a vital concern in most business applications. The use of wireless LANs introduce some concerns since the net traffic is in a public space. However, the security systems afforded by wireless LANs are formidable and provide levels of security that in many ways exceed the use of wire or fiber optic cable.

The use of spread spectrum frequency hopping provides a relatively secure channel by itself. The sender and receiver must be synchronized to the same hop sequence in order to communicate at all.

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum: this approach is the technology just described. Data packets are spread over short bursts of signal at different frequencies within the wireless bandwidth. This avoids interference and requires the receiver to be synchronized with the transmitter.

Benefits
HIGH SPEED Internet Connections.
“Always on” connection.
No phone lines needed, eliminating additional costs.
Instructors can incorporate more real-world situations into their lesson plans.
Students will learn the importance of computer technology.
Students can download files easier and faster exposing more students to computers.
It allows multiple users to be connected simultaneously.
Computers and the Internet allow students to explore and learn in a boundless environment.
Facilitates both increased classroom efficiency and greater student productivity.
Prepares students with the technological know-how to successfully compete in high school, college and the workplace.
Equipment is expected to save the school district a significant amount of money by eliminating in-ground cabling costs.

By 2004, the wireless subscriber base worldwide is expected to reach 1.4 billion users, and approximately 300 million users will be accessing the Internet from some form of wireless appliance. It is likely that many office places, homes, hospitals, universities, and public buildings will offer a wireless environment for users to access the Internet from within their facility using a palmtop or notebook computer. This omnipresent computing environment will clearly impact how we learn, how we work, how we communicate and how we conduct business. With its unlimited growth potential, wireless technology is considered to be THE FUTURE OF INTERNET!

Please contact our office to discuss having this service installed at your school.