Currently, over 6,000 wireless access points are installed on HKUST Campus covering most of the indoor and outdoor areas. With the emerge of new Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) wireless standard, ITSO has started a major upgrade of Wireless Network Infrastructure to Wi-Fi 6 with a primary focus on high user density areas.
The first phase of Wi-Fi 6 deployment has been completed in year 2020 while the sixth phase is currently under process and will be completed by end of 2024. Nearly 1,800 units of Wi-Fi 6 access points have been installed including high density user areas:
- Academic Concourse
- Atrium
- Canteens
- Classrooms and Lecture Theatres
- Computer Barns
- Library
- North Gate and South Gate
- Sport facilities
Wi-Fi 6 supports lower latency, increased capacity and overall efficiency, even in traditional challenging high-density scenarios. This helps to deliver a highly efficient HKUST wireless network for upcoming demands:
- In ultra-high-density environments like teaching venues and library where each user carries multiple mobile devices and all these devices are consuming network resources concurrently.
- The increased adoption of real-time applications such as 4K video, augmented or virtual reality (AR/VR), high-density and high-definition collaboration applications, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Meanwhile, a new Wireless Network Management System (Cisco DNA Center) has been deployed. The Cisco DNA Center combines machine learning and the latest wireless technologies for performance analytics and proactive health assessment. This can help to improve the troubleshooting efficiency and to solve network problems pro-actively.