Winston-Salem U meets Gen-Z digital expectations with AI-driven Wi-Fi

“Students today are digital-first,” says Joshua McClure, network administrator at Winston-Salem State University. “Students’ technology expectations have gone way up since returning to campus.”

The university was well-prepared for post-pandemic expectations, and it had already begun a network refresh to address Wi-Fi connectivity in its eight residence halls when COVID struck.

One dorm was particularly troublesome, with concrete walls soaking up the RF signal. The Wi-Fi was down more than it was up, making it difficult for students who remained on campus during lockdown to learn. 

“A major part of student happiness is having their devices connected,” says McClure. “Juniper allows us to support our students’ expectations for connectivity really well.”

McClure once fielded multiple Wi-Fi-related tickets a week, consuming hours of time. Now a single wireless ticket is atypical. “With Juniper, we have nearly zero wireless tickets,” he says.

The dorm that previously had the worst Wi-Fi? The Juniper wall-plate AP12 and Mist AI Radio Resource Management now deliver a great dorm room Wi-Fi experience. McClure is so confident in Juniper wireless that he turned off the wired ports in those students’ rooms.

An AI-driven Juniper network helps the IT team prepare for the future and continuously improve the digital experience for students.

“Having usage data available in the Mist dashboard allows me to present a project quickly when grant money becomes available,” says McClure.