ANSecurity has successfully deployed one of the UK education sector’s first comprehensive Wi-Fi 7 networks at Sir William Perkins’s School in Surrey.
This cutting-edge infrastructure provides the independent school with a secure, high-capacity wireless environment designed to support its expanding digital learning initiatives.
Serving approximately 580 students and 142 staff members, the school has integrated 1:1 iPad usage into daily teaching activities. However, its previous wireless network struggled to handle the increasing number of connected devices, especially during large group sessions through Apple Classroom. Ensuring secure authentication, maintaining compliance, and delivering consistent performance across hundreds of devices became a challenge — other vendors were unable to meet the demanding technical requirements.
The deployment process was highly collaborative and structured, initiated by RUCKUS Networks. ANSecurity began by thoroughly evaluating the school’s design needs, conducting extensive lab testing to ensure compatibility with Jamf School’s certificate-based authentication and the existing network architecture. A detailed deployment plan was crafted, carefully scheduled within a tight three-month window during school holidays to minimize disruption.
ANSecurity installed RUCKUS Wi-Fi 7 access points and configured Cloudpath to automatically issue certificates to nearly 550 school-managed iPads — a capability that other vendors could not replicate. Wi-Fi 7 technology offers significantly higher throughput, lower latency, and greater efficiency thanks to wider channels and multi-link operation, ensuring fast, reliable connectivity even in dense environments like classrooms.
For safeguarding and compliance, ANSecurity integrated RADIUS and API-driven workflows, ensuring accurate user-to-IP mapping across the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall and ContentKeeper filtering service. Additional networks were established for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and guest access, with Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE) protecting traffic on open networks. ANSecurity also restructured parts of the network, creating new VLANs and updating firewall policies to secure resource access appropriately.
Post-deployment, a comprehensive wireless site survey was carried out to verify signal strength, noise ratios, and throughput in indoor and outdoor campus areas. The school now benefits from fast, stable, and secure Wi-Fi coverage across the entire site, supporting nearly 800 devices — most operating seamlessly on 5 GHz — and is prepared for future upgrades, including WPA3 and Wi-Fi 6 GHz once compatible with Jamf School.
The project was completed within the agreed three-month timeframe, positioning Sir William Perkins’s School at the forefront of digital education. Wi-Fi 7’s advanced capabilities ensure the school can support emerging technologies such as AR/VR learning and high-bandwidth cloud applications, keeping it ahead of future digital demands.
Looking forward, the school plans to pursue Cyber Essentials Plus certification, expand security controls, and upgrade wired network access management. The ongoing partnership with ANSecurity reflects a shared commitment to innovation, security, and technological excellence in education.
