Case Study: Lloydminster Public Schools achieves full, hassle-free wireless for 4,000 students and 269 staff managed by a single quarter‑time IT admin with Cisco Meraki

Full wireless coverage for 4k + staff and students, maintained by IT staff of just one

Lloydminster Public Schools faced a dysfunctional, mixed wireless environment—six schools had no Wi‑Fi, others used D‑Link or HP hardware, and poor coverage plus dropped connections left teachers and students avoiding the network. Jason Dunk, Manager of Information Technology, needed a simple, secure solution supporting 802.1X/WPA2, VLAN tagging and guest access, and chose Cisco Meraki’s cloud‑managed MR wireless LAN (MR16 access points and the Meraki Dashboard).

Cisco Meraki deployed 90 MR16 APs (an initial 4‑AP pilot took 45 minutes) and centralized management that allows one IT staffer at one‑quarter time to manage wireless across ten sites. The Meraki solution delivered reliable full‑coverage Wi‑Fi for ~4,000 students and 269 teachers, simplified VLAN/guest configuration and reporting, enabled richer classroom activities (Skype, global collaborations), and dramatically increased device use—Netbook cart bookings now require three‑week advance reservations.

Lloydminster Public Schools

Jason Dunk

Manager of Information Technology