Case Study: Alabama State University achieves campus-wide reliable Wi‑Fi with Extreme Networks

Alabama State University Makes the Grade with Comprehensive Wi-Fi from Extreme Networks

Alabama State University, a 170‑acre institution serving over 5,000 students and roughly 2,500 faculty and staff across 60 sites, was struggling with an aging wireless infrastructure that couldn’t meet growing density or streaming and app demands. After previous upgrades from Cisco to Meru, the campus experienced poor reliability and limited mobility; ASU sought a standardized, cloud‑enabled network platform and chose Extreme Networks (using ExtremeSwitching, ExtremeCloud IQ and ExtremeWireless) to address those needs.

Extreme Networks deployed AP230 802.11ac access points, Auto‑Provisioning, Private Pre‑Shared Key (PPSK), mapping/planning tools and ExtremeCloud IQ for management, delivering ubiquitous campus Wi‑Fi and granular control. The rollout supported over 4,000 devices at peak, eliminated controller management, saved about 40 man‑hours (≈$5K) in site survey time, and enabled faster troubleshooting (e.g., blocking BitTorrent at a single AP), improved mobility and digital learning across campus.

Alabama State University

Brian Webb

Lead Engineer