Case Study: Ledyard Public Schools achieves pervasive gigabit Wi‑Fi and unified wired/wireless management with HPE Aruba Networking

Aruba Gigabit Wi-Fi + wired network solution modernizes Ledyard School District, benefits from expanded E-Rate funding

Ledyard Public Schools, a rural Connecticut district of six schools and about 2,400 students, faced an aging LAN and unreliable Wi‑Fi that caused dropped connections and “bandwidth panic” during online testing. With expanded federal E‑Rate funding available, the district sought a unified, high‑performance wired and wireless solution that would be secure, centrally managed, and long‑lasting within a constrained budget.

Working with partner Versatile, Ledyard deployed Aruba 802.11ac indoor/outdoor APs, 7200 Series controllers, AirWave management, and Aruba 5400/2900 switches — completing the upgrade in six weeks. The result was pervasive, centrally managed Wi‑Fi that boosted wireless client speeds from 4–5 Mbps to 300–350 Mbps (and pushed internet throughput toward gigabit levels), improved security and role‑based bandwidth control, eliminated testing disruptions, and positioned the district for future 1:1 computing — all at a cost and lifespan the district found superior to its previous vendor.

Ledyard Public Schools

John Mercier

Director of Instructional Technology