Case Study: University of the Free State achieves campus‑wide secure BYOD and high‑density Wi‑Fi with HPE Aruba Networking

Aruba wireless solutions are enabling UFS to operate effectively in the 21st century

The University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa needed a modern, secure and scalable wireless network to support the BYOD era across multiple campuses, residences and outdoor spaces for roughly 33,000 students and 4,500 staff. The challenge was to deliver high‑density Wi‑Fi, centrally managed authentication and campus‑wide services like eduroam while remaining flexible for future growth.

UFS worked with Aruba (HPE) and partner Khipu to deploy ~2,000 APs (802.11ac/n), eight 7200 Series mobility controllers, Aruba switches, ClearPass for centralized access control and AirWave for network management. The rollout delivered pervasive, role‑based secure BYOD and seamless connectivity from lecture halls to residences, simplified central management and eduroam integration, improved monitoring and device‑tracking (reducing theft), and a scalable platform for ongoing expansion.

University of the Free State

Renier Sonnekus

Project Lead and Network Manager