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Name of NGM Educator:

Jeremy Rubock, Technology Education, Wilby High School

Name of Host Company:

St. Paul Travelers: Leo Dionicio

Grade Level:

9 - 12th grade

Student Work Types:

• Engineering a WiFi Presence in an educational/corporate environment
• Engineering a long-range WiFi Access Point for Internet access

Task Abstract:

The students will use available software tools and Wireless Access Points to design and specify a wireless network catchment that would permit seamless mobility for students or teachers within the first floor of the high school. A second strand would be to use the wireless network to include a long-range system that would allow a user, from a distance of hundreds of feet to access the Internet.

Task Objectives:

1. Use a networking simulation program to design a wireless network that would allow for seamless roaming with a laptop computer within a defined area.
2. Specify, and price from vendors' websites the networking equipment necessary to construct a viable wireless network to allow seamless roaming within the defined area.
3. Collect data from a test wireless network built from available wireless access points and other networking equipment.
4. Design and build, test, and refine a long-range antenna that could be attached to an access point to permit a user to access the Internet from a range of hundreds of feet.
5. Document their activities, and present their findings to teachers and administration in an effort to secure funding for future improvements in the IT infrastructure in the high school.

Esssential Understandings/Questions:

1. What are the pros and cons of a wireless network compared to a wired network?
2. How is it possible to secure a wireless network? Which way is best? Why?
3. What is the difference between a LAN and a WAN? Where does WiFi fit in?
4. What hardware and software would be needed to construct a robust WiFi network?
5. How is a radio signal attenuated, and what can be done to minimize attenuation?
6. What factors need to be addressed to convert an omnidirectional antenna into a unidirectional antenna?

Task Description:

• Design, simulate, and specify a wireless network for the ground floor of Wilby High school that would permit a student or teacher with a laptop to seamlessly go from room to room while still being able to access the Internet.
• Design, specify, and build a unidirectional antenna for a Wireless Access Point that would permit a user to access the Internet with a laptop computer from a distance of hundreds of feet.
• Document the activities with photographs and data. Develop and present a PowerPoint presentation.

Resources Required:

Laptop computer, Wireless Access Point / Router, antennas, switches, networking cables, network monitoring software (NetStumbler), Cisco Packet Tracer. Tripods.

Prior Learning Required:

Familiarity with computer and network configuration; Algebra to engineer a long range antenna from formulas. Familiarity with concepts relating to Local Area Networks as well as Wide Area Networks.

Educator's Comments:

A project of this magnitude would be assigned as a research project. It involves a fair amount of planning and oversight. It will probably take a couple of months to complete. Real-world scenarios will always excite and enable the kids. Let's begin!