Work is now ongoing to make Wallace High the first school in Stirling to have full wireless capability. With an extensive investment in technology over the last few years, Wallace will again be at the forefront of the advancement of Information Communications Technology in Stirling. The work should be completed when pupils return from their mid term February break.
The wireless network will allow any registered laptops (ie laptops belonging to the school) to be able to access the school's network. At this stage, however, pupils will not be able to use their own laptops, i-Pads or smart phones to access the school network.
Wireless networking is becoming common in many educational establishments across the UK due to the increased flexibility it offers over a wired network with fixed PCs.
The major difference between wireless and wired networks is that computer systems can be connected without the use of cables in a wireless environment. They can be moved around the school and used to access the network in any location where the wireless coverage extends. This will be in any classroom, the library, social space and hopefully, even on the playing field.
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) utilise radio frequency transmissions to enable computers to communicate with the network and are typically used with wireless devices such as notebooks, tablet PCs and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Wireless access points are installed in the location that the wireless network is to be used and these transmit the signal to computers accessing the network. WLANs can be used without any connection to a wired network, but they usually form an extension to it allowing users to roam freely.
