Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology

With a 63-year legacy, the Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET) has contributed to many technological advancements and scientific breakthroughs within India and beyond. With the growing prevalence of multimedia in higher education and the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend, having seamless Wi-Fi connectivity forms the very backbone of the digital pedagogy at the campus, as well as to enhance both research efforts and activities, including improving research outcomes for both undergraduate and post-graduate programs.

THE CHALLENGE

TIET’s 250-acre campus houses 33 active sites including 14 student hostels, staff residences, academic buildings, a library, a dining area and the director’s office. As the hub of activity for 8500 students and 900 staff members, the institute wanted to revamp the network infrastructure as the Wi-Fi experience was inconsistent. This was due to an increasingly burgeoning digital footprint, which lead to the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure not being able to keep up with the demands of an agile 24x7 student body. IT staff also spent significant time onboarding new devices on the network, as well as to upgrade or replace access points (APs) as they failed.