Wireless network standards for schools and colleges

Wireless network overview 

This post is part of our series on the DfE’s Technology Standards and covers the standards for wireless networks in schools and colleges.

Wireless networks allow all wireless devices to access the network resources and the internet. Wireless systems are used by both internal staff, students and external visitors. It is recommended that any external devices are connected to a guest wireless and given restricted network access for increased security. 

Summary of recommended standards from the DfE 

• Use the latest wireless network standard approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance 
• Have a fully functional signal from your wireless network throughout the school or college buildings and externally where required 
• Have a solution that can centrally manage the wireless network 
• Install security features to stop unauthorised access 

When should you meet the standards? 

You should meet the standards when you need to upgrade an underperforming or unsupported solution. Security features should be implemented during scheduled maintenance or at a configuration review. 

How should you meet the standards? 

Your wireless network provider, IT service provider or in-house support team should be able to make recommendations for the planning and deployment of new hardware to meet the standard.  

Further technical details

• The solution should ensure that users are not able to access the network without appropriate authorisation and authentication 
• Any administrative accounts must be secure, fully documented and audited 
• The wireless network should use the latest standard approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
• The wireless network should be configured to support network segregation and QoS 
• You should ensure that the number of access points provides coverage in each space to support simultaneous use without reducing performance 
• You should have a central management tool that can be used to configure the wireless access points, monitor performance and provide alerts in the event of a failure 
• The system should also have the functionality to deliver software security updates automatically as soon as they are available 
• Manual software security checks should also be undertaken 
• The system should provide active signal management and load balancing 
• The system should include a manufacturer warranty and support, including licences, software enhancements and firmware updates 
• Your IT service provider or in-house team should understand all security elements of the solution 
• The system should be scalable to accommodate future increase in bandwidth requirements 
• The system should be capable of providing a configuration file to allow the solution to be reset to the original configuration 
• The network solution should ensure that authorised mobile user devices or guest users are securely authenticated individually onto the network
• The network traffic should be protected from external and unauthorised internal interception while not impacting on the network’s performance
• Certificate-based authentication and multi-factor authentication (MFA) should be implemented for privileged users and technical support staff 

Related standards 

The quality of your wireless connectivity through your buildings can be affected by your internal network cabling and switches. 

See our related posts in this series: 

• Network cabling standards for schools and colleges
• Network switch standards in schools 
• Cyber security standards in schools 

Implementing the standards 

Implementation of these standards is reliant on having the available resources to fund the upgrades, in terms of hardware procurement, planning, configuration, deployment and ongoing management. The inter-dependence on your internet connection and data cabling should also be considered when planning any wireless network upgrades. 

Read the standards in detail 

You can find the DfE’s standards in full by following the link: Wireless Network Standards for Schools and Colleges. 

How we can help 

Our infrastructure team design and deploy wireless network systems, alongside upgrades of network cabling and switches, enabling schools and colleges to improve their connectivity. As partners with enterprise-level Wi-Fi 6 manufacturers, we directly implement new systems and provide consultation and project management services for projects that are being implemented by in-house IT teams.