University of Plymouth
Plymouth, UK
Education
Client background
The University of Plymouth is one of the UK’s leading higher education institutions, supporting more than 18,500 students on its main campus.
With thousands of students, lecturers and researchers relying on wireless connectivity every day, the university needed a modern education WiFi solution, capable of supporting digital learning, research and student life across teaching buildings and accommodation.
The challenge
The university’s existing wireless infrastructure was no longer meeting the expectations of today’s students.
Coverage was limited, performance had declined and students struggled to connect multiple personal devices in halls of residence.
The university also needed to strengthen network security while modernising its campus infrastructure.
The new network needed to:
🔹 Deliver fast, reliable campus-wide Wi-Fi
🔹 Improve wireless coverage across teaching spaces and accommodation
🔹 Support laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles and smart devices
🔹 Strengthen cybersecurity
🔹 Segment academic and student traffic
🔹 Reduce network complexity
🔹 Minimise disruption during deployment
🔹 Support future digital learning initiatives
Unlike many universities, Plymouth also rents out its student accommodation during the summer, leaving only a short deployment window to complete the upgrade.
Juniper and Mist AI provide a home-like internet environment for students, while supporting the latest academic research, and adhering to the highest security standards. Marvis helps identify and solve the most common issues experienced by network users, reducing logged tickets.
Senior Infrastructure Architect, University of Plymouth
The solution
The University of Plymouth replaced its ageing infrastructure with an AI-native wireless network designed to improve reliability, simplify management and enhance security.
The new environment provides continuous monitoring, intelligent automation and proactive troubleshooting while supporting thousands of connected devices across campus.
The solution included:
🔹 Enterprise Wi-Fi across teaching buildings and accommodation
🔹 AI-powered wireless optimisation
🔹 Centralised cloud management
🔹 Automated network monitoring
🔹 Secure network segmentation
🔹 AI-assisted troubleshooting
🔹 High-performance switching
🔹 Scalable campus-wide wireless infrastructure
The platform enables IT teams to identify and resolve network issues proactively while maintaining a consistent experience for students, staff and researchers.
The result
The new wireless infrastructure provides a significantly improved digital experience across the university.
Faster deployment
More than 900 wireless access points were installed across student accommodation in just three weeks, with each access point taking approximately 15 minutes to install.
Better student experience
Students benefit from reliable, home-like Wi-Fi capable of supporting multiple personal devices, online learning and digital collaboration.
Stronger cybersecurity
Network segmentation improves security while helping the university maintain Cyber Essentials compliance.
AI-powered network management
Automation and intelligent analytics allow IT teams to identify and resolve issues proactively before they affect students or staff.
Future-ready infrastructure
The network has been redesigned around today’s mobile-first environment, supporting growing numbers of wireless devices while reducing dependence on wired infrastructure.
Improved sustainability
By optimising the balance between wired and wireless networking, the university has reduced infrastructure requirements and lowered power consumption to support its sustainability objectives.
Looking to improve your education WiFi?
At DTE, we design, install and optimise education WiFi solutions for universities, colleges and schools.
From professional WiFi surveys and wireless network design to installation, optimisation and ongoing support, we help educational organisations build secure, high-performance wireless networks that keep students, lecturers and staff connected.
Speak to a Specialist
Provide your details below, email [email protected] or call +44 (0) 845 658 8810.
