All bid deadlines are 11:59pm Pacific Time the date of the bid deadline listed unless otherwise noted.
Chris Garvin made a clarification to me regarding using AC access points. He informed me that though the 802.11n access points I currently have will penetrate cinder block walls, the new 802.00ac access points I am requesting will not. They transmit at on a shorter wave length and it is not as strong. He and Ray Riddle both recommended putting 1 access point in each classroom.
My response to them was:
Figure that one per classroom configuration for the 3rd grade up to the 8th grade which on the floor plan starts with rooms 123 and 124 and goes up the hall. We will put one access point between classes in the kindergarten through the 2nd grade for now. I told them to figure using some of our existing access points in these areas as well as in the lower and upper library, in the admin building, the preschool, the 2 gyms, and outside the two offices.
This is to all bidders:
I am not an engineer. If a vendor knows that their access point will support 2 classrooms of 25 devices without lagging, then they can bid it that way. If not, they better bid it such that these devices can be used to their full potential.
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Answer:
The projects are separate so that if we are unable to afford all projects, we can choose which projects we will not move forward on. With that said, bid the equipment, install, and configuration (Controller and Switches) of both project A and B.
Answer:
We currently have an Aruba wireless network. We are looking to upgrade/expand what we have. I am willing to evaluate other technologies and proposals but am satisfied with my current product. There are 2 scheduled walk-throughs posted on the site. They are Nov. 3rd and 17th from 9:00-11:00am and are mandatory to bid on Projects B and D. Building composition materials and floor plan will be apparent at those meetings.
We have 18 access points and a controller. All access points are indoor. We have no plans for outdoor access points. We have 3 laptop carts with 30 laptops each that are used throughout the school. We have roughly 70 tablet devices and 75 Chromebooks. We are piloting a 1:1 initiative in 3 classes. We currently average >100 devices on our wireless network on a daily basis. We do use 30 laptops during state testing, but use wired connections for them. However, we want to be able to use the Chromebooks in individual classrooms for state testing rather than in a lab setting so the students can test in a more familiar environment. This would require a reliable wireless connection.
We are hoping to pass a bond issue to purchase Chromebooks for 10 more classes (225 devices) for the 2016-17 school year. The plan is to add roughly 200 more devices for more classes the 2017-18 school year. Ultimately, we hope to be able to provide 800 students with a Chromebook grades 3-8 or with a tablet device grades KG-2 over the next 5 years. The network would need to be able to handle 1600 devices concurrently considering all teacher devices and student devices.
Areas of concern for me are: security, management, reliability, and support.
Answer:
We currently have an Aruba wireless network. We are looking to upgrade/expand what we have. We are adding switches to support the wireless network expansion not replacing switches.
Answer:
1. How many access points do you currently have?
Ans.: 18
I added that I have an Aruba 3200 controller that is too old to be updated with current code and is not as secure as it needs to be. This was why I included the request for a controller.
2. What model are the existing APs?
Ans.: Aruba 105
3. Are you keeping them or replacing them?
Ans.: I would like to keep them and place them in areas where the device density is lower. These areas are: the Event Center, the 2 libraries, the admin building, the pre-school building, the cafeteria, and the elementary gym. I would like to upgrade to the AP 205.
4. How many students per class usually?
Ans.: PreK is 20 or less. Kindergarten is usually 20-22. 1-8 grades averages about 20-25 in a class.
5. How many concurrent connections at one time are expected on an access point?
Ans.: With 1:1, it could be 100 per grade level though that’s not going to be the situation for a while as we’re not going to have that many wireless devices for students right away. I said to figure 100 per grade so we’d have coverage until we could apply for C2 funding again.
6. How many ports do you need in the switches?
Ans.: The two switches that are going into the old library rack and the lab rack will be 48 port switches. The switch that goes in Room 104 of the Jr. High will be a 48 port switch. The switch that goes into the upper grade Library closet that services the library and 4 classrooms will be a 24 port switch.
Correction: Jerry Burd asked if the switch in Room 119 of the Jr. High needed to be a 24 port switch and I said yes. That switch is not being replaced. That was a mistake on my part for not correcting him on that. I don’t know if the others think that’s a switch to be replaced or not. There are 2 switches being added and 2 being replaced.
7. Will students be allowed to access wireless with personal devices?
Ans.: Yes, at some point. I remarked that this was one f the points in the bid request: install and configure wireless controller. I explained that I wanted it to be configured so that student access would be on a separate subnet from teachers or at least a different vlan so that permissions could be different. I mentioned setting up a guest portal for when auditors and patrons come on campus so that they can access the internet when needed. This should not be public access though.