Weave Networks with Optical Fibers, Empower Smart Campuses!AINOPOL Helps Guiyang Longtan Middle School Complete Smart Campus Network Upgrade

Nestled at the northern foot of Baoling Mountain in Guiyang County, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, Guiyang Longtan Middle School has developed into a modern campus covering a total construction area of 41,100 square meters and accommodating more than 4,000 students since its founding in 2011. As a benchmark institution for basic education in the region, the school adheres to modern and digital school-running concepts to build a high-quality teaching and growth environment for teachers and students.

With the in-depth advancement of educational digital transformation, smart teaching, campus security monitoring, IP broadcasting, multimedia interaction and other services have been fully implemented, imposing unprecedented stringent requirements on campus networks in terms of bandwidth, stability, coverage capability, service interoperability and scalability. Targeting the core pain points and upgrading demands of campus network construction, AINOPOL customizes an integrated all-optical networking solution for Guiyang Longtan Middle School. Replacing traditional copper cables with optical fibers, it builds a full-coverage optical network featuring 10G-level transmission in computer rooms and gigabit-level access at desktop terminals. The solution enables seamless interconnection of various educational services and efficient management of educational resources, laying a solid digital foundation for the construction of smart campuses.

I. Surge in Practical Demands Brings New Challenges to Campus Networks

With the widespread application of digital teaching, traditional network architectures can no longer meet the needs of modern education. Problems such as aging equipment, low operation and maintenance efficiency and insufficient wireless coverage have become bottlenecks restricting educational innovation. Before the network renovation, Longtan Middle School faced common difficulties encountered by numerous schools. To further promote smart campus construction, it was urgent for the school to build a new type of network infrastructure capable of supporting modern teaching, so as to realize unified network construction and intelligent operation & maintenance management across the campus.

The original campus network of Guiyang Longtan Middle School had been in service for many years, leading to prominent defects in overall network performance and reliability, which are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Severe Equipment Aging

Most existing network devices have been running continuously for over five years and entered a high-failure period, failing to satisfy the growing demands of remote teaching and online courses. Worse still, some core network products have long been discontinued, with original manufacturers stopping spare parts supply and after-sales maintenance services, bringing huge hidden risks to daily network operation.

Inefficient Operation & Maintenance Management

The original network lacked a unified intelligent management and control platform, making it impossible to quickly locate faults and issue risk alerts. Daily maintenance work remained in a passive "fire-fighting" mode. Network failures were usually reported only after service interruptions, resulting in delayed responses and direct disruptions to regular teaching activities.

Poor Wireless Network Experience

Existing wireless devices only support outdated Wi-Fi standards with backward technical frameworks. Access points were mostly installed in corridors to cover multiple classrooms and areas in a centralized manner, resulting in signal blind spots and unstable connections. Such deployment could not cope with high-density concurrent network access demands.

These issues have adversely affected daily teaching and hindered the progress of educational informatization construction. In particular, the increasing adoption of smart classrooms, standardized examination rooms and online classroom inspections has overwhelmed traditional networks. Each classroom needs to be equipped with cameras, signal jammers and other terminal devices, which put forward higher requirements for network bandwidth and stability. Hence, a new-generation all-optical network solution featuring full-scenario coverage, high bandwidth and easy expansion became an inevitable necessity.

II. Site-Based Optimized Deployment, All-Optical Network Illuminates Every Corner of the Campus

Faced with multiple limitations of traditional network architectures, Guiyang Longtan Middle School adopted all-optical network technology to establish a brand-new campus network system. Adopting PON passive optical network architecture and adhering to the construction concept of one unified optical network for full coverage, this transformative solution thoroughly solves long-standing network construction pain points.

Core Layer Intelligent Management & Control

High-performance 2-port OLT devices are deployed at the network core to realize centralized management and intelligent control of the entire campus optical network. Connected with multiple optical splitters via PON ports, the network achieves full coverage of teaching buildings, laboratory buildings, administrative buildings and dormitory areas, ensuring stable and reliable signal transmission. Meanwhile, core devices including egress routers, 24-port switches and audio & video servers are configured to build a stable and efficient backbone network in central computer rooms, providing fundamental support for campus-wide data transmission.

Access Layer Full-Service Bearing

Optical AP devices are installed in every classroom to deliver comprehensive service access capabilities for teaching scenarios. A single optical fiber can support simultaneous connection of high-definition cameras, IP broadcast speakers, wireless access points, electronic class signs and various other terminals, which not only simplifies complicated multi-cable wiring work, but also saves over 80% of wiring space. Deployed gateway devices ensure stable access for campus voice, video and other services and guarantee coordinated operation of diversified applications.

Highly Streamlined Network Architecture

The traditional three-layer network structure is optimized into a simplified two-layer framework. Active network devices are partially replaced by passive optical components, cutting overall power consumption by more than 30%. With a service life of over 25 years, optical fiber cables feature non-metallic properties that enable lightweight deployment and immune signal transmission against electromagnetic interference, greatly enhancing network security and operational stability.

III. Core Equipment List & Project Investment

To complete the integrated construction of all-optical networks and smart campus facilities, Guiyang Longtan Middle School adopted full-range AINOPOL devices. All hardware equipment and supporting authorized accessories come with standard warranty services, and exclusive operation & maintenance as well as capacity expansion solutions are available to meet future campus reconstruction and expansion demands.

Egress Router (Model: ZH-AC200S): 1 unit, Unit Price: ¥14,320, Total: ¥14,320

24-Port Switch (Model: ZH-CS5528X-SI): 1 unit, Unit Price: ¥7,920, Total: ¥7,920

2-Port OLT (Model: ZH-4GS): 1 unit, Unit Price: ¥40,000, Total: ¥40,000

Floor Gateway (Model: ZH-4O): 1 unit, Unit Price: ¥5,445, Total: ¥5,445

Optical AP (Model: ZH-F4125W): 56 units, Unit Price: ¥1,541, Total: ¥86,296

Audio & Video Server (Model: ZH-P100): 1 unit, Unit Price: ¥25,038, Total: ¥25,038

Total investment of all core hardware equipment: ¥179,019

Since the implementation of the AINOPOL all-optical network solution, the overall digital environment of Guiyang Longtan Middle School has been comprehensively upgraded. Supported by 10G backbone network and gigabit terminal access, the network can smoothly carry high-bandwidth applications such as 4K ultra-high-definition teaching, VR classrooms, unified online examinations and cloud-based collaborative learning. It realizes interconnection of campus educational administration, security monitoring, IP broadcasting and voice communication systems, enabling unified scheduling and management of network resources and greatly improving the efficiency of fault troubleshooting and daily network management.

Full wireless signal coverage is realized in all indoor teaching areas. Teachers and students enjoy seamless roaming and uninterrupted network access when moving between classrooms and buildings, and the network maintains stable operation even under high-concurrency access scenarios. The passive optical network architecture features low hardware failure rates and neat wiring layouts. No large-scale reconstruction of backbone lines is required for adding new classrooms or expanding informatization services, supporting smooth capacity expansion and reducing long-term operation and maintenance costs.

In addition, the solution complies with the concept of green campus construction. Passive optical components effectively reduce overall equipment power consumption, cut the usage of copper cables and other metal materials, and lower campus energy consumption and carbon emissions.

A single optical fiber connects classroom teaching, outdoor sports activities, campus security management and administrative office scenarios, bringing convenient digital services to every corner of the campus. With the support of all-optical networks, Guiyang Longtan Middle School has successfully completed digital campus upgrading, setting an excellent example for the digital transformation of county-level rural schools.

In the future, relying on the highly stable and easily expandable all-optical network infrastructure, the school will further promote the implementation of smart education, narrow the digital education gap between urban and rural areas, and enable every student to access high-quality digital teaching resources.