3Com Corporation today announced that the school within the world-famous London children`s hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, is using 3Com wireless networks to access the school`s network and the Internet.
John Sosna, ICT co-ordinator at Great Ormond Street Children`s Hospital School, said: "By using a wireless network, pupils, who for mobility reasons are not able to get close to one of the hard wired computers in the schoolroom, can now access the full resources of the internet and the school network from their beds or wheelchairs."
The school uses 3Com to provide a flexible networking infrastructure to allow pupils to continue their education, either in the main schoolroom or on the Mildred Creek Unit for the duration of their recovery period. The school teaches children from the ages of 5 to 18+ and all National Curriculum subject areas are covered, including PE.
3Com supplied two wireless LAN access points and six wireless PC cards to complement the existing Cat 5 cable network in the main schoolroom. The number of users varies depending on the pupils` length of stay in hospital.
"It is now even possible to access the Internet from outside of the main schoolroom. This has enabled us to extend educational opportunities to as many of the children as possible. We could not have done this using a wired network," continued Sosna.
Angelo Lamme, International segment manager wireless and security, 3Com said: "3Com is thrilled to see wireless networking being used in such a practical way. Wireless is the ideal technology for many different types of organisations, but particularly schools and hospitals since they need the same reliability in their network as large enterprises, but with greater flexibility and a cost that fits a smaller budget."
3Com offers a full range of wireless networking solutions to meet the varying needs of all types of organisations, from schools and hospitals to small businesses and large enterprises. To find out more, visit www.3com.co.uk.
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Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust has around 350 beds and offers the widest range of children`s experts under one roof in the UK. As a tertiary referral hospital, it sees patients with particularly rare, difficult or complex problems. Great Ormond Street works with the Institute of Child Health and South Bank University to form the largest paediatric research and training centre in the UK. The hospital`s motto is `The Child First and Always` and is committed to providing child and family centred care, and constantly improving what it does.
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3Com is a tier-one provider of innovative, practical and high-value voice and data networking products, services and solutions for enterprises of all sizes and public sector organisations. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.
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