Wireless devices strain school district’s network

A Kansas school district that has equipped high school and middle school students with laptop computers and tablets is finding its wireless network overwhelmed.

The Derby Informer reports the problem is most acute during the 42-minute advisory period each afternoon at Derby High School.

The school’s roughly 2,000 students were issued laptops in the past year, and the advisory period is a peak time for accessing the wireless network with their computers, cellphones or other devices.

All that demand means a reliable Internet connection may not be available to students and staff. The Derby School District is now looking at doubling its bandwith, but officials are worried about how they’ll pay for it.