Mid Sussex District Council

UK Council Sees Productivity Turnaround after Nebula Delivers Bigger Coverage, Better Management

The Task
Vibrant Networks was appointed to deliver a Wi‑Fi and network improvement project for Mid Sussex District Council in 2020. At the time, the organisation was experiencing:
  • Inconsistent Wi‑Fi coverage
  • Lengthy user login times
  • Poor connection quality, impacting staff productivity and collaboration
These challenges were worsened by the COVID‑19 pandemic, when technology supply chains were under extreme pressure and many organisations struggled to source equipment at all.

The council required a reliable, cost‑effective Wi‑Fi solution that could be delivered quickly, improve performance across the building, and support day‑to‑day operations without compromising security.

The Tech
After assessing and rejecting high‑cost Tier 1 alternatives, Vibrant Networks designed and delivered a Zyxel Nebula Cloud managed Wi‑Fi solution. The project included:
  • Deployment of 59 Zyxel Wi‑Fi access points
  • A centrally managed, cloud based platform
  • A scalable, cost effective design suitable for a public sector environment
Thanks to our long standing partnership with Zyxel, we were able to source and supply the required hardware rapidly, despite widespread shortages at the time. This allowed the council to proceed with the project without the delays experienced by many other organisations.

The resulting solution delivered high speed, consistent Wi‑Fi coverage across the entire council building, providing strong performance at a significantly lower cost than traditional enterprise alternatives.

The Result
The new Wi‑Fi infrastructure has transformed day‑to‑day operations at Mid Sussex District Council. Key outcomes include:
  • Seamless, reliable connectivity across the building
  • Smooth, uninterrupted conference calls without dropouts
  • Simplified network management through the cloud platform
  • Faster deployment and configuration of network services
Both the wired and wireless networks now operate on the same infrastructure, benefiting from improved speed and reliability while maintaining a strong security posture.

With over 20 years’ experience, Vibrant Networks delivers secure, scalable IT and Wi‑Fi solutions for local authorities, larger organisations, and SMEs across the West Midlands and beyond.

If you need support with network planning, Wi‑Fi design, or cloud‑managed infrastructure, our team is ready to help. Call us for a consultation on (01922) 612387, or email at info@vibrant-networks.co.uk.
Zyxel's Take
Mid Sussex District Council was relying on a wireless controller that was running 20 access points and connected to a standard broadband line but not the office network. Wireless clients needed to use a VPN to access office network resources like printers and storage. This approach isolated the network for security purposes but added substantial overhead and reduced the quality and speed of corporate network connections. 

The upgrade also needed to expand coverage at the council building, which was at only 50%, and improve the user experience, including interminable login times. “The goal was to get a good value for money solution,” Council Infrastructure Engineer Dan Holden says. 

The council consulted Vibrant Networks, which specializes in IT services in the public sector for the ideal solution, and Zyxel's Nebula cloud management solution was highly recommended. “After evaluating the vendors, all four team members agreed that Zyxel was the best choice.” After Zyxel’s Nebula solution along with 55 Wi-Fi 6 APs and multi-gigabit smart-managed switches were deployed, the council was satisfied with the results. 

“The solutions were really easy to use and allowed us to set up networks for public and private guests with just a few clicks,”


Dan Holden says. Putting the office and wireless networks on the same infrastructure, he adds, has greatly improved speed and quality without sacrificing security. And, critically, the staff are happier and more productive, able to log in quickly and take Teams calls anywhere without fear of dropouts.


To view the full Zyxel case study please click here.