Internet gateways create reliable Wi-Fi for Event Venues
Whether someone is checking out a summer concert series in your hometown, attending an ice-skating event, cheering at a college football game, or seeing Ed Sheeran at an arena, the reliability of the Wi-Fi network is essential at any venue. From ticketing, to concessions, to AV broadcasting, and social media from the fans, the experience is downgraded when there is poor connectivity.
Let’s discuss how internet gateways will elevate the experience for staff and attendees with these commonly asked questions about Wi-Fi for event venues.
1. Why would an event venue need a gateway?
The purpose of a Nomadix Gateway (i.e., EG 1000, EG 5K, EG 6000) is to easily allow a guest or transient user to access the internet without granting full access to the whole network. Deploying a Nomadix Gateway creates a simple, easy way to allow users that are not normally part of your enterprise, corporate, or employee network to still access what they need on the internet.
Providing this access control at the edge of the network close to the ISP connection allows both easy setup as well as increased ability for bandwidth control. The expectation of being connected anywhere, at any time means poor—or nonexistent—connectivity can be a deciding factor in whether guests return to a venue. A Nomadix Gateway will improve the accessibility of the internet for all users and elevate wi-fi for event venues.
2. How do you simplify Wi-Fi access authentication without sacrificing security on the network?
There are many ways to allow access to the network using the Wi-Fi infrastructure combined with the Nomadix Gateway. Having separate networks that drop the traffic onto different VLANS will help to keep employee traffic and guest traffic separated. All the traffic can still go through the gateway to allow for granular controls. Defining what is needed for authentication for the venue for both employees and guests will help determine the best way to set up the Nomadix Gateway to provide access.
Simple options include an open Wi-Fi network with a splash page that allows for both acceptance of Terms and Conditions for the network access, as well as branding and advertising possibilities. Consider providing a very basic access code or setting up Passpoint to allow users or even employees to connect to a better and more secure service.
3. What is included in a smart stadium, and how does the gateway manage these IoT devices?
Smart stadiums have to support multiple demands on their networks. From the standard guest and their needs for going live and uploading pictures to their cloud accounts and social media, to the VIP users and the media access needed for their streaming of the events, all require different levels of access and bandwidth. Without proper controls in place, like the Nomadix Gateway’s priority-based bandwidth access (Using Class Based Queueing), some of those users might not be able to do what they need online while the event is happening.
Now control of the bandwidth is good, but there still needs to be enough bandwidth for the site when the demands occur, or it won’t matter how well the Gateway works. The type of event the smart stadium is hosting will determine the requirements necessary to support the network demands. That’s why you need to consider purpose-built wi-fi for event venues.
For a sporting event, the media and sport teams will need priority, but for a music festival, there might be more of a need to supply support to the concert goers because they are using more of the bandwidth than they would at a sporting event. So, the flexibility of a network without having to re-design it for every type of event is a benefit when using the Nomadix Gateway.
Additionally, it’s critical that digital ticketing and payment systems can connect and remain stable. Keeping bandwidth available for these priority applications can be managed by the gateway as well. Imagine a lag for each person checking into the venue or trying to buy a beverage or snack – the lines will back up instantly causing negative experiences. The network control of a gateway is essential for smooth experiences.
4. How does a gateway handle increased traffic loads to ensure quality experiences?
When the network is properly designed, with the ISP connection having enough bandwidth for larger events and a Nomadix Gateway at the edge of the network, it will be ready for any type of event. Plus, the ability for multiple Nomadix Gateways to be installed as a high-availability cluster to support more devices and bandwidth allows the system to be scalable to whatever is needed for the network.
Once the basic Wi-Fi network is designed for maximum coverage and density, then the gateway can be used for all other controls. This limits the number of configurations that need to be adjusted every time a new event is scheduled. With the priority and bandwidth controls in the gateway, different types of users can be managed at the edge of the network.
Using bandwidth controls to limit individual devices or group devices together to share bandwidth will allow flexibility for the IT department managing the network. Having the ability for a single gateway to support 10Gbps of throughput allows for the ability to manage and control the bandwidth as it reaches the ISP and the internet. Setting the different levels of access before the event allows the people managing the network to focus on user experience and satisfaction without having to manually monitor the network at all times, unless there is an issue.
5. Are there different needs for Wi-Fi networks and gateways for outdoor venues vs. indoor venues?
Large venues need to support different types of environments, but the edge of the network should still be the same with the Nomadix Gateway connected to the ISP line. If it is an outdoor venue, then the Wi-Fi devices and APs need to be able to handle the weather and possibly be able to mesh together so that not as many wires need to be run outdoors. So, there is a need to design and setup the wireless network properly when supporting outdoor venues.
Indoor venues are usually easier to set up and design the Wi-Fi due to the flexibility of running cables where you need them; although, you must deal with the different types of building materials that might cause significant signal problems. Things like steel beams and thick concrete do not allow for good Wi-Fi penetration.
Rethinking Wi-Fi for Event Venues
City events, sporting events, large arenas, and pop-up entertainment all need trustworthy connectivity. Interested in learning more about creating a solid infrastructure for your event venue with internet gateways? Book a meeting with us.
Jeremy Cook is the product manager for the Nomadix gateways. He has worked with Nomadix, an ASSA ABLOY company, for 26 years, joining the organization in quality assurance and moving through systems and pre-sales engineering and to his current role in Product Management.