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Extricom High Density WLANFor Large Venues –Technical Overview

December 2013

www.extricom.com

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Agenda

Large VenuesThe Channel Blanket TechnologyExtricom Large Venue SolutionExample Deployments


Ultra Crowded Environments

Tens or sometimes hundreds of thousands of visitorsEver increasing mobile device penetrationOne or more mobile device per userStrict expectations for excellent mobile experience

Music Events Convention CentersSports Venues


Large Venue Categories

Number of Spectators Applications Venue

TypesDeployment

Type

Sports Venues 10K-100K

Mobile Apps: statistics, live video, replays, goods purchasing, betting, radio, Data Upload & Social Media

Closedarenas, open

stadiums

Fixed / Temporary

Music Events 10K-250K Data Upload &

Social Media

Arenas, open

eventsTemporary

Convention Centers 1K – 200K Web, Data, VoIP

Dedicated closed venues

Fixed / Temporary


Wi-Fi Challenges in Large Venues –Blocking The Air

Sheer number of users congest the wireless medium to the point that the WLAN solution stops functioning

Many mobile devices WLAN drivers have a less-than-ideal implementation

30 to 40 thousand Probe Request packets per minute on a single channelWhen connected, the iPhone devices are twice as 'data hungry' as Android-based handsets for web browsing (see here)


Wi-Fi Challenges in Large Venues –Additional Challenges

Venue bowls that were not initially designed for fixed Wi-Fi, or deployments at temporary events

Harsh physical environmentNo RF separation across the entire bowl at sports venues

Many reflections due to metal construction

Low link budget due to long distances between AP and mobile devices

HW equipment placement & operation effort of placing and cabling large number of APs & antennas

802.11 standard was not built for high density / large venues In March 2013, the IEEE802.11 has created a Study group for ‘High Efficiency WLAN’ (HEW SG) for addressing the massive challenges


Cell-Based Deployments Impose New Challenges

The whole concept is based on minimizing cell sizesResults in very costly projects of more then 1000 APsCreates challenges in placement of antennas and APs

Co-Channel interference between APs and between mobile devices and APsNaïve multicast implementation (critical for video and replays)No availability of multiple physical wireless networks for multiple usages

Standard fans vs. VIP, fans vs. administrative


Agenda



Channel Blanket Technology

All Access Points operate on the same channel A single physical network (BSSID) covering the entire deployment areaFrom a Wi-Fi mobile device perspective, the entire Channel Blanket is detected as a single Access Point


Channel Blanket Technology (Cont.)

The switch “hears” multiple copies of each client transmission through different APs

Chooses best copy and then picks best AP for reply transmissionsPerforms packet by packet optimization – clients always connected through an AP with best link quality and highest possible data rate

System partitioning Centralized WLAN switch implements all 802.11 MAC level functionality

UltraThin APs serve as a physical layer only - only radiosThe switch is actually a “mega-AP” extended with radios


Channel Blanket Technology (Cont.)

Performance does not change regardless of the client’s locationAll channels are available at all locations

Blankets can be layered for increasing capacity and performanceUp to 4 blankets enabled by the same set of APs with 3 or 4 radios

Results with multiple channels in the same area, even within the same band

Separate blankets for isolating different traffic typesVIP fans on one blanket, the rest of the fans on another

802.11b clients on one blanket, 802.11g clients on another


Channel Blanket Technology -Simple to Deploy and Maintain

Simple site survey and deploymentNeed only to design for one variable – coverageOverlapping coverage of APs is actually beneficial• Ensures contiguous coverage• Adds system-level diversity

UltraThin APs have no firmware to upgrade, maintain or secure

Security is implemented at the switch

Layer 2 solution – no changes to the wired network VLANs or security


Agenda



Extricom’s High Density Solution

Solution conceptDesign considerations Deployment processAntenna types and placementScaling up capacity with multiple Channel Blankets

Extricom Copyright © 2013


Extricom High Density Solution Concept

Dedicated WLAN switch designed for the LV scenarioMultiple Channel Blanket layers for stacking capacityHighly directional antennas for increasing link budget and coverage

The patented Channel Blanket architecture is much more immune to the harsh physical environment

Single BSSID over the entire venue on a single channel

Uplink diversity: same packet is received by multiple APs and then the best instance is chosen


LV-2000


Extricom High Density Solution Concept (cont.)

Mobile device noise mitigationSoftware algorithms that significantly lower the noise levels created by the mobile devices (AKA “Honey Pot”)US approved patent

Lower TCO and ease of deploymentTypical deployment of a hundred of APs for a 10K to 20K seats arena compared to several hundreds of APs at competitive solutionsStraightforward placement of APs over the existing infrastructure


Cloud-Based Management forHigh-Density Deployments

Cloud-based architectureManaging fixed and onetime deploymentsMultiple user levelsReal-time event dataExtensive offline reportingCentral monitoring of all system componentsManaged services model


Cloud-Based Management – RT Reports


Sample Data From an NBA Arena #1

Maximum clients at a single event: 4,176


Sample Data From an NBA Arena #2

December 2013 event: Clients and Throughput


Design Considerations - Purpose

Fan engagementAdvertizing & promotionsStreaming and replays

Merchandize & M-commerceGamblingAnd, also generic surfing


Design Considerations - Venue

Indoor/outdoorMobile Users

Number and distribution of connected/active users2.4Ghz / 5GHz bands segmentation

Area to be covered (type of antenna), Number of seatsVIP suitesDedicated journalist sectionBowl vs. concourse vs. administrative


Design Considerations - Coexistence

With existing WLAN equipmentWith Wireless devices to be supported, like Point-of-SaleCellular Offload


Design Considerations – Bandwidth

Applications’ profileAggregated Mbps Capacity per active userInfrastructure connection speed to the InternetRegulatory domain (e.g. use of channel 13)


Designing A Deployment - Hardware

Mounting options for APs and antennas

CatwalkWall mount

Scoreboard

Billboards

Cabinets for Switches

Length of cables


Building Up a Deployment

Building a deployment from a single Channel Blanket up to a full system

The size of the area to be covered determines the number and type of antennas to be used


Building up a Deployment (cont.)

1. The number of required antennas determines the number of required Access Points

2. Then, number of required Access Points determines the number of LV-2000 switches and their configuration


Building up a Deployment (cont.)

Possible LV-2000 switch configurations supporting 2 channel blankets – 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz

1. Standalone – supporting up to 16 APs2. Switch Cascade - supporting up to 32 APs3. Large Scale – supporting up to 128 APs


Antenna Types & Placement

Deploying APs in the most natural and straightforward location - provides both optimal coverage and ease of installation

Highly directional external antennas are used to provide best coverage and maximum link budget to mobile devices


Antenna Types & Placement (cont.)

In closed arenas, Access Points and antennas are usually placed on existing infrastructure used for lighting and sound systems (catwalks)

Additional mechanical equipment is required to physically mount the APs and antennas to the existing infrastructure


Scaling Up CapacityWith Multiple Channel Blankets

Going beyond 2 blankets requires stacking an overlay parallel combinations of switches & APs

The combinations of switches and APs cover the same venue deployment area while linearly increasing the overall capacity of the system

Advanced load-balancing schemes between Channel Blankets


Agenda



Extricom Successful LV Installations

MEN Arena, Manchester, UK, (seats up to 21,000)US Open, New York, USA, (over 700,000 estimated visitors)Toyota Center Houston Rockets, USA (seats up to 19,000)Banker’s Life Field House, Indiana Pacers, USA (seats up to 19,000)Sands Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas, USAVenetian/Palazzo Casinos/Malls, Las Vegas, USAKings Arena, Sacramento, California, USA (seats up to 17,300)Centro BANAMEX, Mexico (total size of all halls 34,000m²)Allianz Park, UK (seats up to 10,000)BEXCO, Korea (total size of all halls 26,508m²)Lollapalooza, Chicago USA, (100,000 estimated visitors)


Selected Customer Success Stories –MEN Arena (UK)

With the growing number of smart phones and tablets our customers now expect Wi-Fi connectivity wherever they are. Extricom provided the capabilityfor us to seamlessly connect thousands of concertgoers simultaneously and help maintain our position as one of the premier live entertainment venues in the world.

James Allen, Event Director for Manchester Arena

Europe’s Biggest Indoor Arena enjoys Gigabit download speeds and over 20,000 simultaneous users with Extricom WLAN deployment


Selected Customer Success Stories –Toyota Center (USA)


We had the challenge of providing 3 full days of Wi-Fi in a verycrowded arena, guaranteeing VIP fans with specially secured, fully-reliable Wi-Fi throughout the event, numerous journalists dependent on us for their live, on-camera reports, and thousands of fans with smart phones and tablets. That’s a lot of pressure on any network

Eddie Hales, SignalShare’s VP of Sales

18,023 seated Toyota Centre, installed and managed by SignalShare, and backed by Extricom’s WLAN technology

Thank You

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