Extricom High Density WLAN For Large Venues Technical Overview

Transcription

1 Extricom High Density WLAN For Large Venues Technical Overview December

2 Agenda Large Venues The Channel Blanket Technology Extricom Large Venue Solution Example Deployments Extricom Copyright Confidential <2>

3 Ultra Crowded Environments Tens or sometimes hundreds of thousands of visitors Ever increasing mobile device penetration One or more mobile device per user Strict expectations for excellent mobile experience Sports Venues Music Events Convention Centers Extricom Copyright Confidential <3>

4 Large Venue Categories Number of Spectators Applications Venue Types Deployment Type Sports Venues 10K-100K Mobile Apps: statistics, live video, replays, goods purchasing, betting, radio, Data Upload & Social Media Closed arenas, open stadiums Fixed / Temporary Music Events 10K-250K Data Upload & Social Media Arenas, open events Temporary Convention Centers 1K 200K Web, Data, VoIP Dedicated closed venues Fixed / Temporary Extricom Copyright Confidential <4>

5 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 channel When connected, the iphone devices are twice as 'data hungry' as Android-based handsets for web browsing (see here) Extricom Copyright Confidential <5>

6 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 environment No 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 standard was not built for high density / large venues In March 2013, the IEEE has created a Study group for High Efficiency WLAN (HEW SG) for addressing the massive challenges Extricom Copyright Confidential <6>

7 Cell-Based Deployments Impose New Challenges The whole concept is based on minimizing cell sizes Results in very costly projects of more then 1000 APs Creates challenges in placement of antennas and APs Co-Channel interference between APs and between mobile devices and APs Naïve multicast implementation (critical for video and replays) No availability of multiple physical wireless networks for multiple usages Standard fans vs. VIP, fans vs. administrative Extricom Copyright Confidential <7>

8 Agenda Large Venues The Channel Blanket Technology Extricom Large Venue Solution Example Deployments Extricom Copyright Confidential <8>

9 Channel Blanket Technology All Access Points operate on the same channel A single physical network (BSSID) covering the entire deployment area From a Wi-Fi mobile device perspective, the entire Channel Blanket is detected as a single Access Point Extricom Copyright Confidential <9>

10 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 transmissions Performs 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 MAC level functionality UltraThin APs serve as a physical layer only - only radios The switch is actually a mega-ap extended with radios Extricom Copyright Confidential <10>

11 Channel Blanket Technology (Cont.) Performance does not change regardless of the client s location All channels are available at all locations Blankets can be layered for increasing capacity and performance Up 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 types VIP fans on one blanket, the rest of the fans on another b clients on one blanket, g clients on another Extricom Copyright Confidential <11>

12 Channel Blanket Technology - Simple to Deploy and Maintain Simple site survey and deployment Need only to design for one variable coverage Overlapping 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential <12>

13 Agenda Large Venues The Channel Blanket Technology Extricom Large Venue Solution Example Deployments Extricom Copyright Confidential <13>

14 Extricom s High Density Solution Solution concept Design considerations Deployment process Antenna types and placement Scaling up capacity with multiple Channel Blankets Extricom Copyright Confidential Extricom Copyright 2013 <14>

15 Extricom High Density Solution Concept Dedicated WLAN switch designed for the LV scenario Multiple Channel Blanket layers for stacking capacity Highly 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 Copyright Confidential Extricom Copyright 2013 <15>

16 Extricom High Density Solution Concept (cont.) Mobile device noise mitigation Software algorithms that significantly lower the noise levels created by the mobile devices (AKA Honey Pot ) US approved patent Lower TCO and ease of deployment Typical deployment of a hundred of APs for a 10K to 20K seats arena compared to several hundreds of APs at competitive solutions Straightforward placement of APs over the existing infrastructure Extricom Copyright Confidential <16>

17 Cloud-Based Management for High-Density Deployments Cloud-based architecture Managing fixed and onetime deployments Multiple user levels Real-time event data Extensive offline reporting Central monitoring of all system components Managed services model Extricom Copyright Confidential <17>

18 Cloud-Based Management RT Reports Extricom Copyright Confidential <18>

19 Sample Data From an NBA Arena #1 Maximum clients at a single event: 4,176 Extricom Copyright Confidential <19>

20 Sample Data From an NBA Arena #2 December 2013 event: Clients and Throughput Extricom Copyright Confidential <20>

21 Design Considerations - Purpose Fan engagement Advertizing & promotions Streaming and replays Merchandize & M-commerce Gambling And, also generic surfing Extricom Copyright Confidential <21>

22 Design Considerations - Venue Indoor/outdoor Mobile Users Number and distribution of connected/active users 2.4Ghz / 5GHz bands segmentation Area to be covered (type of antenna), Number of seats VIP suites Dedicated journalist section Bowl vs. concourse vs. administrative Extricom Copyright Confidential <22>

23 Design Considerations - Coexistence With existing WLAN equipment With Wireless devices to be supported, like Point-of-Sale Cellular Offload Extricom Copyright Confidential <23>

24 Design Considerations Bandwidth Applications profile Aggregated Mbps Capacity per active user Infrastructure connection speed to the Internet Regulatory domain (e.g. use of channel 13) Extricom Copyright Confidential <24>

25 Designing A Deployment - Hardware Mounting options for APs and antennas Catwalk Wall mount Scoreboard Billboards Cabinets for Switches Length of cables Extricom Copyright Confidential <25>

26 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential <26>

27 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential <27>

28 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 APs 2. Switch Cascade - supporting up to 32 APs 3. Large Scale supporting up to 128 APs Extricom Copyright Confidential <28>

29 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential <29>

30 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential <30>

31 Scaling Up Capacity With 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential <31>

32 Agenda Large Venues The Channel Blanket Technology Extricom Large Venue Solution Example Deployments Extricom Copyright Confidential <32>

33 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, USA Venetian/Palazzo Casinos/Malls, Las Vegas, USA Kings 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) Extricom Copyright Confidential <33>

34 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 capability for 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential <34>

35 Selected Customer Success Stories Toyota Center (USA) We had the challenge of providing 3 full days of Wi-Fi in a very crowded arena, guaranteeing VIP fans with specially secured, fully-reliable Wi-Fi throughout the event, numerous journalists dependent on us for their live, oncamera 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 Extricom Copyright Confidential Extricom Copyright 2013 <35>

36 Thank You