Stadium Design and Reference Guide with Meru Networks WLAN

Stadium Design & Reference Guide
Open, Flexible and In Control
Updated – 9/3/14
MERU PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. © Copyright 2014. Meru Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. 1

Stadium WiFi – Challenges & Opportunities
Balancing the Fan Experience with the Business of Stadium Management
• Expectations of the “Connected Fan”
– Network Access Everywhere
– Easy to connect
– Speeds comparable to “Starbucks”, with video capabilities
– Note: WiFi and associated apps should COMPLIMENT and AUGMENT the game day experience
• The “Business of Stadium Management”
– Engage fans in a way that generates revenue
• Full stadiums
• Attendee Analytics
• Concession Revenue
– Operate Mission Critical Facilities
• Concessions
• Tickets
• Emergency
• Press Operations
– Not in the IT business!!
• Ease of Use and intuitive management
• Flexible to meet multi-purpose needs (concerts, configurations, etc)
• The problem with Wireless is “All the Wires” – AP Location and RF Planning
MERU PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. © Copyright 2014. Meru Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
2

Key Design Considerations for Stadium WiFi
Devices, Applications & RF Design
• Devices – Number and Type
– Volume of Devices
• Max # of users connected to Wi-Fi
• Max # of users actively using Wi-Fi
– Types of Devices
• Fan – BYOD (all types, all speeds, 2.4 & 5GHz)
• Operations – Scanners, Concessions, Signage,
Communications, Security
• Apps – Complexity & Criticality
– Complexity
• Voice? Video? RealTime? Cached?
– Mission/Business Critical
• Scanners, POS, Security & Business apps, Press
Access – Booth & Field
• Data Capture
– Experience Critical
• Login, League, Social Media, Webo Wi-Fi
required?
• Suites vs. Season Tickets vs. Fans vs. Visitors?
– NOTE: Wired & Wireless must work in
concert to deliver app level performance
– Plan for SDN!!
3
• RF Design
– Location/Location/Location
• In the seat/booth/suite/concourse/escalators
• Sidelines/concessions/press box/locker room
• Parking lots/mass transit/remote locations
• Concerts/Soccer/Special Events
• NOTE : Interference is common and dynamic,
plan accordingly
– Right Tool for the Job
• Right AP / Right Design / Right Antenna type and
placement

The Meru Advantage
802.11ac and Meru
4
• Single Channel Architecture
– Meru’s patented Air Traffic Control RF contention management technology enables
allows Meru to design and deploy pervasive wireless networks on a single channel
without the need for complex and difficult to optimize RF power and channel plans.
• 802.11ac – Gigabit Wi-Fi
– Powered by Meru’s single channel architecture, only Meru can use 80 Mhz wide
channels to provide the FULL 1.3 Gbps capacity of 802.11ac throughout your entire
stadium.
• Network in Control
– Meru’s patented Air Traffic Control RF contention management technology coupled with
Meru’s time based Air Time Fairness allows the wireless network infrastructure to
optimize client and AP RF performance.
• RF Virtualization
– Only Meru “Virtualizes” the wireless Access Point to provide seamless mobility and
roaming across an entire channel layer.
• Channel Layering
– Meru’s Single Channel architecture enables Meru to utilize multiple channels (Channel
Layers) not for coverage, but to provide up to 3x the capacity and performance when
compared to traditional multi-channel Wi-Fi solutions.

Design Considerations - Devices
Understanding and preparing for DENSITY & DIVERSITY
5
– Volume of Devices : “Density”
• Meru supports the highest number of active Wi-Fi devices per AP in
the industry.
• Meru’s unique channel layering capabilities allow you to “build in”
consistent performance, even in the highest density areas of your
stadium.
• With the ability to support in excess of 80 active clients per radio
(160 per AP), Meru can lower the total number of AP’s required.
– Type of Devices : “Diversity”
• Meru’s advanced Airtime Fairness technology insures that fans with
the latest in handheld technology have the best possible Wi-Fi
experience, but not at the cost of frustrating fans with older, legacy
Wi-Fi devices.
• Mission / Business critical devices can take advantage of Meru’s
ability to create Application Specific RF layers anywhere or
everywhere in the stadium, so that they can always “do their job”!
• Implementing a Meru 802.11ac solution insures you can provide a
Wi-Fi infrastructure that will keep your fans coming back for years to
come.

Design Considerations - Applications
Different users, needs and experiences require flexibility and control
6
– Complexity
• Meru manufactures the highest performing 802.11ac access points in the
industry. This provides the freedom to design your WLAN infrastructure to
handle the most challenging data, voice, video and real time applications.
• Meru is the only Enterprise grade 802.11ac offering that allows you to
deploy 802.11ac with 80 Mhz wide channels pervasively throughout your
facility. That’s 1.3 Gbps of Wi-Fi bandwidth for your most challenging
application mix.
– Mission Critical / Business Critical
• Understanding what Wi-Fi based applications are essential to your game
day success allows the Meru system to be designed to provide the robust
and consistent performance required these systems.
• Meru Connect Guest management solution allows you to personalize
experiences (season tickets holders vs. general admission) while also
collecting usage data to feed your upstream analytics applications.
– Experience Critical
• Understanding what your fans want and where in your stadium they want it
allows you to leverage Meru’s unique technological advantages (single
channel, Virtual Cell, channel layering) strategically within your venue to
provide you customers with the World Class Wi-Fi experience they expect.

Design Considerations - Applications
Increase your network lifespan and maintain choice with SDN
7
– Wireless and Wired network infrastructure must work together, regardless
of what the future holds
• Meru is the first Enterprise grade Wi-Fi manufacturer to receive OpenFlow SDN Certification.
• Meru’s support for SDN extends the life of both your wireless and wired network infrastructures
by providing end to end monitoring and control for all of your business critical and fan
experience applications even as demand and load on both infrastructures increases over time.
• SDN can enable future applications that drive additional revenue, increase your network
security and better manage peak demand on your network resources.

Design Considerations - RF Design
Architecting a High Performance Stadium Wi-Fi solution with Meru
8
– Location/Location/Location
• Both RF coverage and capacity requirements will vary greatly within a typical stadium:
• Fan seating areas at each level within the bowl typically have both the highest client per radio requirements
and the longest distances which the RF signal must travel to reach the fan.
• Sidelines typically will have some of the lowest client per radio requirements, but will have some of the highest
priority / most demanding applications running on those clients.
• Luxury suites and press boxes tend to have similar density and demand requirements.
• Fan ingress / egress paths, parking lots and mass transit stations typically exhibit brief spikes of very high user
counts of continuously mobile users.
– Right Tool for the Job
• For each of the scenarios mentioned above, Meru has the optimum selection of Access Points, antennas and
wireless infrastructure design & configuration flexibility to deliver the right solution for each challenge.
• For example:
• Bleacher seating areas may require higher gain, direction panel antennas to get the RF to the fans where
lower bowl box seat areas may afford the opportunity to mount AP’s within fan walkway handrail structures.

Meru Product Portfolio
MC6000
5,000 APs
50,000 clients
200Gbps+
10-GbE
AP832
3x3:3 MIMO
2.6 Gbps
AP332
3x3:3 MIMO
900 Mbps
9
Access Points Controllers Applications
MC4200
500 APs
5,000 clients
10-GbE
MC3200
200 APs
2,000 clients
MC1550
50 APs
1,000 clients
Virtual
Controller
AP822
2x2:2 MIMO
1.2 Gbps
AP1000 Series
2x2:2 MIMO
600 Mbps
E(z)RF
NMS, SAM
Spectrum
Manager
Meru Connect
Guest Connect &
Smart Connect
Appliance
SA 250/A2000
Open Cloud
Virtual
Appliance
VMWare
Cloud
AP122
Wall-plate
2x2:2 MIMO
1.2 Gbps

Meru Stadium Solution WLAN Architecture
Example
• This solution
example utilizes
multiple Meru
MC4200 controllers
assigned to specific
zones within the
stadium.
• This zone based
approach helps in
balancing the client
load across the
entire infrastructure.
• Redundancy is
provided by a 5th
controller acting as
a centralized N+1
backup controller.
Meru has the design
flexibility to utilize
L3 fail over at the
AP level as well.

MeruAssure Game Day Support
The Right Resources at the Right Time
• Game Day Support Services includes the following:
– Direct Access to an assigned Senior Technical Support Engineer
– On-site Technical Support Resources for significant events
– Assigned Service Account Manager
– Three (3) On-site Pro-active Network Assessment and Health Check
engagements
• Opening Day Tune Up (1 month to 1 week prior to season home opener)
• Mid-season Tune Up (extended road trip or All-Star /Bye week break)
• Post Season – Playoff Preparation
– Access to Meru Networks' Customer Support Portal, including Product
Documentation, searchable KnowledgeBase, Best Practices Guides and
more
– Monthly Service and Support Reports
– Preferred Access to Meru Networks Professional Services
• Customized Support options:
– Partner with local, experienced Meru VAR for onsite break fix needs
– Live, real time Meru Remote Support for smaller events

Why Meru WLAN for your Stadium?
Flexible, Proven and Powerful
• Delight Fans with High Capacity Wi-Fi
– Meru offers one of the highest capacity access points, capable of supporting 1.35
Gbps wireless traffic. Meru’s patented channel-layering technology delivers more
than twice the capacity of traditional Wi-Fi solutions, ensuring that fans experience
reliable connectivity even during sold-out events. Concert coming? Simply add
more AP’s to extend the experience to the field
• Reduce Deployment Complexity and Costs
– Meru’s patented RF virtualization technology can cut the cost of planning and
deploying Wi-Fi infrastructure in half. Comprehensive management and proactive
troubleshooting tools enable IT to detect and fix connectivity issues before fans
notice them, greatly reducing the ongoing IT burden and improving fan satisfaction.
• Ensure Operational Efficiency
– Event venues can leverage the same Meru infrastructure to deploy applications such
as mobile ticketing and communications to increase staff productivity and lower
costs.
• Know more about your Network
– Meru provides superior control and visibility of your network, with the ability to
manage performance and spot trouble in real time before it affects fans or
operations. Meru intelligent solutions such as E(z)RF are in use in large stadiums
and public venues every day, helping IT professionals make the right decisions to
drive their business higher.
• And, know more about your fans
– With MeruConnect, policy control, access control, and customer information
management have never been easier. Efficiently manage the different types of
users on the network. Assign special rights, privileges, and service levels
automatically and transparently. Create upsell opportunities for loyal fans and
newcomers alike.

Why Meru for your WLAN Partner
• OPEN
– First to receive OpenFlow SDN Conformance for WiFi
– Wired side agnostic, Focused on App Optimization
– CHOICE and rapid deployment, not vendor lock-in
• AGILE
– Mobility is dynamic by definition, the network needs to be as well
– Meru offers the most flexible set of wireless tools in the market,
giving you multiple architectures to address any need
– NETWORK is in control, not the device
• PROVEN
– 10,000 customers, 13 years of designing for “Hard WiFi”
– Networks from 1 AP to 20,000
– We are experts in RF and WiFi – our Partners drive solutions
– We stand behind what we sell, how we sell it and who we sell it with
MERU PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. © Copyright 2014. Meru Networks, 2013. Inc. All rights reserved.

Meru Stadium Success Stories
14

COVERAGE EXAMPLES

Lower Bowl Coverage example
Initial AP Placement Design
Requirement:
- Provide dual channel layer
coverage in both 2.4Ghz & 5Ghz
spectrum for Lower Bowl fan
seating area.
- AP and antenna placement must
utilize overhead structure from next
level seating.
Solution:
- Utilize mid gain (6 / 7 dbi)
directional panel antennas.
- Mount AP & antennas on the
underside of next level seating
structure.

Predictive RF Coverage Analysis
- Model proposed solution using state of the art
RF predictive modeling tools.
- Validate initial implementation with real time RF
survey tools.

AP’s and Directional Antennas installed

Concourse Coverage example
Initial AP placement design
Requirement:
- Provide single channel layer
spectrum for fan concourse area.
utilize overhead structure from next
level seating.
Solution:
- Utilize a combination of mid gain
(6 / 6 dbi) external omni antennas &
AP integrated omni antennas.
Specific combination based on
exact mounting location and
adjacent structures.
underside of next level seating
structure.

- Model proposed solution using
state of the art RF predictive
modeling tools.
- Validate initial implementation with
real time RF survey tools.

AP’s and Omni Antennas installed

Upper Bowl Coverage example
Requirement:
spectrums for Upper Bowl fan
seating area.
utilize overhead structure from roof
overhang and top of stadium
structure.
Solution:
- Utilize mid gain (6 / 7 dbi)
directional panel antennas.
underside of roof overhang and
available top of stadium structure.

modeling tools.

AP’s and Directional Antennas installed

Concession Area Coverage example
Requirement:
spectrums for fan concession area.
utilize the top of the “bar back” for
the food and beverage service
location.
Solution:
- Utilize stock 2 / 3 dbi dipole
antennas connected directly to
Meru AP and mounted in an “RF
transparent” enclosure.
- Mount AP inside enclosure and
mount enclosure to “bar back”.

modeling tools.

AP’s with internal antennas installed

Stadium Design and Reference Guide with Meru Networks WLAN

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