Wireless Networking - The Irish FA
Customer: The Irish FA
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Requirements: A reliable high performance Wi-Fi network
Equipment: 20 x Wi-Fi 6 access points and 2 x 2.5Gb/10Gb managed PoE switches using the EnGenius AI single pane Cloud Platform
The Requirement
As part of an ongoing refurbishment to the IT infrastructure at the Windsor Park Stadium in Belfast, it was decided that a new Wi-Fi solution was also needed. The existing Wi-Fi network had been problematic for some time and was no longer able to meet the stringent requirements demanded by UEFA to enable the Irish FA to meet the requirements of the visiting media parties and existing staff users.
The Irish FA had been awarded the ‘Super Cup’, an extremely high-profile football match where the winners of the champions league and the winners of the UEFA European Cup go head-to-head. This match was due to be watched by millions around the world, so the pressure to ensure everything ran smoothly was immense. The many stipulations from UEFA included the provision of a high-performance Wi-Fi network throughout the stadium for the press, media tribune, visiting UEFA officials and staff. The journalists and representatives who were due to attend would be generating and distributing large video and data files to news desks around the world in a High Definition format, so speed and reliability were essential for them to carry out their roles effectively.
The Right Product
Several manufacturers solutions were considered for the project with the EnGenius solution amongst those selected to trial in the stadium. The EnGenius portfolio of networking solutions provide an enterprise level Wi-Fi solution which includes internal and external access points as well as Cloud managed PoE switches that can all be managed via an AI Cloud platform that uses FaaS Technology enabling an SLA of 99.99%. The switch range uses 1Gb, 2.5Gb and 10Gb (including Multiport 2.5Gb and 10Gb switches) allowing you to take advantage of increased Wi-Fi 6 speed capability.
Incorporating latest standards, and without any ongoing subscription costs and licence fees, the EnGenius solution provided everything necessary to meet the Irish FA’s needs, add to that a limited lifetime warranty and free Firmware upgrades for Life, made EnGenius the obvious choice for this project.
Design and Installation
The original design was to incorporate blanket coverage at the stadium’s media tribune for over several hundred visiting media and also the stadium staff involved in the smooth running of the fixture. This specific design allowed for the live transmission of High Definition video streams. It then became necessary for additional coverage to be available at several areas surrounding the stadium, which fell outside of the stadiums LAN.
20 of the latest Wi-Fi 6 4x4 Cloud access points were installed in and around the stadium with the minimum setup and configuration. Wi-Fi 6 provides increases speed, flexibility and scalability whilst offering outstanding performance and security. Essential for a prestigious sporting venue to operate successfully. 2 X ECS2512FP Cloud Managed 2.5Gb PoE high-speed back bone switches with 10G uplinks were utilised to achieve the data rates required to provide seamless performance.
The Result
The Tournament was a great success with the EnGenius solution performing to the highest levels required.
“The benefits of this Wi-Fi system will continue for many years. The original requirement to provide wireless coverage was seen as a resounding success by UEFA and the visiting media. One major added benefit is the flexibility to provide wireless networks at other venues easily and quickly where required. The ease of portability and zero touch configuration of the EnGenius product allows us to simply redeploy existing product at any other stadiums, as we have already done with great success. We are now able to provide a portable Wi-Fi solution with blanket Wi-Fi coverage of any temporary event with minimal fuss and a quick seamless set up.”
Thomas Fulton, Head of Stadium Technology.
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