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Meru Provides High-Speed 802.11n Wireless Network for NFL Draft
May 06, 2009 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) --
Attendees at the 2009 National Football League Draft on April 25-26 were able to access the Internet, transmit news stories, photos and video footage, update web pages and more using a high-speed Meru Networks 802.11n wireless LAN specially deployed for the event at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
The WLAN was installed by New York City-based communications services provider Transbeam, a longtime provider of networking services at the Radio City Music Hall, to support those following the NFL teams' selection of this year's newly eligible football players. Team affiliates, event organizers, journalists from media such as the New York Times and ESPN, and other attendees were online simultaneously, with each Meru wireless access point supporting up to 100 clients.
Bob Wolff, vice president of event services for Transbeam, said, "At past events we've used micro cell-based wireless products, but their setup and management caused us huge problems and they provided inadequate network visibility and control. For the NFL draft, we needed a solution that was easily installed and managed, offered sufficient signal strength to meet the challenges of Radio City Music Hall's 1930s-era Art Deco construction, and could support high user densities. Meru met these criteria and easily maintained dependable wireless connectivity as more users went online. Meru's virtualized WLAN fits with Transbeam's policy of picking best-of-breed networking products to ensure customer satisfaction, rather than going with a single vendor across the board."
Wolff said a WLAN incorporating the 802.11n standard - while ensuring full backward-compatibility with 802.11a/b/g - was a must, because attendees would be bringing an unpredictable mix of older and newer laptop and handheld devices to cover the NFL draft. Following the event, Transbeam staff found that more than 30 percent of users transmitted their photos and stories using high-speed 802.11n.
The wireless network deployed for the NFL draft used dual-radio AP320 access points supporting Meru's virtualized WLAN architecture. Because AP320s can work in the both 5.0- and 2.4-gigahertz (GHz) radio spectrums, users with newer 11n-equipped laptops or handhelds could occupy the 5.0-GHz band, while those with legacy 802.11b/g clients used the 2.4-GHz band. Like all Meru access points, the AP320 automatically selects a single channel span for use across the venue, layering additional channel spans when more capacity is required. This single-channel approach minimizes the potential for co-channel interference and eliminates the need for costly and tedious channel planning while supporting up to four times more clients than other WLAN solutions.
Meru Networks develops and markets wireless LAN infrastructure solutions that use virtualization to deliver pervasive, high-fidelity wireless service for business-critical voice, video and data applications.
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
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