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BelAir Networks and FibreTech Bring Wi-Fi To The Waterloo Inn & Conference Centre; Five BelAir200 Units Provide Wi-Fi Access Throughout Entire Hotel DALLAS --(Business Wire)-- June 23, 2004 -- BelAir Networks, the leading supplier of wireless internetworking infrastructure solutions, and FibreTech Telecommunications, the community-owned telecom company in Waterloo, Ontario, today announced the deployment of a Wi-Fi network throughout The Waterloo Inn & Conference Centre--the premier conference centre in Canada's Waterloo Region.The network -- enabled using just five BelAir200 units -- allows guests to wirelessly access the Internet for e-mail, Web surfing, corporate VPN, file transfer and instant messaging whether they're in a guestroom, meeting room, lobby area or anywhere on the surrounding hotel grounds. "More than 6,000 hotels worldwide are Wi-Fi-enabled, and that number is expected to triple by the end of the year, so wireless Internet access is a must-have for us to remain competitive," said Mary D'Alton, President and Managing Director of The Waterloo Inn & Conference Centre. "As the premier business hotel in this region, we had to install the very best, most reliable wireless network available." Unlike traditional approaches to wireless internetworking reviewed by FibreTech, the hotel's service provider, BelAir's outdoor cellular LAN architecture radically speeded deployment from weeks to days, simplified network configuration, and provided complete hotel coverage with no need for indoor access points and the associated wires, cabling, cost and inconvenience. The new wireless network provides complete Wi-Fi access to all guestrooms, several meeting rooms and the main-floor banquet hall in the uniquely L-shaped Waterloo Inn. The coverage area includes the facility's two-story and four-story section, as well as the courtyard, indoor pool and lower level meeting areas. "BelAir's outdoor-in approach allowed us to cover the complete complex with only four units mounted around the perimeter of the hotel on existing parking lot light poles, and a fifth unit in the center courtyard," says Steven McCartney, president and CEO, FibreTech. "A simple re-arrangement of the parking light electrical system got us the 24/7 electrical power we needed. And, since both the access and backhaul portions of the network are wireless, we had no excavation cost or outdoor cabling to the BelAir200 units. More importantly, we didn't need to install data drops to each and every guestroom and all the other areas that required coverage." "Providing Wi-Fi coverage for an entire hotel is very challenging using traditional indoor Wi-Fi systems because there are so many hard walls on each floor with guestrooms. Many more access points are required, and typically, a new wired network must be installed to interconnect interior access points. This is time consuming, expensive and disruptive to guests." said Phil Belanger, vice-president of marketing, BelAir Networks. "Our solution uses a few nodes to cover the entire hotel. They are placed outside of the building and interconnected wirelessly so installation is fast - days instead of weeks - hotel guests are not disturbed, and the system costs lest to deploy than wired or wireless alternatives for high speed internet access." The BelAir200 is a four-radio, wireless internetworking platform available in multiple configurations that can be used to build Wi-Fi networks for a single private building or scale up to carrier grade, city-wide networks. It is built around a high-performance network processing core, and can be configured with multiple, independent Wi-Fi access and backhaul radio modules. The system is designed for outdoor use and can be mounted directly on light poles in parking lots or on city streets. Multiple BelAir200 systems are interconnected by a multiple point-to-point wireless mesh that provides a carrier grade wireless backbone network and allows for placement of BelAir200 systems near desired coverage areas. About FibreTech FibreTech Telecommunications Inc. is the community-owned telecom company held indirectly by all the cities & townships within the Region of Waterloo. FibreTech began in 1998 through its electric utility legacy by building fiber optic connections between multi-site manufacturers and insurance companies and has evolved to be the premier high-speed data company in the Region connecting all the Public and Catholic schools, universities and major corporations requiring highly-reliable, ultra high-speed service. FibreTech continues its technology leadership role in the development of Wi-Fi wireless Internet access ensuring that the Region of Waterloo remains the best connected area in Canada. http://www.fibretech.net About BelAir Networks BelAir Networks is a wireless infrastructure supplier that provides advanced, multi-service, wireless networking solutions built around Wi-Fi, WiMAX and cellular technologies and optimized for high density hot zone and metro deployments. BelAir Networks wireless solutions are designed for metro Wi-Fi, hotels, conference and convention centers, higher education campuses, transportation centers and corridors, and Federal Government networks. They are built on a patented point-to-point wireless mesh architecture that provides a high capacity wireless backbone. This mesh is combined with modular internetworking platforms designed for outdoor deployment to provide coverage over large areas and into buildings. The complete BelAir Networks offering is designed to simplify wireless infrastructures, reduce capital and operating expenditures, and deliver unmatched coverage, capacity and deployment flexibility. www.belairnetworks.com |
