Wi-Fi FAQ’s

Connecting wirelessly at events has changed in recent years from a “nice to have” to a “must have”. The influx of mobile devices has seen to that, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance there are now around 800 million Wi-Fi enabled devices being produced each year.

Enabling your delegates to connect wirelessly at your next event is no longer a consideration; along with Heating, Catering and Lighting, Wi-Fi should be at the top of your list. There are however quite a few questions to cover the basics. Here is a selection of the ones put to us most regularly..

1) What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is a general term, which typically refers to “wireless fidelity.” The term itself was trademarked by the Wi-Fi Alliance for the purposes of certifying products which use Wi-Fi technology. The term “Wi-Fi” is most often used in conjunction with wireless Internet networking. In other words, it is a way to access the Internet or a network without the use of cables or wires allowing for truly mobile technology.

2) The event covers two floors in the building, will delegates be able to access the Wi-Fi from all areas of the building?

Yes – as long as we can deploy Array’s on both floors however sometimes the signal propagates through the floors sufficiently.

4) Will the Wi-Fi only be available in certain areas of the venue i.e. a hot spot?

If clients would like delegates to only be able to connect to the Wi-Fi within certain areas, for example within a lounge or Expo area only then yes it is possible i.e. We can position 1 Array in a selected area and only those within reasonable(certain) range of this Array will have wireless internet. Another way of doing this is to hide the SSID (Service Set Identifier) or password protect the Wi-Fi so that not everyone can use it.

5) Is it possible to ensure that delegates will have access to Wi-Fi at all times, anywhere in the venue for the duration of the event?

Yes, we make sure that delegates are continuously connected at all times.

6) Will the Wi-Fi solution you put in place be able to cope with multiple devices?

Yes – For example if you have 100 delegates attending your event they may each have 3 separate devices on their person at any one time, nowadays it is becoming more common place for people to carry a smart phone, tablet, laptop, therefore we would cater for circa 300 devices (3:1 device to delegate ratio)

7) What if our event is hugely successful and more people turn up than we had originally planned for?

During the planning phase, we will scope the project taking into account unexpected eventualities. One part of this would be by making sure we deploy the right amount of Array’s but with more radios within each Array than you would initially need. The beauty of this is that we can turn on more radios if need be. As the radios do not all need to be active at the same time we can scale the Wi-Fi signal up and down accordingly, this gives us great flexibility throughout the event.

8) My event is outside – can I have Wi-Fi outside?

Yes indeed.

9) What if it rains?

Apart from the obvious and hovering over an Array with your trusted umbrella. We can house the Array’s in waterproof cases.

10) What about the Wi-Fi solution that is already in place at the venue? Will it prevent your Wi-Fi solution from working?

It could cause interference, yes however we would only know by performing a series of tests on-site. In some cases to ensure a consistent experience we do take the decision to turn off the in-house Wi-Fi.

11) Will we need wired internet as a backup, should the wireless fail?

Internet and Wi-Fi are two entirely different things – wired and wireless are just two different avenues that people use to connect to the internet, so if the wireless fails and you don’t have wired access you won’t have a way to access the internet full stop. If the internet fails then a wireless or wired device will not be receiving any internet service.

12) I have an internet bandwidth of 2mb in the building, we are expecting 1000 delegates, will this be enough?

No – but precisely what we would recommend would be driven by the type of usage you have in mind for the internet. If delegates are going to be streaming video and highly graphical content then the internet pipe will indeed need to be larger. Will delegates be uploading to the internet or just downloading? Are they planning on doing demos over the web etc. These are all aspects which need consideration as they impact heavily on the Wi-Fi solution that will work best for you.

13) Can you bring twice as much Wi-Fi with you and just double the size of our internet?

No, we can’t bring anything with us to site which will increase the bandwidth of the internet that is already in place, however you will be able to contact your internet provider in advance and request an up-grade. We will work closely with you and the venue to make sure it is sufficient for your event.

For more information on a secure and reliable Wi-Fi solution that meets the needs of your clients and delegates for your next event please contact one of our team.