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Founded
in 1984, Smart City is the nation's largest provider of event technology
in the convention industry. With corporate headquarters in Lake
Buena Vista, Fla., Smart City provides clients with design, installation
and maintenance of data, voice, electrical and utility platforms,
coupled with unparalleled voice, video and data network engineering,
security and monitoring across the United States.
The
challenge:
The
whirlwind of activity that surrounds a tradeshow or convention produces
a highly dynamic wireless environment. The complexity of the wireless
networks at such venues is staggering, with interference from exhibitor
and attendee equipment, hundreds of rogue access points and constantly
fluctuating density as attendees hit the network all at once. Thousands
of Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, cordless cameras and other
personal devices compete for spectrum and cause interference.
The
solution:
To
ensure a secure and well-performing wireless network for tradeshow
attendees, Smart City uses AirMagnet's wireless network assurance
product suite at events such as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
and in venues such as the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando
and the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Smart
City technicians use AirMagnet's Survey Planner to test and troubleshoot
the placement of access points throughout the convention center
facilities, an especially critical task given the tradeshow floor’s
dynamic nature as new walls, structures and exhibitor booths are
assembled. Secondly, they use AirMagnet's Laptop and Handheld Analyzers
to identify uncongested channels for exhibitor use, tune equipment
power settings to minimize interference, and troubleshoot connection
problems with authentication, security and WEP keys. The night prior
to the show's opening, Smart City technicians use these tools to
identify new dead spots, tweak AP settings and placement, and analyze
noise levels.
When
the show is underway, Smart City uses AirMagnet Enterprise to maintain
security and optimize performance, and AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer
to monitor the flood of signals throughout the show, identifying
crowded parts of the spectrum that would lead to dropped connections
and adjust the network accordingly.
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