Wi-Fi, DAS ready for CES crowds at Las Vegas Convention Center

January 1, 2018 by Paul Kapustka 1 Comment

The crowded show floor at last year’s CES. Credit: CES

Like the Rat Pack and the Riveria, bad wireless connectivity at CES is something that should be part of ancient Las Vegas history, thanks to the relatively new DAS and Wi-Fi networks that now cover the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In December 2016, Cox Business/Hospitality Network and InSite Wireless Group finished the deployment of an $18 million neutral-host distrubuted antenna system (DAS) covering the LVCC, one that is used (and was mainly paid for) by the four top U.S. wireless carriers. Combined with a free-to-the-public Wi-Fi network in the LVCC deployed by Cox Business 3 years ago, attendees at big conventions like the yearly CES gathering should have no problem connecting their mobile devices, either via cellular or Wi-Fi, while in the sprawling LVCC.

Though it’s not a stadium, for big events like the 175,000-strong CES the LVCC can see Super Bowl-type wireless traffic numbers, not a great surprise since convention attendees may even use their devices more than sports fans on event days. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, at last year’s CES the LVCC’s Wi-Fi network saw more than 200,000 unique device connections, and carried more than 6.4 terabytes of data, numbers that the LVCVA expect to be exceeded at this year’s CES in early January 2018.

And while DAS traffic numbers have not been reported, it’s a good guess that the new network saw heavy use as well last year, finally completing the LVCVA’s goal to bring up-to-date connectivity to its main convention halls.

Big halls mean a big design challenge

Editor’s note: This profile is from our most recent STADIUM TECH REPORT for Winter 2017-18, which is available for FREE DOWNLOAD from our site. This issue has an in-depth look at the wireless networks at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of the upcoming Super Bowl 52, as well as profiles of network deployments at the brand-new Little Caesars Arena and Orlando City Stadium! DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY today!

A DAS antenna outside the main entrance. Credit: LVCVA

Several years ago, the Wi-Fi connectivity inside the LVCC halls was a crapshoot, with an existing network of approximately 166 APs having to compete for spectrum space with thousands of phone-based Wi-Fi hotspots. According to John Fountain Jr., director of network technology for Cox Business, the network deployed by Cox ahead of the 2015 CES show has approximately 2,000 Cisco access points in and around the LVCC, with more portable APs added for temporary structures like the big tents that are set up in the parking lots.

Though the network operators still have to work around the challenge of folks who are trying to run their convention business operations off a device-based hotspot — or as Fountain calls them, “a ‘non-provided AP,’ ” with its new network capacity Cox can offer reasonably priced Wi-Fi services to booths, with separate and secure SSIDs. The good news is, since most device hotspots still operate on 2.4 GHz spectrum, it leaves the wider 5 GHz spectrum open for direct device connections.

“The vast majority of devices [for attendees] are now on 5 GHz,” said Fountain.

Like many stadiums, the physical construction of the LVCC’s halls presented a challege for Wi-Fi deployment, especially the high ceilings and the long spans between walls in the seemingly never-ending main rooms. “The halls mainly have ceiling heights between 35 and 50 feet, and for Wi-Fi anything above 35 feet is problematic,” Fountain said. Cox solved some of the issues by using Gillaroo antennas, the flat-panel devices that can help direct the Wi-Fi signals in a particular direction.

Overhead Wi-Fi antenna hanging from the ceiling. Credit: LVCVA

Fountain also said that Cox ended up having to put 80 local nodes in the LVCC ceiling areas, just to get switches close enough to APs since there sometimes weren’t enough wall spaces in rooms that are up to a quarter mile in length. The Wi-Fi network is fed by a redundant 10 Gbps fiber connection and used 40 miles of new fiber. With the costs for new wiring included, Fountain said the Wi-Fi network cost Cox $12 million to deploy.

Getting the carriers to pay for DAS

And even though the current trend of the industry is seeing the big wireless carriers seeking to spend less on DAS deployments at large venues, the LVCVA didn’t have much of a problem convincing the wireless providers to pony up. Lawrence Roney, executive director of information technology for the LVCVA, said that the carriers’ desire to maintain good coverage for their customers at big events — especially CES, where carriers often announce new services and devices — made paying for the LVCC DAS an easy sell.

With the big conventions, the LVCC “brings customers to the carriers, so I have better luck getting funding,” said Roney, who said the LVCVA didn’t pay any of the system’s $18 million cost. The new DAS, he said, has 295 antenna locations that provide the equivalent of 14 cell sites of coverage, with 44 total zones, 38 indoor and six outdoor. Cox and InSite used the CorningONE system for the DAS, and the new network also has its own new 5,500-square foot head end room with backup power and cooling systems. Launched just before last year’s CES, Roney said he “didn’t hear a peep” about bad cellular connections, the no-news-is-good-news sign that your network is performing up to expectations.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, Cisco, DAS, Wi-Fi Tagged With: 4G LTE, AT&T, CES, CES 2018, Cisco, Cox Business, DAS, InSite Wireless, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Convention Center, LVCC, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi

New report: U.S. Bank Stadium Wi-Fi network is ready for Super Bowl LII

December 26, 2017 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

There is nothing like hosting a Super Bowl to give your stadium network the ultimate stress test. But with Super Bowl LII (aka Super Bowl 52) on the near horizon, the Wi-Fi and cellular networks at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis seem more than ready to handle the demand, as we found out on a recent game-day visit. Our full in-depth report on the stadium’s networks is the lead profile in our new STADIUM TECH REPORT, now available for free download from our site!

Inside the report our editorial coverage includes:

— U.S. Bank Stadium Wi-Fi and DAS networks: An in-depth look at the wireless networks that will host crowds at Super Bowl 52 in February, complete with on-site network tests from a game day visit;

— Little Caesars Arena and District Detroit: A first look at the Wi-Fi network inside the new home of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, with analysis of its reach into the surrounding city area;

— Orlando City Stadium profile: A look at the new wireless connectivity in the MLS stadium in Orlando;

— Las Vegas Convention Center: A look at the new DAS and relatively new Wi-Fi networks at the building that hosts major conventions, such as the yearly CES show.

We’d like to take a quick moment to thank our sponsors, which for this issue include Mobilitie, Crown Castle, CommScope, JMA Wireless, Corning, Huber+Suhner, American Tower, 5 Bars, Cox Business, and Boingo. Their generous sponsorship makes it possible for us to offer this content free of charge to our readers.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY TODAY and get up to speed on the latest developments in the stadium networking market!

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AmpThink, Cisco, DAS, MSR Guides, NFL, Super Bowl, VenueNext, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: 4G LTE, AmpThink, Aruba, CES, Cisco, DAS, Las Vegas Convention Center, Little Caesars Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota Vikings, Mobile Sports Report, NFL, Orlando City Stadium, Paul Kapustka, Stadium Wi-Fi, Super Bowl, U.S. Bank Stadium, Venuetize, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi

Verizon: U.S. Bank Stadium DAS already seeing more traffic than Super Bowl 51

December 7, 2017 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

A new Verizon DAS antenna handrail enclosure (right) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (The enclosure lower left is for Wi-Fi). Credit all photos: Paul Kapustka, MSR (click on any photo for a larger image)

The trend of fans continuing to use more and more wireless data at big sporting events shows no sign of slowing down, especially after Verizon Wireless said that it’s already seeing more cellular traffic at Vikings home games this year than it saw at Super Bowl 51.

Verizon, which built the neutral-host distributed antenna system (DAS) for cellular carriers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, also said it increased the DAS antenna count by 48 percent at the venue this past offseason, in order to better support the expected surge coming at Super Bowl 52 on Feb. 4, 2018. At a press event at the stadium today, Verizon said it now has approximately 1,200 DAS antennas of its own at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“We’re very confident” that both the DAS and Verizon’s networks will be more than ready to handle the Super Bowl when it comes to Minneapolis at the end of this current NFL season, said Diana Scudder, executive director for network assurance at Verizon, in a phone interview earlier this week. Though the stadium opened in 2016 with a fully functional DAS, Scudder said Verizon spent the past offseason adding more capacity for its customers with additional DAS antennas in a variety of deployment methods, including antennas in enclosures both under-seat and in handrails, as well as in pole-mounted deployments along standing-room drink railings in both end zone concourses.

It’s selfie time on the drink-rail concourse area, where a DAS antenna looms on a pole behind

Though Scudder declined to say exactly how many DAS antennas there are in the building, with the new “48 percent” additional antennas Verizon said it now has 100 DAS zones throughout the venue, including the seating bowl, concourses, suites, and outdoor DAS coverage surrounding the stadium. But perhaps the most surprising reveal was that in-stadium DAS traffic at Vikings home games this season have already produced single-game numbers that Scudder said were greater than those seen inside the stadium at Super Bowl 51, held Feb. 5 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Pay attention here, because the italicized distinction is important.

Under-seat, handrail and drink-railing DAS

Given Verizon’s historic coyness on numbers, it’s no surprise that Scudder did not provide an exact number for the Vikings in-stadium DAS traffic that she said surpassed Super Bowl 51’s mark. She also didn’t disclose what the in-stadium only DAS number was for Verizon at NRG Stadium. The only reported Verizon number for DAS traffic at Super Bowl 51, 11 terabytes of traffic, includes data not just from the stadium, but also from macro network connections within a 2-mile radius of the stadium on game day, Scudder said. So far, Verizon hasn’t provided a Vikings regular-season game-day measurement for traffic outside the stadium as well. So if it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison yet, if the in-stadium marks are already higher, the bet is that whatever total number Verizon sees at Super Bowl LII, it will be greater than the 11 TB seen at Super Bowl LI.

It’s also not surprising that the DAS installation at U.S. Bank Stadium is already looking like it will surpass NRG Stadium’s marks, simply because with the advantage of greenfield construction, all networks at U.S. Bank Stadium were designed with some of the latest deployment knowledge available. At NRG Stadium, where networks were added well after construction, Verizon deployed DAS antennas under the concrete floors, an easier deployment method but one that typically produces lower throughput than other methods. And for Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Verizon added under-seat DAS antennas in what was believed to be the first such deployment for cellular DAS.

Two DAS antennas hang from a pole above the main concourse

AmpThink, which built the Wi-Fi network in U.S. Bank Stadium relying on handrail-mounted AP enclosures, seems to have played a hand in part of Verizon’s DAS upgrade, as some of the new DAS enclosures seem to mimic the Wi-Fi ones. Scudder did say that Verizon used contractors to assist with the new antenna deployment enclosures and mounts, but did not cite AmpThink by name. The new under-seat DAS deployments and the handrail DAS deployments are Verizon-specific, meaning they are not part of the neutral host DAS that provides service for other cellular carriers.

In addition to overhead DAS antennas mounted pretty much everywhere it would make sense — below overhangs, and even in twin-antenna mounts on poles hanging down over concourse walkways — there are now a series of DAS antennas mounted on poles just above the main-concourse end-zone standing areas, where fans can lean against drink rails while watching the game. In a pregame test on Nov. 19 for a Vikings home game against the Los Angeles Rams, MSR tests saw DAS speeds of 77.35 Mpbs download and 32.40 Mbps upload on one of the end-zone concourse areas.

Even up in the most nosebleed of seats — in U.S. Bank Stadium’s case, section 345, which has seats almost touching the roof in the southwest corner, we got a DAS speedtest on the Verizon network of 60.87 Mbps / 44.22 Mbps, most likely from some antennas we could see mounted just above the seats on ventilation pipes a bit toward the field. And hanging from the middle of U.S. Bank Stadium’s roof are a pair of Matsing Ball antennas, which point down to provide cellular service for media and photographers on the sidelines, as well as for floor seating for concerts and other events.

Demand for bandwidth is ‘insatiable’

According to Scudder, any and all antennas are all needed, both for Vikings home games at the 66,200-seat venue, but also for the Super Bowl, where additional seating will host more fans, media and other attendees for the NFL’s championship game.

“The consumer appetite [for wireless data] is insatiable,” Scudder said, noting that these days Verizon pretty much plans to see double whatever the last Super Bowl saw for each following big game. Verizon’s deployments don’t end at U.S. Bank Stadium’s walls, either. According to Scudder over the past 2 years Verizon engineers have been busy adding capacity all over Minneapolis, including in downtown areas, at the Minneapolis airport, and at the nearby Mall of America.

“We’ve been partnering with the Twin Cities for 2 years now and they are very receptive and want to have the latest technology here,” Scudder said. Scudder also said that all the improvements, in DAS, small cell deployments and macro towers, will remain as permanent solutions, helping keep Minneapolis a Super-connected city even after the big game is over.

DAS antennas hang down from the overhang above a suite area

Even at the highest elevation seats in the venue, DAS coverage is excellent, provided in this case by antennas mounted on the ventilation pipes above (see next photo for close-up)

DAS antennas seen mounted below ventilation pipes

Two ‘Matsing Ball’ antennas hanging from center roof beams (this photo courtesy Verizon)

Under-seat DAS antenna (this photo courtesy Verizon)

Filed Under: 4G LTE, DAS, Levi's Stadium, NFL, Super Bowl, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: 4G LTE, DAS, Houston, Levi's Stadium, Matsing ball, Minneapolis, Minnesota Vikings, Mobile Sports Report, NFL, NRG Stadium, Paul Kapustka, Stadium Wi-Fi, Super Bowl, Super Bowl 50, Super Bowl 51, Super Bowl 52, Super Bowl LI, Super Bowl LII, U.S. Bank Stadium, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi

NFS wins $8 M judgement against SignalShare, and $5.7 M judgement against former SignalShare exec

November 16, 2017 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Screen shot of nGage Fan Feed. Credit: SignalShare

UPDATE: Information added to original draft, since MSR now has copies of the actual court documents.

The drama surrounding the fraud charges leveled early last year against former Wi-Fi provider firm SignalShare seems to be reaching a conclusion, with court documents showing that NFS Leasing has been awarded $8 million in damages from SignalShare, and $5.7 million in damages from an ex-SignalShare exec.

To quickly recall the case, SignalShare, a company involved in bringing Wi-Fi networks and associated fan-experience apps to stadiums, was sued by NFS, an equipment leasing company, over a dispute involving allegedly fraudulent leases by SignalShare, and SignalShare’s default on an agreement to pay back money obtained through those leases. Originally NFS sought $7.8 million in damages.

According court documents that are also quoted in a Law 360 report, a judge in Massachussetts federal court granted summary judgement in NFS’ favor Wednesday, with an $8 million judgement against Signal Point Holdings Corp., a SignalShare subsidiary, and a $5.7 million judgement against former SignalShare exec Christopher Barnes. According to court documents, the judge also voided an attempt by SignalShare to move assets between other companies owned by the same owners as SignalShare.

To recap the original story — SignalShare had originally partnered with Wi-Fi gear vendor Extreme Networks on deployments for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the University of Maryland and the Detroit Red Wings, all apparently legitimate deals. SignalShare later touted its Live-Fi nGage suite, a system that was meant to combine content, analytics and advertising links to give venue owners and operators a turnkey method to improve fan engagement and perhaps increase revenue opportunities for large-venue Wi-Fi networks.

According to a previous Law360 story, the lawsuit from NFS Leasing claimed that SignalShare “began requesting financing from NFS for purchasing equipment for fictitious contracts,” using forged, altered and falsified documents for deals that didn’t exist. From that Law360 report, which quotes from the legal complaint:

“[SignalShare] would represent to NFS that it had entered into an agreement with a sports arena or team and would induce NFS to provide funding for the acquisition of the allegedly-needed equipment,” the complaint said.

SignalShare would provide fake or forged invoices for the equipment it allegedly ordered, or provide fictitious serial numbers for items allegedly purchased and installed in the fraudulent contracts, the complaint said.

Between May 20, 2014 and May 21, 2015, SignalShare conned NFS into advancing funds on 10 fraudulent lease transactions to the tune of $4.9 million, the complaint said.

Costanzo charged, then cleared

The case had several twists and turns along the way, including the charging and then exoneration of former SignalShare chief technical officer Joe Costanzo, who was one of the SignalShare execs personally named in the first lawsuit. Costanzo, who ran the technical operations of SignalShare, claimed he was misled by his own company and had filed counter-claims against NFS.

This past August court documents said that NFS Leasing had dismissed all of its claims against Costanzo “without costs to either party.” Costanzo, who had filed a counter-claim against NFS, also dismissed his action.

In the summer of 2016, NFS had announced an auction of SignalShare assets, including such entities as the network lease for providing Wi-Fi to the Golden State Warriors. However, that planned auction was cancelled when SignalShare filed for bankruptcy. Along the way, executives from Extreme Networks have continually refused to comment on any details of their partnership with SignalShare.

Filed Under: Apps, Extreme Networks, Golden State Warriors, NBA, Wi-Fi Tagged With: Apps, Christopher Barnes, Extreme Networks, Golden State Warriors, Joe Costanzo, Joe Louis Arena, Mobile Sports Report, NFS Leasing, Paul Kapustka, Signal Point Holdings, SignalShare, Stadium Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi, new app features a welcome addition at historic Saratoga Race Course

November 10, 2017 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Horses round the turn at Saratoga Race Course. Credit all photos: Saratoga Race Course.

Just because a sporting venue is old and historic doesn’t mean it has to stay behind the times. The welcome arrival this year at the famed Saratoga Race Course of a high-density Wi-Fi network and a new mobile app with services including live video, express food ordering and mobile betting was a winner for all fans, according to racetrack executives.

“I’m pretty proud of Saratoga — we’ve got history, tradition, and now the 21st Century,” said Bob Hughes, vice president and chief information officer for the New York Racing Association, which runs thoroughbred racing at the Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based Saratoga as well as at Aqueduct Racetrack and Belmont Park. The new Wi-Fi network, which was fully installed for Saratoga’s 2017 season, “was a wild success for us,” Hughes said. “The fans were engaged, and the media noticed.”

Saratoga’s summer schedule — a tradition in upstate New York since racing first happened there in 1863 — is one of the more revered happenings on the horse-racing schedule, and the Race Course grounds are widely admired as one of the best experiences in sports. But up until a few years ago, that experience didn’t have much in the way of wireless connectivity, an issue Hughes said the NYRA started working on to correct after the 2015 season.

More mobility for race fans

With an executive direction to bring more mobility, access and convenience to fans, Saratoga started down the path that ended with a network using 220 Ruckus access points, Kezar scanners and a new app designed by VenueNext, and 1,000 bluetooth beacons from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, to support wayfinding and other services. With more than 48,000 client user sessions on one of the summer’s busiest days — the Aug. 26 Travers Day — and an average of more than 1 terabyte of traffic each day, the new network at Saratoga was an instant hit, and something likely to keep the old venue even more relevant to a new generation of racing fans.

“The New York Racing Association was pleased this year to introduce cutting edge technology to Saratoga Race Course, the oldest active sporting venue in America,” said NYRA CEO and president Chris Kay in a prepared statement. “Given our ever growing reliance on mobile devices, these improvements are critical to the long-term success and sustainability of Saratoga.”

The unique schedule of Saratoga — 40 days of racing in the summer — also means some long days of races, with fans at the track from before noon until 7 p.m. some days, Hughes said. With the new network and app in place, those fans can not only stay connected to their outside lives, but they can also watch live and archived racing videos, pre-order concessions for express pickup, and even place bets from their mobile device.

“With 25 or 30 minutes between races, you now see a lot of people watching replays of former races” to gain betting insights, Hughes said. And that connectivity even extends from the racetrack seating areas out to the track’s famed picnic grounds, where Hughes said Saratoga deployed “mushroom” looking AP enclosures that put antennas at waist level, to bring connectivity close to the seating areas.

From the more than 1 million fans who attended races this season, Hughes said the Wi-Fi network saw pretty consistent take rates of 25 percent of fans present on the network at any given time. Having that wireless connectivity to outside lives as well as to tap into venue amenities, Hughes said, “takes any stress away.”

Filed Under: Apps, Aruba, Horse Racing, Live sports via mobile, VenueNext, Wi-Fi Tagged With: Apps, Horse Racing, Mobile Sports Report, NYRA, Paul Kapustka, Saratoga Race Course, Stadium Wi-Fi, Travers Day, VenueNext, Wi-Fi

AT&T sees 9 TB of wireless data use at World Series

November 3, 2017 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

The latest statistic showing that wireless data use at sports venues continues to grow comes from AT&T, which said that it saw 9 terabytes of wireless data use on its networks at this year’s World Series games, an 80 percent increase from last year’s total of 5 TB.

According to AT&T, the biggest single-game use of this year’s series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros came during Game 2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where fans on AT&T networks used 1.5 TB of data. An AT&T blog post about the series has some interesting statistics about when data use surged, mainly right after dramatic events took place on the field.

Last year, AT&T said it saw 5 TB of data used on its networks at Wrigley Field and Progressive Field during the seven-game series between the Cubs and the Indians. We don’t have any Wi-Fi data yet from either park this year but it will be interesting to see what happened on the network at Minute Maid Park in Houston during the phenomenal Game 5, a contest that kept many baseball fans up late at night.

Verizon Wireless said it didn’t keep track of DAS statistics for this year’s World Series games.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, Baseball, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, DAS, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi Tagged With: 4G LTE, AT&T, DAS, Dodger Stadium, Houston Astros, Minute Maid Park, MLB, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Stadium Wi-Fi, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi, World Series