Wi-Fi at Large Public Venues: Challenges and Best Practices for Great Wi-Fi at LPVs

Introduction

Designing and deploying Wi-Fi networks in large public venues (LPVs) like stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and auditoriums presents a unique set of challenges. Each venue has its own physical layout, building materials, and aesthetic requirements that can impact Wi-Fi performance. In addition, high user densities and varying attendance levels make it crucial to plan for both coverage and capacity. 

The events hosted at these venues can lead to vastly different user behaviors and Wi-Fi usage patterns. Fans at a Taylor Swift concert, for example, will likely share the experience by uploading thousands of videos and pics. On the other hand, users at a sales convention may just use the internet to check email and get some light work done, using far less bandwidth than Swifties at the big show.  

In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of proper Wi-Fi design at LPVs, explore the key challenges that large venues present, and look at best practices and solutions to overcome them, taking into account the diverse needs of different events and user groups. 

For more information on Wi-Fi design at LPVs, watch our recent webinar “Crowd Control: Boosting Wi-Fi Performance with External Antennas in Public Venues.” 

Challenges to Designing High-Performance Wi-Fi at LPVs

Providing a consistently strong Wi-Fi experience across an entire venue – and not just certain sections of the venue – is a tall order. The distinct characteristics of LPVs, such as their large size, complex layouts, and high user densities, can significantly impact the performance and reliability of Wi-Fi networks. In addition, the diverse range of events hosted at LPVs, each with its own specific requirements and user behavior patterns, can also complicate the design process.

To ensure a seamless user experience across a venue, it’s key to address these challenges effectively. Some of those challenges include:

• Varying attendance/utilization levels: LPVs can have tens of thousands of users simultaneously demanding high bandwidth, affecting Wi-Fi design considerations. Under-seat AP deployments are particularly susceptible to changes in capacity as human bodies attenuate signals. This makes it challenging to design for a target client-to-AP ratio, as you may end up over-provisioning APs for low-attendance events or under-provisioning for larger or even sold-out events.
• Physical challenges/limitations at every LPV: Each venue has its own specific attenuation challenges. For example, older concrete (pre-1970s) is more RF-absorbent than newer concrete. Additionally, physical seating materials and configurations can vary within and between venues, impacting signal propagation characteristics and Wi-Fi design needs.
• Mobility of clients and roaming challenges: Most LPVs, especially convention centers, have highly mobile clients, making coverage a top priority. Inconsistent AP and/or antenna placement between sections can lead to roaming issues if clients get “stuck” on the wrong AP as users move around the venue.
• Rogue APs and interference from personal devices: Exhibitors at convention centers may set up rogue APs that cause co-channel interference, and personal hotspots or Wi-Fi devices can also degrade performance.
• Aesthetic restrictions for AP/antenna placement: Architectural requirements often dictate that APs and antennas must be hidden or blend seamlessly with the venue’s design. 
• Unique RF challenges: Varied building materials, such as old versus new concrete, can affect RF propagation and impact coverage and performance. Large metal structures, such as scaffolding or reinforced walls, can cause signal reflection and other issues, while high human density at LPVs can create obstructions and increase the potential for attenuation and interference.
• Accessibility concerns: Accessible design requirements such as those in the Americans with Disabilities Act mandate minimum clearances around equipment mounted on handrails or other areas.

Best Practices and Solutions for Optimizing Wi-Fi at Large Public Venues

Designing a reliable and high-performance Wi-Fi network in a large public venue requires an understanding of the unique challenges and requirements of these environments. By following proven best practices, you can ensure that your network has the necessary coverage and capacity to meet the demands of high-density environments while also taking into account aesthetic requirements and other challenges specific to LPVs.

Wi-Fi pros (including us!) recommend several best practices to address the specific needs and challenges of LPVs, aiming to provide optimal performance and a seamless user experience. Some of those best practices include:

• Survey the venue (!): Use the Ekahau Sidekick 2 to collect measured data at a venue before, during, and after the design process to gain valuable insight into the characteristics of the LPV and ensure your network provides consistently great service across the venue. 
• Determine if you’re designing for coverage or capacity (or both): For coverage, overhead AP design is likely your best option. To add capacity while addressing aesthetic concerns, consider under-seat deployments, which keep equipment out of direct view. Under-seat options for increasing capacity include using internal APs or dipole antennas in enclosures beneath the seating areas.
• Involve architects early for aesthetic requirements: Coordinate with architects from the beginning to ensure that AP and antenna placements meet the venue’s aesthetic standards. Custom enclosures for aesthetics, such as painted or covered enclosures, can camouflage APs and antennas on walls or ceilings. 
• Consider client devices and their expected utilization: Understanding the types of devices and anticipated usage patterns at an LPV will help inform the design process. Usage can vary considerably from one event to the next, but by understanding the expected mix of client devices and their usage patterns, you can make informed decisions about AP placement, channel planning, and capacity requirements, ensuring that your network is optimized for the specific needs of the event and its attendees.
• Choose the appropriate design methodology and avoid mixing and matching: Try to stick to one design approach (under-seat, overhead, or handrail) within a specific area to prevent roaming issues, and avoid mixing and matching methodologies within the same area of the LPV. Overhead antenna arrays are particularly suitable for indoor arenas and convention centers with support structures. Handrail enclosures offer a low-profile solution that can blend with section numbers and the overall design, while under-seat configurations are well suited to add capacity at LPVs.
• Match AP placements to seating grade/slopes: Since seating configurations often vary between and within LPVs, it’s crucial to plan for specific seating arrangements, including any slopes in the venue.
• Use external antennas or enclosures for aesthetics: These solutions can help maintain the venue’s visual appeal while providing the necessary Wi-Fi coverage. Directional/external antennas have focused RF patterns that minimize overlap between sections and allow for the separation of APs from antennas, enabling flexible placement.
• Consider high-density “chandelier” AP clusters: Multiple APs co-located with antennas can create high-density coverage in specific areas of an LPV.
• Utilize temporary Wi-Fi stands/portable solutions: Portable stands or poles with APs and antennas provide temporary or supplemental coverage where permanent installation is not allowed. 

By employing these solutions, venue managers and Wi-Fi designers can effectively tackle the challenges posed by large public venues and deliver reliable, high-performance wireless networks.

How Ekahau can help at LPVs

Large public venues present a complex set of challenges for Wi-Fi design, optimization, and troubleshooting. The varied characteristics of these environments can make it difficult to ensure reliable and high-performance wireless networks, but Ekahau is here to help! 

Ekahau offers a comprehensive suite of Wi-Fi measurement, diagnostic, and troubleshooting tools to help manage these challenges and streamline the Wi-Fi design process at LPVs. 

• Ekahau Sidekick 2 provides valuable insights into Wi-Fi design and performance in any setting, but it’s especially powerful in challenging environments like LPVs where design accuracy is imperative. With the Sidekick 2, you can easily identify sources of attenuation, assess environmental interference, ensure AP placements are correct, and much more, greatly simplifying the process of delivering stellar Wi-Fi at LPVs.
• Ekahau Optimizer automatically analyzes data from the Sidekick 2, then it identifies and makes recommendations for fixing several key configuration issues that network managers have to contend with at LPVs, such as primary and secondary coverage issues, SNR problems, minimum basic rates, channel widths, and more.
• Ekahau Analyzer is an app connected to the Sidekick 2 that helps validate your network’s configuration, visualize AP reporting, discover rogue devices, and identify the channels your APs are operating on to improve overall Wi-Fi performance at LPVs. It’s particularly useful for finding and eliminating rogue APs, which is crucial in venues that require a clean RF environment.
• Ekahau AI Pro can create AI-assisted predictive Wi-Fi network designs, run network upgrade simulations to test performance, inspect collected and live survey data, and generate custom reports detailing the performance health of your network. 

To learn more about these and other Ekahau products and solutions, visit the products page of our website. 

Conclusion

From high user densities and varying attendance levels to physical layout limitations and aesthetic requirements, LPVs pose myriad obstacles that can significantly impact Wi-Fi performance and the end-user experience.

However, by understanding the importance of proper design, involving stakeholders like architects early in the process, and leveraging best practices and tools like those offered by Ekahau, IT admins can overcome these challenges and deliver a seamless, high-performance wireless experience to users across an entire venue. 

Whether it’s a sold-out concert, a bustling convention, or a major sporting event, a well-designed and optimized Wi-Fi network is essential for meeting the diverse needs of both the venue and its attendees.

To learn more about Wi-Fi design strategies and solutions for large public venues, watch our recent webinar, “Crowd Control: Boosting Wi-Fi Performance with External Antennas in Public Venues.”