The brand new Xirrus XR-2425H hardened array allows super-fans at live outdoor sporting events to have ultra-fast Wi-Fi at their fingertips. The XR-2425H reduces IT load and the total cost of ownership for venue operations with an Industry –first four-radio Array with each radio supporting 802.11n and delivering 3 Gbps that supplies the bandwidth, reach and coverage that allows up to a 10X reduction in the number of traditional AP’s to be deployed. Bruce Miller, vice president of product marketing at Xirrus, the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks, spoke to the Sports Techie community blog about their XR-2425H product launch today specifically made for delivering Wi-Fi at outdoor and high density venues.
Xirrus
Whether it is a local Seattle NFL fan at Century Link Field cheering on the first place Seahawks or fans at any virtually any outdoor venue around the world, superior wireless capacity and coverage are critical components to having a seamless second screen experience.
“With the ever-increasing number of mobile devices in public venues of all types, including stadiums, amphitheaters, arenas, convention centers, and malls, organizations of all types are discovering that they must provide wireless connectivity to meet the service expectations of visitors,” said Miller. “The high cost of providing and maintaining outdoor Wi-Fi solutions, however, has often prevented venues from implementing the necessary wireless capability. This is the exact problem that the XR-2425H addresses and solves.”
That’s a problem plaguing most event organizers and their Wi-Fi service providers. Why? Because outdoor, or “hardened,” Wi-Fi access points (AP’s) are equipped with only two radios, and are therefore limited in bandwidth and coverage. They may also be limited in reach – many such AP’s support only outdated, underpowered versions of the 802.11 wireless protocols. That means the IT folks must disperse hundreds or even thousands of AP’s to reach all event attendees.
Xirrus Ups the Game
Xirrus announced the release today of their XR-2425H hardened array. Xirrus is the first to bring to market four-radio hardened Arrays with 802.11n on all radios. The XR-2425H is the only 4-radio outdoor 802.11n Array, ensuring optimal performance with 1.2Gbps of total Wi-Fi capacity while lowering system TCO by reducing equipment, cabling, installation, and maintenance requirements.
The XR-2425H includes four 300Mbps 11n radios in an environmentally hardened IP65-compliant enclosure. The XR-2425H is based on the same distributed architecture as the rest of the Xirrus XR product line with an integrated controller, software programmable radios, Application Control providing visibility and policy management of over 1200 applications, and cloud or on-premise management via the Xirrus Management System (XMS). Each radio has two RP-TNC connectors supporting a variety of directional and omni-directional antennas to customize the coverage based on deployment needs. With four radios, as opposed to two found on most outdoor products today, the XR-2425H supports higher client densities per Array, thereby reducing the amount of equipment required per deployment while delivering robust Wi-Fi connectivity. PoE+ power support enables integration with existing power infrastructure.
Availability
The XR-2425H is available in December 2013
Pricing
$2625 for 4-radio, 300Mbps 802.11n Array
About Xirrus, Inc.
Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances, offering consistent “wired-like” performance with superior coverage and security. The Xirrus suite of WI-FI optimized solutions — Arrays, access points, cloud services, and wired switches — provide seamless connectivity and unified management across the network. Xirrus provides a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage to industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical applications. With tens of thousands of customer solutions deployed globally, Xirrus maintains operations and partnerships across the globe. Xirrus is a privately held company and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA. For more information please visit: www.xirrus.com and follow us on Twitter: @Xirrus.
Sports Techie, The explosion of wireless devices at outdoor venues packed with 80,000 connected fans is a challenging “Big Data” problem in every country. Xirrus’ core focus is on developing backend solutions that can work around the broadband spectrum limitations the SEC allocated for use. If you own or work at a sports or entertainment facility that has interest in doubling Wi-Fi capacity while supporting it all with one device requiring less equipment, the new Xirrus XR-2425H hardened array might be for you.
Having a reliable outdoor WIFI network allows buildings to generate new revenues. Sponsors can push specific ads such as a 2-for-1 merchandising offer to fans mobile devices as a value added service. Fans can order food from their seats, purchase team merchandise and conduct onsite betting. Leveraging the Xirrus infrastructure will provide a ROI that often repays the initial hardware investment within six months to a year.
Harsh environments are no problem for Xirrus’ newest product. Extreme cold to hot temperature ranges, dust or wetness are no match for the design and functionality of the XR-2425H. Temporary sporting events such as the Tour de France on the Orange network in Europe, or global concert venues, which require quick setup of operational WIFI, count on Xirrus to make it so.
About 95 percent of WIFI sales have traditionally been indoors however the rapid shift to the demand for Wi-Fi at convention centers, the hotel pool, in a car, or on a plane, is exactly why Xirrus has been in the business for eight years staying ahead of the tech curve. Schools, hospitals and ballrooms are fast becoming mobile hotspot connections.
Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open required specific data endpoints met by Xirrus technology. Several stadiums in the Premier League are Xirrus users such as Liverpool F.C. and their over 450 million loyal and rapid soccer followers. The Indiana Pacers have a permanent install. Other NBA basketball arenas, college football stadiums and cricket club venues are also established Xirrus customers.
If your venue or event has transportation, desert or racetrack WIFI specs because of a cluster of fans and high-density data requirements the cost will not be not cheap for permanent or temporary installs. Installing wireless equipment that offers the traditional 54 Megs of WIFI vs. the 300 Megs of WIFI that Xirrus can provide is really a no-brainer when considering you can have multiple radio products that do not require a new AP installed every 20 feet.
Venues are also competing with a fans home viewing environment or cave that often has HD TV, multiple angle replays of the game action and no bathroom lines. Fans want to engage with their fantasy sports leagues in real-time and to be able to place bets on the game in the UK while at a stadium or temporary outdoor event. Accessing social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for chats, picture and video downloads are must have second screen tools.
The new Xirrus XR-2425H hardened array high-density outdoor Wi-Fi connectivity allows a stadium or temp event to offer all the above while upping a venues sports technology game.
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