First the maths. I'm basing my solution around an overcommit ratio of 25:1 for the access layer. With 600 users that means we need around 24 access points (=600 users/25). The total floor areas is 568.3496 m^2. Now lets work out the floor area of each section, and how many people could potentially be in each area: Salon A = 176.7416 m^2 = 31% = 187 people Salon B = 176.7416 m^2 = 31% = 187 people Salon C = 107.3296 m^2 = 19% = 113 people Salon D = 107.3296 m^2 = 19% = 113 people Now lets work out roughly how many APs should be in each area. Note that with regular shaped spaces an even number of APs usually leads to easier placement. Salon A: 187 people/25 = 7 to 8 APs = 8 APs (2 rows of 4) Salon B: 187 people/25 = 7 to 8 APs = 8 APs (2 rows of 4) Salon C: 113 people/25 = 4 to 5 APs = 4 APs (2 rows of 2) Salon 😧 113 people/25 = 4 to 5 APs = 4 APs (2 rows of 2) So this would work out as 4 rows of 6 APs - which is conveniently a total of 24. This maintains our design goal of a 25:1 over-subscription ratio. Now lets work out the spacing of the APs: Spacing between vertical columns: 27.43m / (4+2+1) = 3.91m Spacing between horizontal rows: 20.71m / (2+2+1) = 4.14m Visually this looks like: Now onto equipment selection. I have selected the MR53E coupled with the Downtilt Panel Omni Antenna. The MR53E is ideally suited to dense environments with its 4x4 MIMO antenna array. Its support for external antennas makes coupling it with the Downtilt Panel Omni Antenna an easy choice. The Downtilt Panel Omni Antenna creates a focused beam (like a spot light) for users below, and directs all of its energy downwards. These two would be roof mounted. I would put in a stack of 3 x MS350-24X switches and add in the redundant power supply option to each switch. The MR53E can be fed with an MGig port, and this stack would give a total of 24 MGig ports - the exact number of APs we are using. The MR has very basic content filtering, and while this can be improved using the Cisco Umbrella Integration - nothing beats the control that an MX can supply. So I would use a pair of MX250s for connecting this solution to the Internet. Next I would create an RF Profile based on a conference room to make choosing the right settings much easier. I would enable band steering - because any device operating in the 2.4Ghz spectrum is going to perform terribly. We want everyone on the 5Ghz spectrum. Note that (depending on your country) there are about 19 non-overlapping 20Mhz channels. We have 24 access points. The "Conference Room Profile" locks the radios to only using 20Mhz channels. Because we are using focused antennas we are likely to be able to re-use a small number of channels across the venue with minimal interference. The profile also sets the minimum bit rate to 12Mb/s to disable low speed devices that consume a lot of air time, and to encourage clients to roam to a close AP. This is the magic of using RF Profiles - you don't even have to have a good understanding of the settings because appropriate settings have already been chosen for you. Now we need to consider the SSID settings and delivering a quality experience to the end users. To do this we'll use MR traffic shaping and QoS options. Using an overcommit ratio of 25:1 and with a 500Mb/s Internet circuit we will limit each user to getting 20Mb/s of bandwidth (=500Mb/s / 600 users * 25). We will also enable the default QoS rules to prioritise traffic appropriately. Most likely the SSID for events would be configured to use a splash page. The splash page system makes it easy for venue management to customise per event by uploading event logos and messages. Splash pages can be as simple as providing a click through message, to self registration to pre-paid billing options. This provides venue management with considerable flexibility in how they want to provide and charge for the service. Another interesting option that could be offered is Cisco Meraki Systems manager in BYOD mode. If this would deployed for an event it would allow those running the event to deploy files to all users (via the Systems Manager Backpack) and deploy any apps that might be supplied by those booking the venue. Either after or during an event considerable information can be supplied to those hiring the venue and for venue management themselves. A location heat map can be provided showing how people moved through the event with time, or simply where people dwelled the most. Location Analytics can be provided that show a wealth of information such as the number of visitors to the venue, how long they stayed at the venue, etc. The Organisation Summary Report for WiFi also provides a wealth of information including may "Top" table reports. When it comes to operating the network there are two standout features. The first is Wireless Health with gives a quick oversight that everything is working ok, and if it is not, what is going wrong. The other is Air Marshal which monitors and protects the security of the WiFi network.
... View more
