Extended & Reliable WI-FI at Congresium International Convention & Exhibition Centre

Congresium International Convention & Exhibition Centre is a leading exhibition center in Ankara, Turkey, with top-level facilities and an expansive area of 80,000 m² that can be customized to fulfill the needs of all kinds of events. A notable event it hosted was the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s Twelfth Session of the Conference of the Parties (UNCCD COP12), held from October 12-23, 2015.

Decision-makers and participants from 195 member states attended the COP12 to discuss climate change issues and their solutions. During the conference, Internet access was a primary demand for the guests. However, for Congresium, providing wireless coverage to service more than 3,000 concurrent users across the different areas of the vast premise was not an easy task.

Coverage and high user density were the most primary concerns, as there could not be any Wi-Fi dead spots. Also, given the high number of users and devices during the event, the APs needed to be well-managed with advanced features that prevented overloading. Furthermore, an end-to-end solution with a secure user authentication method was essential, as unauthorized access could potentially cause leaks of confidential information. Finally, segregated virtual networks for different usage scenarios were also required to add another layer of security. To address these challenges, Congresium turned to 4ipnet’s local partner, Ipeknet.

Ipeknet’s technical expertise convinced Congresium that a centralized AP and user management was essential for successful WLAN operation. Ipeknet proposed 4ipnet’s WHG711 wireless LAN controller (and an additional unit for high availability), EAP767 and EAP757 concurrent dual-band access points, and SW1008 unified access switches. Ipeknet completed the deployment in time, and also provided IT support during the conference.

Advanced AP management features on the WHG711 such as automatic AP discovery and provisioning, bulk AP configuration, and real-time status notifications simplified the deployment process. Users were also able to roam seamlessly between different APs without losing connectivity. Furthermore, load balancing prevented individual APs from being overly congested. With these functions, the Wi-Fi network was able to service thousands of simultaneous concurrent users, and the risk of potential downtime was reduced.

In addition to stable Wi-Fi connectivity, 4ipnet’s authentication solution also allowed the conference center to provide flexible and secure browser-based user authentication. After being authenticated on the network, each user could then be applied with schedule based QoS, firewall, and routing profile according to their role. As a result, network administrators were able to prevent individual users from consuming the entire network bandwidth, ensuring that all users would receive an acceptable connection quality. Detailed user-browsing history logs were also stored to meet local government requirements.

The COP12 was a success, and it was proudly observed that the 3000 clients connected to Wi-Fi without any problem. As a result, both Congresium and the UN authorities were very pleased with the performance and services provided by 4ipnet and Ipeknet.

Congresium International Convention & Exhibition Centre is a perfect example of how a public venue can successfully deploy a large-scale Wi-Fi network using 4ipnet’s solution. With high performance APs and comprehensive user and AP management features, the venue reaffirms its commitment to providing advanced facilities and services to business professionals worldwide.

Extended & Reliable WI-FI at Congresium International Convention & Exhibition Centre from 4ipnet