Essay on Sports Facilities: Enhancing the Fan Experience with Wireless Technology

Introduction

Wireless technology in sports facilities is slowly becoming an essential component of an enjoyable experience. This is because by ensuring sports facilities are not competing with each other but with those that decide to stay at home and watch the games from there. Sports facilities managers must improve the experience in their facilities to match the experience back at home. One way of doing achieving this objective is by deploying full venue Wi-Fi. Apart from ensuring that the venue has other essentials like food and drinks, reliable internet connectivity is becoming a necessity as well (Karimi & Neustaedter, 2012)

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Guests coming to watch a match in the venue are constantly on their phones, and the facility needs to provide an infrastructure that supports this. In recent times, people have an abundance of entertainment at the push of a button. Technological and social changes have changed the role played by sports venues in the lives of the players and the fans. To ensure that facilities keep up with the changes, as a way of ensuring that fans have a better and refreshing experience. One such experience is the digital experience, which requires the same kind of transformation. Previous studies indicate that the cost of achieving such a transformation could be high. Large sports arena and stadia have already begun setting the standards for such amenities, and the response has been phenomenon.

The need for this particular facility system is entirely based on ensuring that the fans have a better experience. In other words, the facility needs to appeal to people in a way they can leave the comfort of their homes and come to the institution's facility to enjoy the sport. Wi-Fi enabled arenas or sports facilities, especially at a school's level, are not frequent. Because of the cost of setting up the infrastructure, many sports facilities often forego this important aspect. Wi-Fi coverage and deployment has become an important aspect of modern society as more and more people strive to stay connected to their smart devices. Also, social media has become an important aspect of modern life, which means that people attending an event will probably require the connection to share the videos or pictures they take. Other facilities in schools have adopted the need for Wi-Fi as a way of helping students access more information, bridge the communication gaps, and taking part in online programs.

The Use of Wi-Fi in other Facilities

Apart from schools, other institutions like hospitals and business buildings have incorporated the use of Wi-Fi in their facilities. Technology behaviors and habits by tomorrow's consumer is something every institution is keeping in mind as they build their facilities or upgrade them. These steps help create new opportunities at even the lowest levels in the sports industry. Sports stadiums are currently working on improving the connection in their facilities to facilitate the sharing of information using a reliable and accessible connection (Wakeman et al., 2013). The NFL has been setting the trend in this particular sector from as early as late 2013 when it set up Cell/Wi-Fi standards. Their fans can access live feeds of information and share their experiences online using their mobile devices. This is after understanding that the modern fan is not only limited to the events taking place in the arena but those that are taking place in the outside world.

Wi-Fi deployment should be considered during the renovation. To achieve maintenance, the key elements must be considered. There is a need for a fiber backbone that connects a series of equipment that are distributed all over the facility at strategic intervals. There is a need for equipment closets that have network equipment and switches to drive the information highway. Each closet has radiating antennas used in the DAS system or, in this case, used as access points for the Wi-Fi system. Pipes and wires are important and necessary, depending on the number of users. Therefore, the main form of maintenance is by ensuring that the entire infrastructure is in place as well as the equipment. End-devices can be changed depending on the evolving technology. This, therefore, means that very little maintenance is required one the technology has been put in place. Changes made are mostly in the form of software advancements as long as the hardware is intact.

Energy Consumption

Energy consumption is an essential part of any system, and therefore, it is important to consider the overall energy performance of the facility once the system is introduced. In most cases, Wi-Fi is described as a high-power consumer. Still, the development of new technologies like the IEEE 802.11 standard allows the construction of telecommunication networks at a low cost (Andrade-Morlli et al., 2012). Such a system can be incorporated in the construction of facility Wi-Fi. Green networks are currently being incorporated in various facilities in Europe, and it is necessary to consider such options as a way of ensuring an increase in performance while decreasing energy consumption.

Manufacture and Supply of Equipment

In the current era, there are several manufacturers of Wi-Fi equipment and other supporting systems. In recent years, oversees manufactures like those in Asia have provided Wi-Fi equipment for most suppliers, and probably shipping of the equipment would be economical as compared to local manufactures. The equipment is inclusive of cables, LAN router, and access points.

Several vendors offer enterprise Wi-Fi, but the main concern would be selecting a provider who can deliver. It is essential to look for performance, the uniqueness of the features presented, and the ease of management. Some of the vendors include Mojo Networks, which offer a cloud-managed WLAN market. Cisco Meraki offers a robust and easy way to manage cloud firewalls and switches. Xirrus is another provider whose primary focus is in the provision of Wi-Fi-as-a-Service (WaaS). Aruba Networks is another one that allows for easier management of Wi-Fi connected IoT devices.

Various vendors offer Wi-Fi connections, and therefore, one would need to consider the cost of the provider and their reliability. It is essential to identify the type of certification one is looking for from the service provider. Aruba has ACMA, ACMP, and ACDX/ACMX. Software is another aspect that an institute needs to look at because software validates the performance of the Wi-Fi system after it has been installed. Providers also play an important role in maintaining the systems, and the institution must ask what types of things they monitor on an on-going basis. This stage is important, especially for providers or vendors who also are invested in installing for their clients.

However, if the installer is different from the vendor or the manufacturer, it is important to check certain aspects before selecting an installer. The installer should be quick when it comes to responding to the client's needs. They should also understand the kind of network that is required depending on the level of professionalism selected. The installer should also have a clear budget on the equipment that is required to fit the entire facility. The installer should be in a position to explain all the pros and cons of the network being installed and offer recommendations for the near future, keeping in mind that systems are ever-evolving and developing.

Conclusion

A full venue Wi-Fi system would help in the organization of the sporting activities that happen in the facility. The facility would also be in a position to grow technologically with the installation of a system that promotes growth. Finally, the facility would be in a position to meet the needs of its fans, especially those that need to stay connected. Given the fact that the facility will mainly feature young people, the presence of wireless connection would also boost the number of people that turn up for an event. Once most of these aspects have been identified, the construction manager is contracted with the mandate of setting up and installing the entire system with the help of the installers. In most cases, the contractor is part of the installation team.

Questions

What is the need to have a continuous wireless connection in all school facilities?

What is the best way of tracking down the best wireless connection provider in the region?

How has the Coronavirus pandemic improved our view on the need for wireless connectivity?

References

Andrade-Morelli, S., Ruiz-Sanchez, E., Granell, E., & Lloret, J. (2012, October). Energy consumption of wireless network access points. In International Conference on Green Communications and Networking (pp. 81-91). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Karimi, A., & Neustaedter, C. (2012, February). From high connectivity to social isolation: communication practices of older adults in the digital age. In Proceedings of the ACM 2012 conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work Companion (pp. 127-130).

Wakeman, I., Naicken, S., Rimmer, J., Chalmers, D., & Fisher, C. (2013, October). The fans united will always be connected: building a practical DTN in a football stadium. In International Conference on Ad Hoc Networks (pp. 162-177). Springer, Cham.