Field Conditions
Fairgrounds shift from wide open to shoulder‑to‑shoulder in minutes. The organizer asked for three wins: fast entry scanning, reliable staff operations, and rock‑solid coverage on the vendor row nearest the gate. Full‑site blanket coverage would have required more uplinks and hardware than the event needed.
Design & Deployment
We set the dish near the gate to capture a clean sky view and built a compact hub inside the perimeter. Three access points served distinct jobs: scanners at the gate, staff operations near logistics, and an elevated AP for the main vendor row. Guest traffic was capped; payment traffic stayed front‑of‑line.
Operations
We brought the network up before sunrise both days. Mid‑morning we swept RF and shifted the vendor‑row AP slightly to maintain SNR as booth layouts changed. Scanners held sessions, staff radios and phones stayed connected, and the entry line flowed.
Outcome
Over two days, the revenue moments—the gate and the front vendor row—performed cleanly. Targeted excellence beat unnecessary spend across acres of space.
Metrics
| Setup time | ≈60 minutes (day 1; shorter day 2) |
| Wi‑Fi zones | 3 (Gate scanners, Staff ops, Primary vendor row) |
| Backhaul | Satellite near gate; compact hub inside perimeter |
| Data used | 42 GB (weekend) |
| Peak throughput | 110/18 Mbps (down/up) at hub |
| Devices | 100+ across zones over day; staggered peaks |
| Priority | Gate scanning and POS prioritized; guest capped |