Site-Wide Mesh Event WiFi for Bristol SU Freshers Fair 2021

SLX are an event hire, lighting and rigging company tasked with the organisation, installation and management of the 2021 Bristol SU Freshers Fair.

SLX needed a site-wide WiFi network at their event for vendors to connect their devices and card machines, and students to connect their devices.

With over 16,000 students attending the two-day event, it was paramount that vendors were able to take card payments and connect devices to a reliable network—even in the middle of a field or marquee.

After speaking with SLX, Bytes Digital conducted multiple site surveys and heat-map plans to ensure maximum coverage and reliability.

When on site, our engineers installed a mesh WiFi network across the entire event space, including five large marquees, multiple smaller event shelters and staff areas. This network included:

• Site-wide mesh event WiFi network ensuring seamless roaming across site
• Separate networks for vendors and students for increased security
• Secure connectivity for vendor’s card machines
• Dedicated WiFi for staff offices to ensure unimpeded connection
• Active on-site and remote management of their event WiFi solution

Once connected, vendors could take card payments, stream videos and more—all through their own secure private WiFi network. Staff were able to conduct video calls and meetings while at the event.

Over 200 organisations and vendors benefitted from reliable, dedicated and consistent WiFi connections at the event, servicing over 16,000 student attendees.

The solution was a great success; with vendors and staff connecting their devices all across the event. Seamless connectivity ensured devices were always connected, anywhere on site, and vendors were able to take card payments.

With the Bytes Digital event WiFi network, SLX can increase their offering to prospective vendors and ensure existing vendors could take card payments.