DAS – Page 71

Stadium Tech Report: MLB stadium technology reports — AL Central

August 12, 2014 by Paul Kapustka

Editor’s note: The following team-by-team capsule reports of MLB stadium technology deployments are an excerpt from our most recent Stadium Tech Report for Q2 2014, which focuses on Major League Baseball. To get all the capsules in one place as well as our featured reports, interviews and analysis, download your free copy of the full report today.

AL CENTRAL

Reporting by Chris Gallo

Minnesota Twins
Target Field
Seating Capacity: 39,50
Wi-Fi: Yes
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: Yes

Target Field, the downtown home of the Minnesota Twins. Credit: Minnesota Twins

Host of the 2014 All-Star Game, the Minnesota Twins are making necessary upgrades this season to accommodate fans and media for the midsummer classic. Target Field is outfitted with stadium-wide Wi-Fi, as well as a DAS from InSite Wireless and TE Connectivity.

Because Target Field is in downtown Minneapolis, the Twins are forced to be creative in how they deliver new DAS antennas in the stadium. The stadium has gone through a series of reconfigurations to put DAS gear in the right place. A ballpark that is just 4 years old, the Twins’ upgrades are proof that organizations must continually improve their stadium networks to bring the best experience to fans.

Chicago White Sox
U.S. Cellular Field
Seating Capacity: 40,615
Wi-Fi: Yes
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: Yes

With a name like U.S. Cellular Field, it’s no mistake fans are well connected at White Sox games. In 2012, the Chicago White Sox partnered with Boingo Wireless to bring free Wi-Fi to the stadium.

A couple years later, the White Sox have capitalized on a deal with Comcast to bring the XFinity Zone to U.S. Cellular Field. This 2,220 square foot area is the perfect place to grab food, drink, and stay connected with an interactive social media wall.

Detroit Tigers
Comerica Park
Seating Capacity: 41,681
Wi-Fi: No
DAS: No
Beaconing: No

The Detroit Tigers have more than a few screenshots floating around the internet with SSIDs and passwords for their media networks. Unfortunately, it’s hard for Tigers fans to share their tweets the next time Miguel Cabrera drives in a run. That’s because there is still no public Wi-Fi or a DAS for Tigers fans.

Cleveland Indians
Progressive Field
Seating Capacity: 43,545
Wi-Fi: Yes
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: Yes

Recognized as one of baseball’s most Twitter-friendly teams, the Cleveland Indians have featured a social media suite at Progressive Field. But rather than limiting to one area at the ballpark, the Indians have brought Wi-Fi and DAS to all of Progressive Field this season.

The Indians teamed up with Verizon Wireless to deliver DAS antennas and Wi-Fi. And now with iBeacons installed in the stadium, Indians’ fans receive exclusive deals when walking through Progressive Field.

Kansas City Royals
Kauffman Stadium
Seating Capacity: 37,903
Wi-Fi: No
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: Yes

Kansas City is home to one of the fastest internet connections in the world with Google Fiber now available in some neighborhoods. However, the Royals still do not deliver free Wi-Fi to fans. There are the famous outfield fountains, which deliver fun shows at every game. Still, it’s hard to send out a selfie of yourself dancing in the fountains without Wi-Fi.

To get all the capsules in one place as well as our featured reports, interviews and analysis, download your free copy of the full report today.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Baseball, Cleveland Indians, DAS, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, Wi-Fi Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, CoMerica Field, DAS, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, MLB, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Stadium Wi-Fi, Target Field

Stadium Tech Report: MLB stadium technology reports — AL West

August 11, 2014 by Paul Kapustka

AL WEST

REPORTING BY CHRIS GALLO

Houston Astros
Minute Maid Park
Seating Capacity: 40,963
Wi-Fi: Yes
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: Yes

One of the first professional organizations to charge for Wi-Fi, the Houston Astros allowed four hours of service for $3.95 in years past. Those days are long gone, and now the refugees from the NL deliver free AT&T Wi-Fi throughout Minute Maid Park. Like other parks around the league, the Astros are also testing the iBeacon technology in the park this year.

Seattle Mariners
Safeco Field
Seating Capacity: 47,476
Wi-Fi: No
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: Yes

Owned by Nintendo of America and the home of Microsoft, it’s baffling the Seattle Mariners do not yet offer free Wi-Fi at Safeco Field. The ballpark has experienced several upgrades over the past year including a new wine bar on the main concourse and baseball’s biggest video board, yet no public Wi-Fi.

However, Safeco Field is participating with MLB and has iBeacons installed. Fans can receive text updates when new seats are available and upgrade tickets with the MLB At the Ballpark app.

Oakland A’s
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Seating Capacity: 35,067
Wi-Fi: Yes
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: Yes

After reaching the playoffs in 2012, it became obvious the Oakland Athletics needed a stronger Internet connection to support four times the amount of media members covering the team. A year later, Comcast delivered free Wi-Fi to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

One of the oldest stadiums and lowest salary totals in all of baseball does not mean the gameday experience is antiquated. With iBeacons installed throughout the Coliseum, A’s fans can upgrade seats with one tap of their fingers by using the MLB At the Ballpark app.

Texas Rangers
Global Life Park in Arlington
Seating Capacity: 48,114
Wi-Fi: No
DAS: No
Beaconing: Yes

The Texas Rangers are one of 20 teams experimenting with iBeacons in Global Life Park in Arlington. Unfortunately, other than beaconing-specific apps, connectivity will likely still be difficult without free Wi-Fi or DAS in the stadium. What comes first – free Wi-Fi in the ballpark or a Yu Darvish no-hitter? (editor’s note: Bet on Darvish!)

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Seating Capacity: 45,050
Wi-Fi: Yes
DAS:Yes
Beaconing: No

Angel Stadium received free public Wi-Fi just in time for the start of the 2014 season. Courtesy of integrator firm 5Bars Inside, fans of the Angels are promised to experience faster load times and easier communication through their devices. No iBeacons yet, but the Angels expect to continue to improve the network in the coming years.

To get all the capsules in one place as well as our featured reports, interviews and analysis, download your free copy of the full report today.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Baseball, DAS, Los ANgeles Angeles of Anaheim, Major League Baseball, Wi-Fi Tagged With: AL West, Houston Astros, interviews and analysis, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, MLB, Mobile Sports Report, Oakland A's, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Paul Kapustka, Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners, Stadium Wi-Fi, Texas Rangers

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell talks stadium Wi-Fi

July 18, 2014 by Paul Kapustka

The boss, Roger Goodell, gives his approval of Levi’s

Two years ago, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made news by calling for Wi-Fi networks in all NFL stadiums. While that wish is not yet a reality, the public debut of the San Francisco 49ers’ new Levi’s Stadium Thursday allowed the commish to stop by for a very short press conference, where he did have some interesting points to make about Wi-Fi in stadiums.

While we’ve embedded the entire answer via video below, Goodell’s main point when asked about all the technology in the stadium was to highlight Wi-Fi, about which he said that when you put Wi-Fi in a stadium, “you allow people to use a technology they already know.”

Having more technology available to fans, Goodell went on to say, “is the best experience.” Whether or not the NFL as a league will help pay to bring that technology to individual stadiums that don’t yet have it is a story for another day.

video credit: Paul Kapustka, Mobile Sports Report.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, DAS, NFL, Wi-Fi Tagged With: Levi's Stadium, Mobile Sports Report, NFL, Paul Kapustka, Roger Goodell, San Francisco 49ers, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi in stadiums

Stadium Tech Report: An MSR Geek Sneak Peek finds fast Wi-Fi, lots of cell antennas at Levi’s Stadium

July 18, 2014 by Paul Kapustka

A Wi-Fi access point near a section sign.

The historic idea that big, open-air stadiums are bad places for wireless connectivity may have finally met its match. Though it still needs a test when it’s full of fans, a sneak peek at the incredibly robust Wi-Fi and distributed antenna system (DAS) deployments in the San Francisco 49ers’ new Levi’s Stadium should mean, at least for Niners fans, that poor connections at football games are a thing of the past.

Granted, our tour of the new stadium during its ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday wasn’t any kind of official unveiling of the much-hyped Wi-Fi and cellular networks inside. There weren’t any tech reps on hand, and there were many places throughout the building where it was clear that parts of the network weren’t yet turned on (along with many flat-screen TV mounts still waiting for their electronics). But just walking around inside the concourses and clubs, a trained eye could see Wi-Fi access points and DAS antennas just about everywhere you looked. And, wow — in areas where the network was live, the download speeds were off the charts — we recorded several readings of 60 Mbps or higher, including on the Levi’s sustainable-garden rooftop court.

On one hand, it’s fair to say that our walk-around tests don’t mean a thing, because the real chore for the Levi’s network is not to impress a few random guests, but instead to handle the huge loads brought on by a sellout crowd of 68,500 iPhone-toting football fans. Over the next month or so we’ll get some more chances for proof points, especially at the Niners’ preseason games, when we hope to see the ambitious on-demand instant replay app being put through its paces, while at the same time Niners fans use their phones to order food delivered to their seats. That’s a lot of potential bandwidth and interactions. But after our tour Thursday, we’re perhaps a bit less cynical than we were before about the network’s ability to handle such loads.

SpeedTest results from Wi-Fi network inside Levi’s Stadium.

Designed for networking from the ground up

Why? Mainly, it’s the fact that Levi’s looks like the proof of what is possible when you design a stadium from the ground up with connectivity in mind. Though we could in fact see many, many exposed APs and DAS antennas, none were overly obtrusive — in fact, they all looked like they had been mounted somewhere that was expressly designed for them to be there. I’m no network engineer, but the simple lack of a lot of exposed cabling around those antennas and APs says to me that the guts of the building may be as smart as the network. Under one overhang I did see a cable run that reminded me of a data center — a wire basket carrying fiber, with plenty of room for expansion, leading into holes in the concrete that weren’t close to being filled. Again: I carry no union card. But if I can see such things and figure them out, it seems like a lot of thought went into the Levi’s network that’s perhaps not as obvious as the APs and antennas. Which, of course, is a great thing for administrators and even better for users.

Watching the British Open live on a TV inside an elevator at Levi’s Stadium.

What else did we see that was amazing, technology-wise? The sheer number of flat screen digital displays, especially when combined with the numerous large, comfortable lounge and club areas says to us that fans won’t miss much action even if they’re not in their seats. In the plush big-bucks clubs and even in the proletariat concrete concourses there was flat screen after flat screen (or at least the mounts where more TVs will be). It’s a simple but profound way to improve the fan experience, maybe a lesson learned from Candlestick, where fans congregated outside the few concession stands with TVs just to watch replays. Sure, the phone app may be one way to get there but my take from walking through Levi’s is that if you want to stand around and enjoy a beverage with friends you will still be kept up on the action even if your phone’s in your pocket.

Like we said — there is certainly more detailed information to come, and we are betting that the folks at Aruba Networks (the Wi-Fi gear supplier) and DAS Group Professionals (the neutral third-party DAS host) are chomping at the bit to talk about their deployments… let the free advertising of the antenna pictures below suffice for now. Though it’s just the start of our planned Levi’s Stadium network coverage, it was an impressive one, right down to the glasses of Iron Horse bubbly served at the post-ribbon-cutting reception. Salut, Levi’s and Niners!

Wi-Fi access points visible on outside concourse structure

Two DAS antennas above a concession stand

DAS antennas mounted under overhang.

A guess, but looks to us like directional Wi-Fi AP (on the solar panel roof of the rooftop garden court)

A Wi-Fi AP mounting location that says “Death Star” to us

Just some of the flat-panel displays in the United Lounge.

The boss, Roger Goodell, gives his approval of Levi’s

Rooftop garden view. Butterflies and 60+ Mbps Wi-Fi!

Cool/scary view of the field from behind the lights, again on the rooftop garden area

What’s behind the red DAS head end door? First rule of head end rooms, don’t ask about head end rooms

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, British Open, DAS, iPhone, MSR Guides, NFL, Wi-Fi Tagged With: DAS, digital displays, Levi's Stadium, Mobile Sports Report, NFL. Roger Goodell, Paul Kapustka, San Francisco 49ers, Santa Clara, Stadium Wi-Fi, stadium wireless networks, Wi-Fi APs

Stadium Tech Report: Minnesota Twins tap InSite and TE Connectivity to get DAS ready for All-Star Game

July 15, 2014 by Paul Kapustka

Target Field, the downtown home of the Minnesota Twins. Credit all photos: Minnesota Twins

Even at a new stadium, getting the wireless network right is a constantly changing target. And for 4-year-old Target Field in Minneapolis, that meant an upgrade to the DAS not too long after the facility opened its doors.

“Nobody will ever have the perfect [network] install, and that’s part of the fun of it,” said John Avenson, vice president of infrastructure for the Minnesota Twins baseball club, in a phone interview with MSR. “The problem is not solvable as in, one year and you’re done. You need to be continuously improving.”

For the Twins, improving cellular connectivity was especially important since this year the club and the stadium will host baseball’s midsummer classic, the All-Star game. Thanks to help from InSite Wireless and DAS gear from TE Connectivity, Target Field’s DAS should be able to handle not just the overall growth in Twins fans’ wireless needs, but also the extra demands of a special event and all the selfies that go along with it.

“Fortunately, InSite and the carriers have been able to react quickly, and we should be ready for the test of the All-Star game,” said Dan Starkey, director for ballpark development and planning, in the same interview. “We’ll be ready to fully test the system.”

Wi-Fi and DAS, a perfect double play

Dan Starkey, director for ballpark development and planning

As a new facility, Target Field was ahead of the curve when it came to Wi-Fi. On opening day the park had free Wi-Fi service for fans, with 225 access points initially available. “Back then that was a big number,” Avenson said. And while some carrier execs have been voicing an opinion that DAS is all that’s needed in a stadium, Avenson isn’t convinced.

“At this point you need both Wi-Fi and DAS,” he said.

Though the Twins do a good job of promoting the Wi-Fi service, most fans in stadiums everywhere usually default first to a cellular connection, either because they don’t know about the Wi-Fi, or don’t want to be bothered with the process or aren’t sure how to connect. Since people still think they should be able to send pictures or watch videos over a cellular connection, even at a crowded ballpark, that means the DAS – the Distributed Antenna System – needs to keep pace with all the smartphones and tablets being used.

“Some fans put their phones away [when they come to the stadium] but the younger crowd does not do that,” Avenson said. “Nothing interrupts their need for a good [wireless] experience.”

According to Avenson, even before the facility opened the IT team new that they wanted a neutral host partner to lead the DAS effort.

“It just made sense to us,” said Avenson of having a neutral host DAS supplier, since as he said, carriers can be like siblings who have to share a bedroom. “InSite really enables the carriers, so they don’t have to fight with each other [over technology deployments].

Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the two biggest cellular carriers in the U.S., were on the neutral host DAS at the start, and were later joined by Sprint and T-Mobile. And even though the park is fairly new, Avenson said everyone involved realized quickly that wireless demands were growing, meaning that an upgrade was needed sooner rather than later.

According to the team, the most recent upgrades were to add MIMO capability for 1900 and AWS 2100 MHz bands, as well as adding four additional sectors in the bowl for AT&T. The new DAS can also support newer 4G LTE technologies, the Twins said.

“It’s just part of the evolution of DAS,” said Starkey. “Once we realized we needed additional coverage and capacity, InSite and the carriers acted quickly.”

Suite view of Target Field

The downtown difference

Like many other stadiums and large public facilities, Target Field had to be creative in finding space for the DAS head end equipment.

“In 2008 and 2009, we thought we’d fit it [the DAS head end] in a corner but it grew to a larger space and then that wasn’t big enough,” said Avenson, who added that AT&T and Verizon each have 10 to 12 cabinets of back-end gear for their DAS operations. “When the building was being built in 2008, the architects were not aware that we’d be needing more space. It’s amazing how much space and power a DAS takes at the head end.”

Adding to the complexity of the Target Field deployment is the fact that the field is in the middle of downtown Minneapolis, with large office buildings peeking over the roof of the stadium. According to Avenson, carriers and the team had to perform a series of reconfigurations to antennas both inside the park and out, so that the macro metro cellular network didn’t interfere with the DAS network inside the stadium.

“When the macro network wants to invade [the stadium] you have to push the macro network out,” said Avenson. “If you’re Miller Park [the baseball field in Milwaukee] and you have a big parking lot around the stadium you can control your own destiny. Parks in the middle of cities have a much different challenge.”

Editor’s note: This profile was originally published on May 1, 2014. It is also included in our Stadium Tech Report for Q2 2014, which you can download for free from our site.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, All Star Game, AT&T, Baseball, DAS, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, MSR Guides, Sprint, T-Mobile, Wi-Fi Tagged With: All Star Game, AT&T, DAS, Major League Baseball, Minneapolis, Minnesota Twins, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Sprint, Stadium Wi-Fi, T-Mobile, Target Field, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi

Fox to live stream baseball’s All-Star game

July 14, 2014 by Paul Kapustka

Target Field, the downtown home of the Minnesota Twins. Credit: Minnesota Twins

Fox Sports Go will live streaming online coverage of Major League Baseball’s All-Star game on Tuesday, starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, according to Fox. Good news for those of you who prefer commentary in Spanish, Fox will also provide a stream with commentary from the FOX Deportes telecast. (No word on whether we can also get an “anybody but Joe Buck” version of the play-by-play, but Spanish or mute should work if not.)

P.S. — if you look here I think the home run derby is live online right now.

Like previous Fox Sports Go online efforts, the stream will be available to subscribers of “participating video providers,” so if your cable or TV provider is listed here, you just authenticate and you are good to go. According to Fox, here is the list of devices and URLs where you can watch the stream:

“FOX Sports GO is currently available for iOS, Android, and Kindle phones and tablets, select Windows devices, and on desktops through FOXSportsGO.com.”

According to Fox this is the first time the MLB All-Star game is being streamed live online, but our guess is it won’t be the last. If you’re not near a TV, please enjoy Bud Selig’s “meaningful” game. Also if you are at the game live please send us a Wi-Fi and/or DAS network report from the new Target Field network … good luck Twins hosts!

Filed Under: 4G LTE, All Star Game, Baseball, DAS, Fox Sports, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, Wi-Fi Tagged With: All Star game online All-Star game online, All-Star game streaming, Fox, Fox Sports Go, Minnesota Twins, MLB, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Target Field