Etherlive – Event Technology Experts

05 Oct 2010

CCTV, Event, Festival, iphone, Press, RFID, Showman's Show, Wi-Fi, Wireless

We are now in the final stages of planning for the Showman’s Show 2010 and looking forward with meeting new and existing customers around the marquees and stands. This year our indoor stand (in the warm, number 68 ) is right on the main row whilst our outdoor stand (171) is at the end of avenue G. Whatever the weather it would be great to see you there.

If you haven’t had the chance to make your way over to the Newbury show ground before, The Showman’s Show is the trade show of choice for the events industry. An eclectic mix of everything from portable toilets, stages, marquees, lighting companies and of course event technology suppliers (us!)

The Showman's Show - Etherlive will be at stands 68 & 171

A little taster of some of the things we will be exhibiting:

Reliable Connectivity – We’ll continue to talk about our passion delivering temporary connectivity – wired and wireless for any size and shape of event, from media centres to entire festivals.

An Overview of Connectivity Options – From a phone line and broadband to high capacity fixed line and satellite services. We have a range of options to meet all needs.

Mobile Phone Data Offload – Fed up with smartphone apps not working at events? Find out what we have been doing to resolve this problem.

RFID Solutions – After successful trials in 2010 we will be demonstrating our Smartcard system for crew catering (no more paper vouchers!) and other authorisation aspects.

That’s just a few of the things we will be talking about, along with some old favourites like the Communications Tower Light, CCTV, VoIP, network management & monitoring, flight-case based network hubs and more. Drop in for a chat, a coffee or a bottle of the finest Etherlive water.

The Showman’s Show, Newbury Showground is open 20th and 21st October 9:30am – 4pm.

‘High Density’ Media/Press Rooms

Chris Green

22 Sep 2010

Election, Event, Media Centre, Press, Press Centre, Wi-Fi, WiFi, Wireless

A well connected media centre goes a long way to keeping journalists happy at events, but all too often I see comments in blogs and on twitter about poor Wi-Fi, slow connections and network meltdown. We operate and support connectivity for many media centres during the year ranging from small rooms with only a few users to large centres catering for hundreds of simultaneous users, so I thought I would share our approach to delivering an excellent experience.

The Sky Media Centre had a main room and several breakout & broadcast rooms

One example I will drawn on is the media centre we operated for Sky News for the Election Debate Broadcast earlier this year which had some interesting requirements. It was an unusual event in that the centre was only to operate for about eight hours in total but during the peak hours around the debate it was expected that the room would be used by over 400 journalists, politicians, television and radio crews simultaneously. The brief also required that all access was to be wireless and that various ‘network throttles’ had to be used to block certain types of transfers and maintain fair usage across all users. Although this event was larger than the average media centre the same principles apply whatever the size, the main aspects of which are as follows:

1. The Right Internet Connectivity

This may sound obvious but the wrong connectivity lets down a significant number of media centres, you may have the best wireless on the planet but if the internet connectivity is not good enough the users will be frustrated. The most common problem is using a broadband/ADSL line for connectivity which for all but the smallest of centres is likely to be totally unsuitable. The usage in a media centre is different from typical internet usage in that uploading of data is more important than downloading data. Broadband/ADSL lines are designed primarily for downloading and have a very low upload speed, typically only about 400kbps. The second issue with broadband lines is that the vast majority of providers use a high contention ratio on their service, this means that even if the connection says it’s 8Mbps, at the exchange the connection typically is then shared with up to 50 other users. The busier the exchange the worse the experience becomes.

So what options are available instead? There is no straight forward answer to that as it depends on location, requirements and budget but the key thing is there are different options and with some up front planning the right solution can be put in place which can make a huge difference to the users experience. For the Sky Election Debate we had a 1Gbps fibre link with a second diverse routed failover link providing a typical wireless upload experience of 20Mbps per user (this varied based on the client device, an 802.11n client typically had 80Mbps). I’m not suggesting that all media centres need to offer that sort of speed but it shows it can be done.

2. Wi-Fi / Networking Equipment

Connect up a wireless access point, put it in the corner and off we go…which leads to a favourite Dilbert cartoon of mine.

Delivering a good wireless experience is not ‘plug and play’, but it is a lot less painful if the right approach is used. Firstly never use consumer or low-end business wireless products, they will not deal with the simultaneous usage and throughput required, it needs high-end business wireless products to deliver a good service and even then capacity planning is critical. Wi-Fi is a shared medium meaning that if your client is connected at 54Mbps (and unfortunately although 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi is promoted as having a speed of 54Mbps in reality this is closer to 20Mbps), that is a best case assuming no one else is using the network at the same time. As soon as another user connects the available bandwidth is shared between them. Put 25 users onto one wireless access point and each user may only see 800kbps!

Providing good bandwidth to lots of users therefore requires multiple wireless access points, which can be achieved in several ways, but it requires careful planning otherwise choas results with all of the wireless access points interfering with each other. This area is complex and will make this blog way too long but a truly managed environment is the only way to deliver this successfully and that requires:

2.4 GHz & 5GHz 802.11n Wireless Access Points – to maximise throughput and share load across the wireless spectrum
Air Time Fairness – to stop older wireless clients slowing down and hogging the network
Beam Forming – this is a technique that focuses wireless signals on the client that is ‘talking’ giving better performance and reducing the impact of interference.
Band Steering – to balance wireless clients between the available frequencies
Load Balancing & Roaming – to ensure wireless clients are evenly and seamlessly distributed across the wireless access points
User Throtling – the ability to limit the maximum speed of a client connection
Client Isolation – the ability to stop one wireless client ‘seeing’ another wireless client on the network

The wireless portion then needs to be backed up by good switching and routing, typically all running at gigabit speeds. For critical media centres redundancy in terms of network design and power backup also come into play. Other factors include authentication (username and password, shared key, etc) and breaking the network into mutliple ‘virtual networks’ so that different services can be offered to different user groups.

3. Network Management

Once the network is designed and implemented it would be nice if it looked after itself but in a busy media centre there are still more challenges. The most common issue is interference, particularly in the 2.4GHz frequency range (which is the most common one for wireless clients) as many other items use the Wi-Fi frequencies too – bluetooth, DECT phones, ad-hoc wireless networks, RADAR, microwave ovens (yes I’m serious, particularly industrial ones) and various pieces of broadcast equipment such as video senders. These sources of interference can wreak havoc on Wi-Fi networks. A managed Wi-Fi network can automatically deal with some interference by switching channels and power output but in a busy media centre there is often no option but to use a spectrum analyser to constantly scan and identify interference sources so that they can either be eliminated or avoided. During the Sky Election Debate 113 sources of interference were identified and dealt with!

Spot the wireless cameras - always a concern for Wi-Fi

Active monitoring of the network is also important, this gives real-time information on the status of all the devices such as the wireless access points, the data passing through the network and how much capacity is being used. This facilitates making tweaks to the network before problems occur. It also has the benefit of providing a post event report with lots of data on usage.

4. Support

Having people to provide good technical support to users in the media centre is one of the best ways of keeping journalists happy. For example the Sky Election Debate happened not long after the launch of the Apple iPad in the US so a number of people had imported them from the US and hadn’t got to grips with them yet, the support staff not only helped them connect to the network but also gave some basic usage assistance. That level of support is highly appreciated and tends to lead to favourable comments in the articles they write.

Delivering a good experience in a media centre is not without its challenges but those challenges can be overcome by using the right tools for the job, good planning and a technical team that know that they are doing. At the end of an event when journalists come over to specifically say “it was the best wireless experience I’ve ever had” then you know it was a job well done.

Venue IT merges with Etherlive

Chris Green

23 Mar 2010

Press Releases

https://etherlive.co.uk

Event, Event IT, Festival, VoIP, Wi-Fi, Wireless

The news is out, after spending the last 18 months working closely on a number of events Etherlive and Venue IT are merging to deliver an exciting range of technology services across the broad events industry. For existing customers the relationship and services provided remains the same, but now with access to an enhanced range of offerings, delivering more efficiency and industry leading innovation.

Full press release follows:

Technical expertise and events experience join forces

As the events and festival season get underway, Venue IT, the provider of telecommunications services to the events industry, is set to join forces with Etherlive. Merging into a single business unit, the two companies will work together to offer a range of communications services and consultancy to the events industry.

Chris Green, Managing Director at Etherlive comments, “With our strong technology background and Venue IT’s events history and experience, we’re a great fit. Having worked successfully together for a year and a half on a number of projects, the most logical step was to join forces and work as one. We’re excited about the prospects ahead and look forward to delivering solutions that enhance the experience of organisers, exhibitors and visitors at all sorts of events across the UK.”

Mike Lang, of Venue IT adds, “This relationship offers our loyal clients the best of both worlds; they will continue to deal with the same people offering the same high level of personal service, and will benefit from increased resources with a new found capacity to deliver not only a range of services from its existing portfolio, but more importantly new and exciting complimentary services – exactly what you need for a successful event.”

Founded in 2004, Venue IT provides telecommunication solutions to some of the most prestigious outdoor national and international events held in the UK. Among its customers, Venue IT boasts names such as Southampton Boat Show, CLA Gamefair, Red Bull X Fighters, World Triathlon Games, Frieze Art Fair and Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Wiltshire-based and in business since 2007, Etherlive is a specialist event IT company that designs, implements and supports both temporary and permanent IT solutions for events. Etherlive supports organisers, promoters and venue managers as they deal with the challenges of security, communications and monitoring across large and complex sites.

Etherlive’s customer base includes one-off short duration corporate events, specialist permanent installations and annual large scale temporary events. Customers include WOMAD, the Green Man Festival, Get Loaded in the Park, Silverstone, the Three Counties Showground, and corporate clients such as Nokia, Amazon, Littlewoods, Intel and the BBC.

Initially, the company will maintain both the ‘Etherlive’ and the ‘Venue IT’ brands. The company will operate from the Etherlive headquarters in Wiltshire.

ENDS

About Etherlive

A successful event depends on great performances. From WOMAD and The Green Man Festival to Southampton Boat Show and the Three Counties Show, we are the ones that make IT work. Etherlive sits behind the scenes delivering reliable Wi-Fi internet, telephony, laptops, PDQs and interactive messaging. Whether in a field or a building, we make connectivity simple.

For further information contact:

Helen Stevens

www.ascentpr.co.uk

t. 01454 629 741

etherlive@ascentpr.co.uk

Communications at Festivals – Some Tricks of the Trade

03 Mar 2010

Event, Festival, RFID, Technology, VoIP, Wi-Fi, Wireless

To music lovers, the festival season may seem like a lifetime away, but organisers are very much in the thick of it; securing acts and commissioning suppliers.

While headlines are dominated by the glamour of the line-up, behind the scenes, there is a hubbub of activity by a myriad of experts and suppliers, to make sure that the show runs smoothly.

One element of this is the technology – the means to ensure organisers, stewards, and punters can communicate and receive information on site. They need phones, broadband connectivity, CCTV, payment terminals, connected ticketing systems, interactive content – and these things need to work.

Tom McInerney, Event Director at Etherlive, highlights some of the tricks of the trade to help festival organisers get their technology organised.

From boutique festivals to a national event, the chances are you’ll need phone lines as part of your licence. Be aware that it can take up to four weeks for your telecoms provider to install a line assuming they offer a temporary service. An alternative option would be satellite connectivity, which can be deployed at a couple of days notice.
When you’re planning the number of phone lines you need, it’s not a disaster if you don’t get it spot on; or if you leave it until the last minute to do. You can always opt for Voice over IP (VoIP) lines which can be easily deployed to meet demand with no extra cost whilst delivering the same quality. Many also offer free national calls.
Your communications technologies are all reliant on the power supply – if your power source fails, you have a problem. So when you’re planning your power requirements for organiser areas, opt for an uninterruptable supply, or arrange a back-up generator to ensure operations continue in emergencies.
An increasing number of venues have existing Wi-Fi networks in place for organisers and punters. Don’t make the assumption this network will be enough to provide everyone with the right connectivity and support. Check the capacity of the network and what would happen if you need technical support.
It sounds obvious, but before you install Wi-fi, check that the laptops your staff have are set up to use the latest standards (802.11n is the most modern), which means they will be able to enjoy faster speeds and get better signal strength. Don’t be afraid of using wire if you need to. Better that, than no internet access. Check with your technology provider that they’re bringing the correct kit for your needs.
In our experience, the onsite team at a festival gets bombarded with questions during the event which come up time and time again – opening times, parking details etc. If you have a telephone exchange on site, why not set up an automated attendant system to reduce the volume of calls to your key staff.
Ensure you have a method of secure one to one communication which doesn’t rely on mobile phone networks (which may become too busy). Radio networks are great for most communications on site, but what if you need to transfer private or sensitive information, like the description of a missing child, for example? It makes sense to have a secure line dedicated to staff in case of instances like this.
- Other examples where you may use onsite phones would include passing payment details between departments, for example takings totals. Some events may require a dedicated incoming line for local residents who wish to contact the event (perhaps a noise issue, or parking problem) and having a dedicated line in the organiser’s office can help keep residents on side with the festival.
- Generally events will have lines for artist liaison, organiser compound, gates, hospitality, sponsors and more depending on the number of staff present. What’s nice about VoIP telephone systems is that wherever there isnetwork connectivity phones can be installed or removed in minutes. In addition hunt groups can be created or managed and automated answer systems can be arranged quickly.
- ELT (Emergency Liaison Teams) should have dedicated BT lines whilst others may use voice over IP (VoIP) which do not require an individual BT cable to operate, costing significantly less to operate with free national calls..
Does your licence require keeping within noise levels at agreed locations? If so, it is possible to monitor multiple remote units from a central location – and have an audit trail of readings should they be required. A secure wireless connection is setup between the on-site network and the remote sound meter. A special network unit is installed with the sound meter at the remote location providing connectivity and power (which can include battery or uninterruptable secured mains) whilst the sound meter takes readings from the local environment. The network connection allows the sound monitors to be remotely viewed from a laptop anywhere with range of the network onsite.
In the same vein, CCTV can now be used for far more than surveillance – it can fulfil a much grander role in your on site security without the requirement of cabling between each camera. For starters, the latest developments in the CCTV world include ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) which automatically logs number plates which pass by cameras; with the latest digital cameras all video is stored on a hard disc making later retrieval and viewing straightforward. Many cameras can automatically detect and track motion and combined with infrared lights which can ‘see in the dark’. As well as pure security aspects, deployment of cameras can assist in monitoring crowd flow, entrance traffic management and even providing a more flexible webcam option for linking into websites!
Audience interaction is becoming more popular especially using mobile devices which can be used to view running orders, purchase artist albums and even find tents. Consider supplying a Wi-Fi network where attendees will get the best experience.

The Rain Holds Off at the Showman’s Show for Sunny Reviews

17 Nov 2009

Event, Showman's Show, Wi-Fi, Wireless

The Rain Holds Off at the Showman’s Show for Sunny Reviews

Typically the Showman’s Show, which Etherlive exhibited at in October 2009, is a rather rainy old affair bringing together the leading outdoor and indoor event suppliers at the Newbury Showground. This year the dark clouds held long enough to give exhibitors and visitors a chance to see the latest market innovations in some British October sunshine.

We exhibited in both the outside and inside areas. The outdoor space meant that we could demonstrate to customers the new Ecolite P Plus tower light, combining lighting, CCTV, public address and network access in one palletized unit. The revolutionary unit received very positive reviews especially around its efficiency and simplicity. Also on display outside was the Mobile Command Centre (MCC), the network centre which keeps the largest events up and running with server racks, high speed networking, real-time monitoring and working space for operational teams.

Indoors we demonstrated the latest POD units which have been providing connectivity for many of the UKs leading outdoor and indoor events this year. The current generation includes a solar panel, part of a focus from Etherlive to provide event customers with the most environmentally conscious solutions on the market. With the panel, combined with the existing battery, the unit will run non-stop for several weeks even with UK weather conditions!

Also on display inside was one of our portable flight case communications units which provides a network brain for indoor and smaller events. The unit can support up to 20 VoIP handsets and 5 wireless PODS making it perfect for press or PR launch events.

The response to the two stands was fantastic; customers were keen to see the latest innovations and understand how their event can reduce costs by taking advantage of the latest technology. If you missed the Showman’s Show then Etherlive will also be exhibiting at the Event Production Show 2nd and 3rd February 2010 at Olympia, London or you can get in contact to setup a personal demonstration at any time.

We exhibited in both the outside and inside areas. The outdoor space meant that we could demonstrate to customers the new Ecolite P Plus tower light, combining lighting, CCTV, public address and network (Wi-Fi & Wired) access in one palletized unit. The revolutionary unit received very positive reviews especially around its efficiency and simplicity. Also on display outside was the Mobile Command Centre (MCC), the network centre which keeps the largest events up and running with server racks, high speed networking, real-time monitoring and working space for operational teams.

Also on display inside was one of our portable flight case communications units which provides a network brain for indoor and smaller events. The unit can support up to 20 VoIP handsets and 5 Wi-Fi PODS making it perfect for press or PR launch events.

The response to the two stands was fantastic; customers were keen to see the latest innovations and understand how their event can reduce costs by taking advantage of the latest technology.

If you missed the Showman’s Show then Etherlive will also be exhibiting at the Event Production Show 2nd and 3rd February 2010 at Olympia, London or you can get in contact to setup a personal demonstration at any time.

The Etherlive outdoor stand with the Ecolite P Plus and Mobile Command Centre (MCC)

Community Wi-Fi Internet

08 Jun 2009

Community, Wi-Fi, Wireless

Etherlive recently completed the latest of its permanent outdoor Wi-Fi internet hotspots for fast, reliable internet access.

Like many open spaces in the UK, Poole Park is constantly looking for new services to offer to its visitors. Friends of Poole Park, who are a local volunteer organisation working with the council, recently undertook a revamp of the park adding a new water fountain and bird nesting islands, alongside this they contracted Etherlive to install a community Wi-Fi internet hotspot. Located in the centre of Poole the park offers a picturesque 60 acre lake, restaurants and cafes – all of which are used by the local community including a large percentage of local businesses (more of which the park is trying to attract) and students from Bournemouth University.

The wireless equipment installed at Poole is based on a ruggedized 802.11n meshed infrastructure providing Wi-Fi internet across the whole of the park including several buildings. The main benefit of the mesh is that each wireless unit only requires a power source such as a lamp post; all connectivity across the network is managed from one central location. In addition proxy (caching) and firewall services were installed to improve performance and security. The network will be used in the future to provide webcams and communications infrastructure for the popular Poole Park Fest.

Bob Lister of Friends of Poole Park, speaking to Poole Borough Council said: “We are delighted Wi-Fi is up and running. In addition to providing local people and visitors with new park facilities, we also anticipate event organisers will make good use of the new technology for their activities.”

By offering free community internet access Poole Park becomes a credible location for businesses to meet and students to study encouraging more visitors during the day whilst also fulfilling the recent ‘Digital Britain’ drive by the British Government which sees regular access to internet services as a must have.

Etherlive Wi-Fi installed at Poole Park

For further information see Borough of Poole News and Bournemouth Echo

No Power, Red Power & Green Power

Chris Green

28 Mar 2009