Providing Reliable, High-Speed, and Cost-Effective WiFi to the Hotel Royal @ Queens

Today, successful hotels rely on high-speed, high-performance networks. Guests expect the same or better connectivity than they have at home, so that they can stream content, play mobile games, shop, and more. Hotel staff and managers depend on reliable WiFi to manage hotel information systems to optimize operations and profits.

However, many hotels still operate legacy systems that cannot efficiently allocate network resources to multiple users. In many cases, these older systems cannot provide sufficient coverage in hotel areas where operating conditions vary, such as kitchens, basements, and indoor/outdoor swimming pools, among others. And often, these legacy systems consist of multiple disparate systems that have been patched together, requiring extra time and costs to operate, maintain, and repair.

What the Hotel Royal @ Queens Needed

Needing to consolidate different systems to provide improved and uniform WiFi access helped drive the four-star Hotel Royal @ Queens to modernize its IT infrastructure. To do so, their systems integrator, Datamux, reached out to leading Singapore value-added distributor Go Nimbus to help determine and implement the best solution that would meet their technical requirements, be cost-effective, and provide a high level of post-implementation support.

Datamux and Go Nimbus together delivered, providing a flexible and futureproof Nebula solution that covered the Hotel Royal @ Queens 227 executive rooms and four serviced apartments. The solution involved 110 units of NWA1123-ACHD access points (APs), 48 units of NWA1123ACv3 APs, and 13 units of GS1920v2 smart managed PoE switches, with each component playing a key role in providing the coverage the Hotel Royal @ Queens required.

The Solution

While this solution involved many components, network management was made simple with the Nebula Cloud Controller (NCC). The NCC provides network admins with complete control of all Zyxel access points, switches, firewalls, gateways, and other cloud networking hardware and software from anywhere they can access the Internet.  All compatible devices can be easily connected to the network simply by scanning a QR Code, with network topology redrawn in real-time.

To provide the power needed for the kind of dense PoE deployment a hotel requires, Go Nimbus relied on Zyxel’s 8-port and 24-port switches, GS1920v2 smart-managed switches to offer a 30-watt per port and a 375-watt power budget for high consumption needs. While these switches can provide robust power as needed, they provide no more power than each connected device requires, ensuring greater efficiency and ROI as well as smooth and continuous operation of the access points.

The dual-band access points used – the NWA1123-ACHD APs and NWA1123ACv3 APs – conform to a Wave 2 WiFi standard and incorporate Multi-User (MU) multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. MU-MIMO tech optimizes network access for multiple connected devices in a single covered area, improving performance by as much as 300 per cent.

The NWA1123ACv3 APs are hybrid access points that support a data rate of up to 1.2 Gbps and minimize interference from existing 4G and 5G networks. These APs also form a Smart Mesh multi-hop wireless network, allowing businesses to avoid the need for LAN cabling. And they support the WPA3 standard ensuring greater network security, in addition to speed and reliability.

Both APs also leverage technologies like Smart Client Steering, Load Balancing, and Dynamic Channel Selection to efficiently allocate network resources. While Dynamic Channel Selection minimizes interference from co-channels and overlapping channels, Load Balancing lets administrators establish connection limits for each AP. Smart Client Steering directs clients to the less congested band on the AP. Combined, these technologies ensure that end users have stable, reliable and fast WiFi for their daily wireless needs.

The Outcome

Using these devices, Datamux and Go Nimbus was able to overhaul Hotel Royal @ Queens’ existing cloud networking infrastructure to improve performance. Not only did the implementation provide Hotel Royal @ Queens with superior speed and consistent coverage throughout the facility. Datamux was also able to install the new infrastructure with no downtime during the transition. Moreover, hotel staff have reported no network failures since the installation of the Zyxel devices.

Go Nimbus continues to support businesses in need of reliable, high-speed wireless connectivity for multiple users. Whether hotels, warehouses, office buildings, or mixed-use commercial spaces, Go Nimbus has the expertise and resources to ensure that local businesses have the wireless resources they need to provide the WiFi access consumers and enterprise users demand.

If your business needs cost-effective, comprehensive, and easy-to-manage WiFi solutions, contact Go Nimbus, a trusted provider and Zyxel networks VAD. Or if you’re an MSP looking to provide optimal solutions to your business clients, reach out to us today.