LAS VEGAS – From airports to military barracks to huge convention centers, big venues keep us moving. Because of this, it is not always easy to stay connected using Wi-Fi.
In traditional Wi-Fi networks, users must oftentimes search for networks, request connection to the access point and then enter their authentication credentials each time they move to a new network.
Boingo Wireless, the leading provider of big venue Wi-Fi, believes Passpoint connectivity could solve this problem and be a building block to even bigger things.
Much like LTE for cellular, Passpoint connectivity allows you to move from one location to another without having to manually switch networks.
But this doesn’t just have an effect on the user, Boingo Wireless is hoping Passpoint connectivity paired with its new S.M.A.R.T. Network technology will fuel the growth of the “Internet of Everything.”
They are banking on Passpoint’s unified profile to make the data collection process more seamless so the S.M.A.R.T. Network can more efficiently test and analyze the data that is collected and distribute it in real time to those who want to use it.
Boingo Wireless CTO, Dr. Derek Peterson explains, “You can have what we like to call in the CR world a simplified, standardized, centralized way of being able to deal with, not only in the past what you were trying to do with your IT resources, now you’re doing that with your network resources.”
The network also uses network function virtualization and software-defined networks to test and optimize resources.
This is all in an effort to provide real-time information about how people are moving within the connected environment and what they are consuming.
This virtualized information is the foundation for the IoE.
Merging your information with the information of everyone around you allows the network to know the physical environment of the space and become an active player in it.
It can be used in a number of ways, from advertising for vendors to optimizing traffic and wait times within the venue. The end product being a connection of everything within the venue that is accessible everywhere: the Internet of Everything.
For all the interviews with Derek Peterson, go to the RCR Wireless Youtube page.
