Network black spots to be a thing of the past

Published on : Friday, June 6, 2014

download-11-300x126Network / Amid the fuss about iBeacons, there is a relatively unheralded feature in the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system that might have an equal impact on the events world – mesh networking, says Michael Douglas, Business Development Director at GenieConnect.

 

This is essentially an ‘off-grid’ technology that enables users to make direct contact with others within range of their smartphones – without using the regular internet. Much of the noise about this has been in regard to attempts to decentralise internet access in the face of ‘Big Brother’ concerns about privacy and censorship. But it could well put an end to the ongoing gripes that event organisers have around inadequate network access in conference and exhibition venues.

 

Many event solutions have ‘native’ mobile apps – meaning that they provide the attendee with a good experience even without network access – at least partly as a response to patchy network infrastructure in many venues. However, certain capabilities require internet access, something which venue owners and event organisers have traditionally struggled to provide.

 

Mesh networks could potentially solve this problem. Essentially, any smartphone or tablet in a mesh network acts as a kind of relay, transferring internet access from device to device over a potentially unlimited distance. In fact, a recent Cult of Mac blog referenced a 30-mile ultra-marathon through Redwood forests in which no cell connectivity was available: using Apple’s mesh capabilities, the event organisers were able to create an ad hoc network that extended the length of the course.

 

Using mesh technology, an attendee stuck in the deepest recesses of a venue would potentially still be able to access the Internet, meaning an end to network coverage black spots and making online features usable by any attendee, irrespective of their location.

 

 

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