It’s been widely reported in previous years that your Wi-Fi signal could indeed be inhibited by the festive season. And no, it’s not because your router’s enjoying the holidays and has passed out after eating too many Quality Street. It could all be down to your Christmas lights!

It’s a tough decision… Speedy Wi-Fi working at it’s optimum speed, or your tree adorned with twinkly Christmas lights. But do you really have to choose between the two?

We’ve taken a look at the info out there so you can stay connected, and still feel festive.

The main thing to avoid is placing your Christmas lights (or anything, for that matter) on or too close to your router. I can’t see many people plonking their Nordic spruce on top of their box but you never know.

Post Office Telecoms reported that routers that were placed too close to Christmas tree lights may be negatively affected by signal interference.
And it’s not just lights and Christmassy things that can cause an issue; there’s a wide range of household items that can cause your Wi-Fi speed to slow down. You might want to consider having a reshuffle of interiors if your films are buffering on Netflix or things are slow to load. The following appliances and household items can be found to affect your Wi-Fi if placed too close to your router:

• Microwaves, radiators, fridges, freezers, toasters, kettles, washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers, ovens, steel baths and computers . All are metal objects!
• Water pipes and fish tanks – Water loves radio waves, the water absorbs the energy from them.
• Cordless telephones and baby monitors – they use the same frequencies as Wi-Fi and phones especially are often unfortunately placed next to the router.
• Insulation – the same dense stuff that keeps heat in the walls and ceilings also causes issues for Wi-Fi.
• TV – Normally not a big issue unless you place your router behind it
• Speakers – Basically electromagnets so can cause interference
• Humans – People are great at absorbing Wi-Fi, especially ones with a belly like jelly, dressed in a red suit and gobbling a mince pie whilst delivering presents.

Amazingly, research has shown that a lot of us Brits seem to be rather quiet when it comes to complaing about rubbish web speeds (wait, what?) with some even going out and buying new devices and routers in an attempt to solve the problem, rather than getting to it’s core.

Apart from being selective in your router’s (and Christmas tree’s) placement, there are a couple of other things you can try before heading out and buying a replacement gadget:

• Ensure that your router is plugged into a master socket instead of an extension lead. This will let it work faster.
• Make sure you are updated to the latest internet browser – this can also boost website and load time.
• Protect your laptops, computers and devices with reliable security software to avoid having your tech turned into ‘bot’ networks where they can potentially be hijacked and hacked into. Don’t let your gadget’s be turned into ‘zombies’.

Watchdog Ofcom released an app a couple of years ago in order that people could test internet coverage in their homes. The release of this app coincided with festive finds that millions of British homes still lacked high-speed access and that Christmas lights could be the cause of slower Wi-Fi speed.

Ofcom estimated that up to 6 million homes and offices could improve on their broadband connection, saying wireless networks were often not set up correctly or suffered “interference” from electronics like the above list.

Sharon White, Ofcom chief executive, said: “Mobile and broadband have become the fourth essential service, alongside gas, electricity and water. There’s been a technological revolution over recent years, with 4G mobile and superfast continuing to extend across the country.

“Our challenge is to keep supporting competition and innovation, while also helping to improve coverage across the country – particularly in hard-to-reach areas, where mobile and home internet services need to improve.

“It’s vital that consumers have the tools they need, such as the new Wi-Fi Checker, to get the most out of their communications.”
The free Wi-Fi Checker app, for smartphones and tablets, allows homeowners to test the quality of their internet signal and then suggests ways they could try to enhance it.

But is there any truth to it though – Can Christmas lights really slow down your Wi-Fi? Or were the vague references to Christmas lights by Ofcom just a way of marketing their new app through the festive season?

The Science Behind The Rumour

Wi-Fi uses radio waves. A very weak electromagnetic field is emitted by Christmas lights, that could theoretically interfere with the radio waves being transmitted from your router. For a string of lights to slow down your Wi-Fi, it would have to transmit electromagnetic radiation at or around the same frequency.

If your tree is rigged up like Blackpool tower then you may start to see a problem – The more lights, the stronger the electromagnetic field. As we said before, the closer the router is to the lights, the higher the chance of interference.

There are generally 2 types of light whose qualities have the potential to cause interference.

Older types of Christmas lights that are arranged in a string of low voltage lamps in series with each other and are designed to blink. These can cause radio interference which can lead to dips in Wi-Fi speed.

More modern Christmas lights use solid-state LED’s and have an external control for flashing which don’t create radio noise. However, some LED’s have a chip inside the bulb to control the blink and these devices can also cause interfence.

What both have in common is that between the LED or lamp being completely on or off, it can exhibit negative resistance which in turn causes radio energy. Although, modern lights are definitely less likely to cause a problem, so maybe save yourself the annual horror of trying to untangle your 10 year old string of lights and treat yourself to some new ones.

The Proof Behind the Christmas Pudding – Putting it to the Test

So firstly, let’s say that internet speeds naturally fluctiate and thus no test would be completely scientific or conclusive, but merely suggestive of a possible cause.

However it would be interesting to run a speed test before the Christmas lights go up, and then afterwards. One such tester found that their download speed was 128.07 Mbps and upload speed was 8.3 Mbps prior to decking the tree with twinkles.

After the house was adorned with LED lights and the tree was lit up, the download speed slightly reduced to 124.83 Mbps and the upload speed to 7.82 Mbps. Despite it being a very slight difference, there was a variance. However, the router in this test was right next to the tree (an 8-foot tree covered in three strands of lights) and also near a window, so you would perhaps have expected a bit more interference.

For fast internet speeds, this difference is rather negligible. Although for households or businesses with slower Wi-Fi, the drop would potentially be more noticeable.

Conclusion – Do we need to choose between having usable Wi-Fi or a festively decorated Christmas tree?

In short, no. We think it’s pretty safe to say that unless you decide to give your router a festive make over and wrap it in lights, your Wi-Fi will probably be unaffected by the Christmas decorations.

Use modern lights wherever possible and keep your router clear, and you’ll be sitting happily scrolling through an Instagram feed full of Christmas dinner pics and sleeping grandparents covered in paper crowns.

Image credit: www.wired.com

Our Director Steve was staying in a hotel at the weekend which had a completely unsecured Wi-Fi network, wide open with no passwords. Whilst this might be rather nice for the guests, there are many implications associated with an open Wi-Fi network without a password and so we thought we would share them here.

Rather surprisingly, open Wi-Fi networks in homes are still too commonplace. Wireless router manufacturers have tried to help improve this issue by shipping their products with default enabled passwords, but even so there are still far too many unsecured Wi-Fi networks out there just like the one at Steve’s hotel at the weekend.

If you’re hosting an open Wi-Fi network, it can cause a number of problems for you. Perhaps you think you are doing a good deed by sharing your connection with others, or providing guests with a service they want (without them knowing the dangers) and perhaps it’s merely just a case of not having yet set up a password.

Whatever the reason, there are a great many better ones to get that network of yours secured.

Legal Problems

Quite possibly an overlooked consequence but certainly the scariest and most serious result of having an open network are the legal problems you could end up facing. It’s probably rather unlikely that you will be arrested or served with a lawsuit, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.

Arrests: A few years ago, a man was arrested for downloading child pornography. He was however completely innocent – someone nearby had used his Wi-Fi network to download it. Thankfully he was cleared and released, but it is worth considering that anything bad, unlawful or incriminating done using your open Wi-Fi network can be traced straight back to your name.

Lawsuits: It’s completely possible that you could be faced with a lawsuit if someone closeby is downloading the latest Hollywood blockbusters via BitTorrent using your Internet connection.

Whilst neither of these is a probable occurence, it is still possible that they could happen. Hosting an open Wi-Fi network is a little bit like playing with fire – You wouldn’t leave your house with a window open or door unlocked, so why leave your Wi-Fi network unprotected?

Internet Connection Consequences

Your Internet Service Provider could display alerts accusing you of piracy if you’re accused of pirating something. Some ISPs have announced plans to cut off access to certain websites after several accusations.

This might seem restrictive on face value, but this is actually a much more reasonable policy than some, and there to protect against and limit unlawful internet activity. Internationally there are some systems in place , such as the “three strikes” law in place in France, that are much harsher in their punishment for pirate usage. If you reach strike number three, your access to the internet is taken away for up to a year and you are also blacklisted by all ISPs for that time period. In today’s internet-connected economy this would be a harsh consequence to bear.

It’s worth remembering that even if you aren’t personally downloading anything, having an open unprotected Wi-Fi network could result in others using it for these purposes and thus get you in some trouble.

Eavesdropping on Unsecured Traffic

When using a public Wi-Fi network like the one at Steve’s weekend hotel, much of your Internet traffic travels in unencrypted form. With the exception of secure HTTPS websites, anyone can view the web pages you’re viewing and monitor your web browsing. Big Brother much?

Remember that if you have, or use, an open wireless network, anyone nearby can monitor the unsecured web pages you’re visiting and view their contents. Worryingly, this is how Google’s Street View cars managed to capture so much personally identifiable data while just driving by. This even included email contents! Of course, the Street View cars didn’t deliberately hack into any network to collect personal data, they just happened to capture unencrypted browsing activity on open Wi-Fi networks.

Exposing Windows File Shares and Local Services

Windows always asks you whether you’re connecting to a Home network or a Public network every time you connect to a new network in Windows. A Home network is more trusted – Windows enables file-sharing features that allow you to share files, printers, media, and other devices between your computers.

This, however, is assuming that your home Wi-Fi network is secure and password protected.

If your home Wi-Fi network is open, it’s really more of a public network instead of a home one. By not protecting your home network, it means that anyone can connect to it and thus have access to your home network features like file shares and whatever other services you have enabled. These resources can of course be protected, and normally are, by your network’s password.

Connection Slowdowns and Bandwidth Limits

If you have an open network, and people are using it as mentioned earlier to download movies via BitTorrent or similar, then things are going to slow right down for you. Even the fastest Internet connections can only handle so much data at once! When you’re righting for data, web pages won’t load as quickly and files won’t download as fast.

Some ISP’s limit the amount of bandwidth you can use (this is a very common occurrence in some parts of the world). This would mean that people on your open Wi-Fi network could quickly bring you to your bandwidth limit – or cause you to exceed it. A person casually checking their email wouldn’t cause problems, but this illegal movie downloader watching all the latest Blu-Ray releases could easily and quickly take you to your monthly traffic limit within just a few days. Whatever your ISP’s penalty for this – Either an additional charge or throttling your connection – the consequences are frustrating and potentially costly.

Securing Your Network

If you’re still hosting an open Wi-Fi network from your home or business the solution is really very simple: Take your wireless router, enable WPA security, and set a strong password.

The hotel Steve stayed in over the weekend perhaps thought it was providing a good service and while it might have been nice and easy for their hotel guests to log in and browse, open Wi-Fi networks are actually not the norm however convenient that might be for some. We might wish we could all access open Wi-Fi networks for free everywhere, but unfortunately we don’t live in that perfect world.

We said earlier that hosting an open Wi-Fi network is a bit like leaving your house’s door unlocked or the windows open. But in actual fact it’s even worse than that. By leaving your network open and accessible by anyone, you are constantly broadcasting your Wi-Fi network’s name and inviting people to connect through your wireless router. Using the unlocked door analogy one more time – Having an open unprotected Wi-Fi network is like leaving your front door wide open with a sign hanging on it saying “Come in, come in, one and all!”

(Image Credit: Matt J Newman on Flickr)

https://www.howtogeek.com/132925/htg-explains-why-you-shouldnt-host-an-open-wi-fi-network/

Wireless access points (AP) and routers are often thought of as the same thing.

While a wireless access point is indeed similar to a router, there are some differences.

What is a Wireless Access Point?

Over the years, AP have evolved to mean something different than they did when Wi-Fi first arrived on the scene.

Routers haven’t always had built in Wi-Fi. Before this came as standard, an AP was often added to a network to enable wireless devices to connect.

This addition means that devices that only have hard-wired connections can get wireless network ability. For example, a printer with no built-in wireless capability can have an access point added to with it wireless ability.

This was done by plugging in an Ethernet cable – the AP would than communicate with Wi-Fi devices, giving them network access.

Nowadays most routers have built in Wi-Fi and play many roles including being an AP, and so many don’t use dedicated AP as they have in the past.

However, many networks still use Access Points – they are particularly useful when dealing with Wi-Fi dead spots and extending wireless networks.

What is a Router?

A router is a network device that can transfer data wirelessly or wired – Anyone who has an internet connection has a router.

A router can be an access point, but an access point can’t be a router.

Routers forward data packets to the desired device and control LAN (Local Area Networks) or WAN (Wide Area Networks) networks.

An access point can be compared to a modem; While it can get online, a modem is limited in its functionality on managing multiple devices or controlling an entire network with many devices.

On the other hand, an entire home or small business can be managed by a router, giving network capability to many computers and devices simultaneously.

So Why Do People Buy Access Points?

Any network can have weak Wi-Fi signals or dead spots, which a router alone cannot manage.

An access point can be added in a particular location that has bad wireless network ability and result in good coverage throughout a home or business.

Head to our website to find out more about our Wi-Fi Installation Service: https://geekabit.co.uk/ or contact us via any of the below. We are the UK’s specialist Wi-Fi consultants and can help your business with Wi-Fi Site Surveys, Planning and Design, Installation and much more.

Contact us: London 0203 322 2443 | Cardiff: 02920 676 712 | Winchester: 01962 657 390 |  [email protected]

http://www.wirelesshack.org/wireless-access-point-vs-router.html

With task list apps, invoice managing software and the obvious fast and immediate access to emails, it’s no surprise that mobile devices are becoming just as essential to the workplace as the photocopy machine and the coffee maker. Of course, that also means a fast, reliable wireless network is essential as well. But building one isn’t as simple as you might think – You can’t just plug in your ISP-supplied router and connect your smartphone. Putting together a Wi-Fi network robust enough to support your business can be pretty tricky if you’ve never done it before. To shorten the learning curve, you can find some common pitfalls and how to avoid them below. Or skip the content all the way to the bottom and call us instead…!

Overloading the wireless router

When the business is small, it’s common to begin by setting up your network with an entry-level wireless router. But as the business grows and high-throughput appliances such as NAS or IP cameras get added into the mix, the heavy usage will overload many consumer grade routers.

Is an off-the-shelf wireless router up to the task of running your small business network? Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to tell ahead of time. If you do start to experience unexplained slowness, one solution is to set up a standalone network switch and wireless access point. To reduce the burden on your router’s processor, offload some clients to the access point and install a new gigabit ethernet switch to increase your local network’s speed.

Under provisioning your Wi-Fi network

Relying on only one access point regardless of the network load is another mistake small businesses commonly make . Even with just 8 to 10 employees, the pervasiveness of smartphones, tablets and laptops in the workplace means you could still easily have dozens of wireless devices, so it’s best to err on the side of over-coverage. To avoid potential bottlenecks and slowness reducing the risk of productivity, instal multiple access points up front.

By migrating ethernet-ready devices such as desktop PCs and printers to wired networking whenever possible, you can also reduce the burden on your wireless network.

Bad placement of Wi-Fi access points

As we’ve seen numerous times before, the physical location of a Wi-Fi access point is critical. It will quickly become apparent if you place one in an alcove, beside large metallic fixtures or cupboards, or next to thick concrete beams. Your Wi-Fi signal will be weakened by any of these “Line if sight” barriers.

An elevated location generally works a lot better than a lower one because there are generally more obstructions near the ground, such as cubicle walls and furniture. A great way to try and establish a good location is to visualize the wireless signals emanating from the access point in a straight line. Parts of the office that are blocked by three or more obstructions will likely experience weak or nonexistent signals.

Expecting to get the speeds shown on the box

It’s easy to be seduced by the 300Mbps or 450Mbps speeds 802.11n wireless routers promise. However, these are theoretical and don’t account for real-world conditions or the substantial protocol overheads inherent to wireless networks.

A router could offer a performance of just 226Mbps at 9 feet, dropping to 43.1Mbps at 65 feet. The figures are applicable only for a single client–this bandwidth would be divided among any additional devices operating on the same frequency band. If you need to routinely transfer large files across your local network, consider setting up a wired Gigabit network.

Using your router’s default channel

It’s understandable that you want your network up and running quickly and thus to start using your router without bothering to change the default channel. However, unless you live far from civilization, it’s likely your neighbour is already using this channel and that could cause interference that degrades your wireless performance.

This can be easily avoided by changing the channel on your device when you set it up. There are only three non-overlapping channels: 1, 6, and 11 so this isn’t a difficult process. For locations that are swamped with multiple Wi-Fi networks, there may be a need to experiment with overlapping channels for the best results. A tremendous help is that some wireless access points detect nearby Wi-Fi networks and offer information about the channels they use as well as their signal strengths.

Ignoring the 5GHz band

Don’t ignore it! If your router offers simultaneous dual band, make sure your 5GHz radio is enabled. This allows laptops that support 5GHz to be offloaded onto this less-cluttered band, freeing up the 2.4GHz band for other devices such as smartphones and tablets. Also, the 5GHz band’s shorter range allows for the use of additional APs in high-density deployments with less risk of interference.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2048052/6-mistakes-to-avoid-when-setting-up-your-small-business-wireless-network.html

If you skipped to the end, or don’t fancy giving this a go yourself, head to our website to find out more about our Wi-Fi Installation Service: https://geekabit.co.uk/ or contact us via any of the below. We are the UK’s specialist Wi-Fi consultants and can help your business with Wi-Fi Site Surveys, Planning and Design, Installation and much more.

Contact us: London 0203 322 2443 | Cardiff: 02920 676 712 | Winchester: 01962 657 390 |  [email protected]

You check in to your hotel, or are maybe sitting in the lobby enjoying a coffee, and want to check your emails. Everywhere you go nowadays, there’s a Wi-Fi network that you can log onto, and usually for free. Many hotels however tend to have a charge for this, which begs the question, how much does it actually cost to install Wi-Fi in a hotel?

It’s an absolute given that all hotels must provide their guests with Wi-Fi, so naturally one of the first things any hotel wants to know about a Wi-Fi installation is how much is it going to cost.  This is often a tricker question than it seems, because there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” Wi-Fi, at least not yet.  A full consultation is necessary to be able to give exact estimates – good Wi-Fi deployment needs to be personalized for a business.

The simplest network architecture these days is virtualised.  In such a setup, such as one using Bluesocket, the WiFi Access Points (APs) themselves are effectively all a location needs.  There’s no need for an expensive central server or controller.

In setups like these, a single Bluesocket AP will cost between approximately £300-£550 depending on its features.  Then those costs go up according to how many APs are being installed.

However, there are other elements that come into play; Here are some other elements that may influence the kind of Wi-Fi architecture your hospitality business installs.

Three Major Factors Influencing The Costs Of Hotel Wi-Fi

1 – Wall Thickness

As you’ll see from one of our instagram posts from a little while back, this is a factor not always considered when setting up Wi-Fi. The walls in a hotel are quite often literally a barrier to reliable WiFi service. The thing with hotels is that guests expect almost soundproof environments, which generally requires walls that are either thicker or extra-reinforced with elements like concrete to reduce their noise-transmission.

Unfortunately, such measures also limit their Wi-Fi transmission.  Depending on the thickness and material composition in your walls, to provide a reliable service as well as quiet rooms, you may have to invest in more powerful antennas to “punch through” the walls.

2 –  Larger Location Size

Hotels that cover large pieces of land may have issues spreading service across their location.  For one thing, no “Wireless” network is truly wire-free.  At the least, there’ll be a cable coming in from the outside world, providing the Internet service.  You may also need wires across distances too far for Wi-Fi to reach.

And, there are hard limits on how long those cables can be, especially when dealing with copper.   Generally, a copper Ethernet cable can only reach about 100 meters before signal interference becomes a major issue.

There are a few options to overcome these issues:

• Signal boosters/repeaters every ~100m to keep the signal strong.
• Optical cabling, which can stretch for kilometers with minimal signal loss.
• A larger network of virtualized APs, spreading the signal between themselves.
• ADTRAN ActivReach products, which allow for copper wiring up to around 400 meters.

Of course, having to use these options may add to the final cost.

3 – Number of APs

So how many AP’s do you really need?  Not enough and you end up with spotty or unreliable service, but too many are just a waste of money – especially when they’re circa £400 each.

The best option here is usually to hire a specialist in networking design.  They can quickly survey your operations and create a “heatmap” of network usage at your location.  This is also combined with signal-strength measurements designed to avoid common sources of interference, such as microwaves or Bluetooth office products.

A single consultation can create a tight, well-optimized network that provides the coverage you need with a minimum of access points.

Pre-Owned Equipment Lowers Your Costs

Despite the extra challenges that may face a hotel installing Wi-Fi, there’s a simple way to keep costs down:  Buying pre-owned.  This is perfect for business on a budget! The recent boom in networking has created an equally booming trade in certified/refurbished hardware.

And don’t worry – Refurbished pre-owned hardware is still warrantied and guaranteed, so it’s also as safe as buying new.

Unless they are truly a five-star establishment, there are few reasons a hospitality business would need brand-new top-grade hardware.  Otherwise, hardware that’s just a year or two old can be had for huge discounts over buying new.  Sometimes, you can even trade in existing hardware for more savings.

To find out more about our work in the hospitality trade, have a look at our website https://geekabit.co.uk/ or contact us via any of the below. We are the UK’s specialist Wi-Fi consultants and can help your business with Wi-Fi Site Surveys, Planning and Design, Installation and much more.

Contact us: London 0203 322 2443 | Cardiff: 02920 676 712 | Winchester: 01962 657 390 |  [email protected]

https://info.hummingbirdnetworks.com/blog/how-much-does-hotel-wifi-installation-cost

People Tracking technologies measure where people are and how long they stay in a specific location – The physical store.
The tracking solutions measure demand, service, and customer engagement in location and time-based metrics. They optimize demand forecasts, location marketing, scheduling, queues, and sales operations. And they empower the retailers to be more productive and profitable.

Why Care About Tracking People?
Ask what is the biggest challenge in retail, and the answer is seamless analytics. People Tracking Technologies offer the ability to manage the physical store with data.
People Tracking is the core of Location Analytics, InStore Analytics, and Behavior Analytics. Whatever term you may use, the solution tracks the person by location, and per period of time.
In Location Analytics, we measure customer engagement in zones and displays. In People Counting, we detect the number of people entering and exiting the store. In Queue Management, we predict how many cashiers should be active to prevent queues. In Labor Analytics, we optimize the schedule. And InStore Analytics covers the realm of all systems pertaining to the physical store.
Regardless of providers, the criteria to choosing a tracking solution is the business value. The benefits depend on the behaviors you are trying to change.

Tracking versus People Counting
People Tracking includes the detection, recognition, and tracking of objects. The solution may also include machine learning and advanced analytics.
People Counting. The term refers to detection tech that “counts” people. The technologies include Time of Flight, Infrared Beams, Thermal Imaging, and Video Analytics.
The data output is In/Out counts. The common deployment is door-counters, and other “crossing the line” scenarios. And the primary business benefit is the calculation of Sales Conversion.
Image Recognition. There are different levels of imaging technologies from facial recognition to detecting heads. Besides people tracking, we deploy the tech in driverless cars and Facebook Ads.
People Tracking. Tracking refers to objects in motion. Once we have detected an object, and recognized it as a “person”, the next step is tracking. The focus is on measuring the path of the person.
Tracking demands Good Enough Accuracy. Besides over-counting and under-counting, we have switching and precision errors. This is why tracking data often comes from wireless devices instead of sensors. It’s easier to track individuals by their smartphone signals.
Location Analytics refers to both people counting and tracking technologies. The term implies the solution provider offers both sensor and device-based tracking for a complete analysis of the store (see below).
ABI Research estimates that People Counting will transform to $3Billion market by 2018. Location-Based Services will grow above $62 Billion.

Sensor vs. Device-Based Solutions
Sensors include video, thermal, and laser technologies. In wireless tech such as WiFi, GPS and BLE, we track the device. Sensors and Device-Based are often complementary solutions. And each technology has its own challenges and benefits. In sensors, we care about accuracy. The wireless technologies are distinct by their range.
The differences are not only in technology. BLE Beacons primary goal is to send push notifications (Location Marketing). Wi-Fi tracks the device across great distances. We use mobile application to calibrate tracking with Magnetic Resonance. The 3D Video sensors manage complex frontline queues. And Vision Analytics is a core technology for driverless cars.
There is also the factor of data integration. The connectivity between various store systems, in real time, is complex. Moreover, each technology has its own concepts of consistency and validation.
Note on Analytics: Two important factors to remember. First, the data from device-based tracking is a sample of individual behaviors. Thus metrics such as conversion rate requires statistics. And second, predictive analytics is important in tracking. Thus the expertise in advanced analytics is a factor in tracking solutions.
Good Enough Accuracy is the key to assessing the business value of a tracking technology.

The Technologies to Track People

The market for people tracking changes as fast as these words are written. We offer no preference for a technology or a solution provider. In 2015, there were 7 technologies. In 2017, we have 12.
Below is a brief summary of selected people tracking technologies.

Vision Analytics
Vision Analytics works by recognizing patterns in images. The AI software translates the images to data, context, and action. The output is not the image, but the description of the picture.
The technology claim to fame was when the Standford Vision Lab program recognized a cat. The technology is a core component in driverless cars and deep-learning imaging. With startups such as Modcam and Seematics, Vision is an emerging technology for retail’s InStore Analytics.

3D Stereo Video Analytics
Stereo sensors are designed for accuracy. They combine high-resolution camera and processor for three-dimensional view of the object. The empiric data on height, mass, speed, and direction, enhances accuracy of the count. Since sunlight and shadows do not have depth, the technology filter them out of the counts.
This architecture allows for tracking objects, over a period of time. It allows for accuracy in high traffic and for complex behaviors. 3D Video Sensors are the preferred choice for frontline queue management.
Leading solution providers include Brickstream, Xovis, Hella, and ShopperTrak (Tyco Retail).

Monocular Video Analytics
Monocular sensors capture images through a single lens camera. The sensor process the image and the output is the data counts.
In door-counting, monocular devices achieve 90% accuracy in 90% of the stores. The challenge of monocular devices is their treatment of depth. The real-time images are compared to a baseline picture. And thus shadows and light impair the counting. Some solutions compare and “fix” the data to a trend, which happens during the upload to the central server.
Since single lens trackers are accurate for most door-counting, they are wide spread. We can find video analytics in smart cameras from Axis to Panasonic.

Thermal Imaging
Thermal Imaging detects emissions from moving objects. Since thermal technology is not sensitive to light, it can function in any physical space.
The accuracy challenge is the “blending” of a person’s heat signature for standing in the same place. In most situations, thermal sensors achieve 95% accuracy rates. And they are easy to install and calibrate.
Thermal sensors are versatile and wide spread. The global leading provider, Irisys, claims over 400,000 sensors installed.

Infrared Beams
Infrared Beams count when a person crosses the doorway and “cuts” the beam. The pros are low cost and simplicity. Because the sensors can be mounted in gateways, they are widely deployed .
The cons is accuracy. The sensors cannot recognize the direction of motion. They also have trouble differentiating between one or more people. Moreover, the system over-counts and under-counts with no data consistency. Thus the data is not recommended by professional data analysts.

Time of Flight
Time of Flight detects the time of light between the camera and the object. By sending the laser beams to many directions, the sensor knows the exact positioning of objects.
The laser sensors are accurate and cost effective. The expertise in laser will allow companies such as BEA Helma to embed people counting directly into door sensors.
Kinect is also a sensor that detects people in motion. The video camera, depth detector, and multi-array microphone generate a three-dimensional image of objects within the field of view. The camera also detects body-type and facial features. Kinect can distinguish objects’ depth within 1 centimeter and their height and width within 3 mm.

Structured Light
Structured Light projects a known pattern on a scene. The array of lights strike the surface allowing the tracker to calculate the depth and the surface of the object. People Tracking comes from 3D Scanners.
Apple, Amazon, and Orbbec are among the companies to deploy Structured Light.

Raspberry Pi Tracking
Open Source Raspberry Pi can be adapted as a motion tracker. This is a low cost solution, but one challenged with support and accuracy.

WiFi Location Analytics
WiFi is a standard for exchanging data over a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The antennas capture radio waves from mobile phones, and can cover a range of up to 100,000 square feet.
Since the MAC Address is unique per device, the system tracks a customer from entry to exiting the store. It can even track people beyond the store for Proximity Traffic.
The dependency on the customer’s activation of WiFi limits the data output to a sample out of the total population. But the tech is ideal for unstructured motion and large venues such as airports and stadiums.
WiFi suffers from the challenges of location accuracy. It depends on Cellular Tower Triangulation, ranging from one meter to half-mile. And by nature, the data output is a sample of behaviors. But the low costs and ease of setup, make WiFi Tracking an attractive proposition.
Leading solution providers include Euclid Analytics and Cisco Meraki.

Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons
Beacons are transmitters of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio waves signals. BLE functions in the range between NFC and GPS. The devices work indoors, which makes it ideal for communicating with customers.
Beacons allow the customer’s application to find if it is close (in proximity) to a specific location such as display or aisle. Beacons are the favorite tech for Location Marketing.
Beacons face three challenges: First, the layers of security require a series of opt-in. Second, due to privacy concerns many customers shy the retailer’s application. And third, WiFi/GPS technologies are improving fast to work indoors.
The beacons ecosystem includes the Google Eddystone and Apple iBeacon platforms. It also includes Location Marketing such as Swirl and InMarket.

GPS Location Analytics
GPS Tracking comes from the Global Positioning System, a network of orbiting satellites. GPS receivers are now built in the Apple and Android operating platforms.
The best known application of Location Analytics is Google Store Visits. The data is an outcome of Location Marketing. By 2017, Google Ads reached 5 Billion location-based advertising. Using Geo-Marketing to drive footfall traffic to the physical store is a key trend per Mary Meeker Internet’s Trends.

3D Spatial Learning (Augmented Reality)
Augmented Reality will probably be the technology of Retail Future. Remember Pokemon Go. Then came Amazon Go. But first was Google’s Project Tango. You can see the future in Gap’s foray into AR Dressing Rooms.
Augmented Reality uses computer vision to enable mobile devices to detect their position relative to the world around them without using GPS, WiFi or other external signal. In essence, vision technology emulates our ability to manipulate three-dimensional objects.

Location Analytics
Location Analytics refers to the ability to gain business insights from knowing where people are. Location Analytics providers offer a wide variety of people tracking technologies, solutions, and services. The big companies such as ShopperTrak (Tyco Retail), RetailNext, and Ipsos Retail have global reach.
Vibrant regional companies include Vizualized in Hong Kong, Headcount Systems from Canada, Savant Systems in Dubai, and Intelligenxia in Chile.
Added to Location Analytics, some offer Location Marketing. Since marketing agencies are data-oriented, they push to infuse analytics in the store. This led to partnerships between agencies and vendors. It also encouraged the rise of marketing/data savvy retail executives.
Big software companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Intel are also interested in the physical store. They are creating massive ecosystems of end points and advanced analytics. As a result, Location Analytics is being embedded into the Internet of Things.

Bringing It All Together
People Tracking Technologies offers all retailers the ability to manage the physical store with actual data. With behavior-based seamless analytics, we can optimize each step in the InStore Funnel. This is the secret to fast growth, and profitability.

12 Technologies to Track People

As a trusted provider of Wi-Fi for exhibitions, festivals, events and conferences, we were interested to read about the debate between the use of 4G or Wi-Fi for stadium use.

We provide bespoke temporary networks created for internet, comms, CCTV & Telephony for important, often large scale events so the outcome of this debate is an important one.

Within the sports industry in particular, there is plenty of talk about stadia connectivity – what is best, 4G or WiFi? One particularly interesting case study is Wembley’s trials of a 4G system.

4G network trials were launched by EE, Huawei and Qualcomm at Wembley Stadium, achieving download speeds of over 400Mbps.

The high download speeds were achieved by aggregating three different EE spectrum bands to achieve 400Mbps speeds to a single device, using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor.

However, some question the ability of 4G to deliver connectivity on the scale and density needed for a large stadium, which would also apply to some of the festival locations that we’ve worked on.

Stadium wi-fi deployments have been a hot topic, particularly in regards to football. What could be worse than stands full of frustrated football fans, angry that they’ve got no signal to share the latest goal or mouth off at the awful call the referee just made via Facebook or Twitter. But unfortunately this has been all too common place when people are in a packed sports ground, or a similar situation.

In the States, the technology seems to be a bit more mature. With ever growing commercial uses for good reception such as seat upgrades, ordering food and drink direct to your seat, and even making spur of the moment merchandise buys without having to stand in crowded queues of people, the need for reliable and fast connectivity.

Interestingly, Wembley opted for a 4G option. However, we are of the opinion that stadium connectivity, and any large scale event like conferences or music festivals, is best delivered through high-density wi-fi.

When you’ve got a huge crowd of people all trying to use it at the same time, we think wi-fi is the only way to ensure a mob of happy customers hashtagging your event to their hearts content, through the deliverence of sufficient bandwidth.

To find our more about our work with high profile festivals, successful conferences and large scale events, have a look at our website https://geekabit.co.uk/ or contact us via any of the below. We are the UK’s specialist Wi-Fi consultants.

Contact us: London 0203 322 2443 | Cardiff: 02920 676 712 | Winchester: 01962 657 390 |  [email protected]

To read the full article click here: http://www.cbronline.com/news/tech/networks/networking/ee-huawei-and-qualcomm-wow-with-wembley-4g-4522157

Question: What happens when you put 40 Bluetooth devices in simultaneous operation within 800 sq. feet of each other?

Answer: This…

Spectrum Analysis Capture of 40 Simultaneous Bluetooth Devices

Now think about this: Can you spot the Wi-Fi going on at the same time?

Here’s an image of the “baseline” Wi-Fi activity before the Bluetooth activity in the same environment. Can you can spot the Wi-Fi in this one? There’s a typical enterprise deployment with APs on channels 1, 6, and 11, plus an iperf performance measurement currently going on across channel 6.

What’s Going On Here?
This is a capture of 40 Honeywell Xenon 1902 cordless Bluetooth area-imaging barcode scanners operating at the same time. These units are used in retail environments at checkout registers to provide faster scan rates, ease of mobility, and overall a faster checkout process for customers. The “area-imaging” implies reading of 2D barcodes such as QR codes and such.

Almost every manufacturer are using Bluetooth as the default communication method for cordless barcode scanners. Research has shown that only 2 out of 8 manufacturers of cordless barcode scanners support an alternative to Bluetooth (one used Wi-Fi and another used narrowband at 433 or 910 MHz). But every single one of them provide a Bluetooth option, and it is typically the more prominently displayed option on their websites. Information also suggests that manufacturers are all moving to Bluetooth scanners and support for other options will be phased out. So, if I wanted to choose a different option I could probably get one now, but support would be short-lived and I’d end up having to switch to Bluetooth anyway. So it makes sense to bite the bullet now and figure out how to deploy these in an environment where they can co-exist relatively peacefully with a Wi-Fi network.

Performance Impact
These units are rated as a Class 2 Bluetooth transmitter, meaning they should have a maximum power output of 2.5mW and an estimated range of 10 meters. Whilst this sounds nice and low, and you might expect minimal impact to Wi-Fi, the reality can actually be very different!

It’s important to understand the different impact that Bluetooth can have in an enterprise environment than in a consumer environment. The deployment scenarios can be dramatically different, and a high concentration of Bluetooth devices in a small area directly correlates to decreased performance. The standard duty cycle of a single Bluetooth device is small, but as Bluetooth devices density increases so does Wi-Fi performance impact due to increased CCA busy detection by Wi-Fi devices and increased frame corruption when Bluetooth can’t avoid APs on multiple channels. Even if Bluetooth version 1.2 and later capable devices are used that implement adaptive frequency hopping, they cannot avoid interfering with Wi-Fi access points spread out across the entire 2.4GHz frequency band.

When Wi-Fi performance testing with these Bluetooth devices was carried out, they ran multiple scenarios, changing Bluetooth power levels, pairing status, and scan rates. The results varied dramatically based on these settings. Our baseline was an 802.11g network with 20 Mbps throughput. The environment is an open-air retail setting at the front register checkout lanes.

Clearly, despite being rated as a Class 2 Bluetooth device, the RF signal was carrying quite far. Luckily, Honeywell has done a good job providing management tools to customize the radio performance of their barcode scanners. By adjusting the power level down, the impacted area was minimized as well as the impact to the Wi-Fi network.

The situation was a challenging one though due to the desire to deploy VoWiFi around the same time as the cordless barcode scanners in the same environment. The preference was to use voice handsets that support 5GHz frequency bands, but that may not be possible due to other business considerations on device capabilities and application support. So, 2.4GHz voice tests were run that showed an average 20% frame loss rate when the Bluetooth scanners operated at 10% (0.25mW) and an unacceptable user experience. When the power level was reduced to 1% (0.025mW) the frame loss was much lower and no perceptible voice quality issues could be observed by end-users.

Ultimately, a compromise was found that allowed the use of these cordless barcode scanners while minimizing impact to the Wi-Fi network.

Deployment Considerations
Here are some considerations when deploying Bluetooth in an enterprise environment:

• Device Selection
  Select Bluetooth devices that are configurable and easy to provision. The device should support modification of all of the settings listed below, and keep those configuration settings across reboots. If a device is factory-reset or the battery dies, it should be able easy to re-apply the custom configuration settings by staff in the field with minimal training and effort.

Recommendation – Purchase “enterprise-class” Bluetooth devices that allow custom configuration.

• Device Density
  In general, the more Bluetooth devices operating in a confined area, the more impact to the Wi-Fi network. Pretty simple. Each individual Bluetooth device has minimal impact due to very low duty cycle (airtime used), but as more and more devices are added it linearly increases interference and decreases Wi-Fi performance.

Recommendation – Minimize Bluetooth device density as much as possible.

• Power Level
  The Bluetooth transmission power level, especially in dense deployments, can have a dramatic effect on the impact to a Wi-Fi network. During testing, reducing power levels from 100% (2.5mW) down to 1% (0.025mW) significantly reduced the impact to the Wi-Fi network, and the range provided was still adequate to meet business needs.

Recommendation – Reduce Bluetooth transmission power to the lowest setting that still allows reliable functionality for a given deployment scenario.

• Bluetooth Pairing
  The pairing status of a Bluetooth device can determine how actively the device transmits. A paired device usually transmits much less frequently than an unpaired one. Unpaired devices may constantly search for a base station or partner, often times transmitting very frequently in what many manufacturers call “distress mode”. Honeywell also provides a configurable scan timer that adjusts how long an unpaired device will search for its partner. This setting can be adjusted down to 3 cycles instead of infinite. It will also scan whenever the trigger is pulled. This minimizes interference in the worst-case scenario that the device gets unpaired.

Recommendation – Establish sound operational practices to ensure Bluetooth devices remain paired at all times. Additionally, adjust scanning timers down to a reasonable level from defaults.

• Know Your Environment
  Bluetooth impact will also vary based on the environmental characteristics in which it is deployed. In the situation above the impact was significant because of an “open-air” environment. But that may not be the case in an office with many more walls and obstacles that prevent RF signal propagation. Also, know your Wi-Fi client device capabilities and applications. If you only use data applications like web surfing and file transfer, Bluetooth may not be a big risk. But if you use real-time applications like voice or streaming video, then it could cause usability issues.

Recommendation – Understand how Bluetooth impact will vary based on the facility characteristics and applications deployed on the Wi-Fi network.

• Migrate Wi-Fi to 5GHz
  If you can’t mitigate the performance issues with Bluetooth or any other source of interference in the 2.4GHz spectrum, move your clients over to 5GHz. This one is easy to understand, but can be difficult to achieve in practice. Consider the influx of mobile devices that only operate using a single-radio 2.4GHz chipset. What applications will be used on those devices, and what is the implied or defined service level agreement between the network team and business teams?

Recommendation – Use band steering techniques or different WLAN configurations on the Wi-Fi network to move 5GHz capable clients over to this band.

http://revolutionwifi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/bluetooth-that-will-make-you-cry.html

Contact us: London 0203 322 2443 | Cardiff: 02920 676 712 | Winchester: 01962 657 390 |  [email protected]