Download the Case Study PDF - Products Deployed, GWN7661, GWN7664, GWN7664LR, and GDMS
Calista Resort is a luxury three-star resort located in New Delhi, India, and is located near Indira Gandhi International Airport and the corporate hubs of New Delhi and Gurugram. The resort opened in 2014 and since its inception has expanded to a 100-room opulent business boutique hotel. Calista Resort is a popular venue for weddings, engagements, corporate functions, seminars, and conventions with venues being able to accommodate anywhere between 500 to 1500 people.
The Problem
Calista Resort had been using the TP-Link Deco Series Mesh Wi-Fi system as their networking setup which had a few drawbacks. The administration team at the resort could not control the mesh Wi-Fi system using a single controller, which made controlling the entire TP-Link networking setup complicated. As a result, the team at Calista Resort wanted to improve their networking deployment and decided to look at other company’s products. The service provider, Excitel Fiber Broadband recommended Grandstream’s Wi-Fi 6 access points to replace their existing deployment as these access points provided all the features that Calista Resort wanted and were also at a competitive price point.
Provided By Excitel Broadband
Excitel Broadband was founded in 2015 and provides industry-leading technology that lets them do everything differently. Their end-to-end FTTH network beams lightning-fast speed to provide stable network connection, without any caveats on speed and experience. Excel Broadband is widely recognized as one of India’s top and fastest-growing broadband networks.
The Problem
Functions at the resort have anywhere between 500 to 1500 people, resulting in many client devices requiring a steady internet connection. The previous networking deployment had a bandwidth of 350 Mbps, which was not enough to cater to the large number of guests that attended these functions. This resulted in a lot of Wi-Fi connectivity problems and the following points below highlight why Grandstream’s Wi-Fi 6 access points were required:
Slow Internet Speeds: The available bandwidth of 350 Mbps provided by the TP-Link Deco Series Mesh Wi-Fi System was not enough to cater to large groups of people who gathered at the venue for a wedding or corporate event. This caused very slow internet speeds and often disconnected users from the Wi-Fi network when many devices were connected.
Network Congestion: Many guests, particularly at corporate events, require Wi-Fi for bandwidth-intensive tasks such as video streaming and downloading large files. This resulted in the network quickly becoming congested as the current bandwidth limitations were not enough for guests to perform these tasks. This was particularly detrimental to those guests attending corporate events where a stable internet connection was a necessity.
Device Overload: The TP-Link Deco Series networking setup was not able to handle more than 100 users at a time which caused a lot of dissatisfaction amongst the guests as there were often more than 500 people present at the venue. Moreover, once a guest’s device disconnected from the internet there was no way for them to reconnect. Poor
Coverage Range: Along with poor bandwidth, the TP-Link Deco Series did not have reliable coverage and users were frequently disconnected from the Wi-Fi network if they were not located close to the access point.
Guest Wi-Fi Access: Considering there are many guests who visit the resort regularly, there was a need to have a separate networking channel for guests to gain internet access, which differed from the internet connection available to the staff at Calista Resort. This feature was not available on the TP-Link Deco Series networking setup.
Competitors Considered
The service provider and network administration team at Calista Resort considered Ubiquiti’s access points, however in the end decided to move forward with Grandstream’s Wi-Fi 6 access points due to the better price point, free-of-cost GDMS network management platform, coverage range, and many other competitive features that fit the resort’s needs and requirements.
Why Grandstream
Calista Resort used Grandstream’s Wi-Fi 6 access point for their new networking setup. They chose the GWN7664 indoor access point, GWN7661 in-wall access point, and GWN7664LR outdoor access point. The GWN7664 access points were installed in various areas of the resort such as the swimming pool, event spaces, restaurants, etc, the GWN7661 was installed in all the rooms within the hotel, and the GWN7664LR was used to cover the exterior areas of the hotel including the parking lot. A total of 120 access points were installed in the hotel.
Strong Wi-Fi Signal and Coverage: The GWN7661 and GWN7664 had coverage ranges of 100 meters and 175 meters respectively, which ensured that guests could gain internet access from any corner of the resort and have a stable connection. The GWN7664LR has an extended coverage range of 300 meters ensuring that guests get a stable and reliable internet connection even in external areas of the resort.
Increased User Capacity: Higher user capability Wi-Fi access points were required as it was evident that the resort’s previous Wi-Fi system was not able to handle the high volume of guests. Choosing Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices was important. The GWN7661 has a capacity of 500+ concurrent users and the GWN7664 and GWN7664LR have a capacity of 750+ concurrent users thereby resulting in the high traffic load no longer being an issue and hundreds of users could stay connected without any potential disconnections.
Cost Effective: One of the primary reasons that Calista Resort chose Grandstream’s Wi-Fi 6 access points was the competitive price point that the GWN7661, GWN7664, and GWN7664LR offer over competitors while at the same time offering high-end features that solved all the resort’s issues with the previous networking deployment.
Centralized Management System – GDMS: GDMS is a free-of-cost network management platform that offers unlimited access point management. After using GDMS, Calista’s network administration team no longer needed to individually manage each access point and could control the entire networking system from one location and diagnose any issues. Administrators can easily configure settings, manage firmware updates, and monitor performance from a single, user-friendly interface.
Setting up multiple Wi-Fi Networks: 2 SSIDs were set up to distribute speed across the network using the Per SSID Bandwidth Allocation system. The SSIDs were used to split network connections between the management team at Calista and the hotel guests. Using the QoS (Quality of Service) feature, device priority was set for the users according to their needs and use.
Guest Management: Guests who visited the hotel were given a one-time voucher to gain internet access through a captive portal, which created a separate network for temporary guests. A temporary password was automatically created for the guests that they then used to connect to the internet. After a specific amount of time the voucher expires, ensuring guests lose network access after their stay to keep the network secure.
The Results
The management team at Calista Resort is extremely satisfied with the installation of Grandstream’s Wi-Fi 6 Access Points. The staff, guests, and temporary visitors were able to receive steady network connectivity anywhere in the hotel owing to the large coverage range of the access points along with the increased user capacity of the GWN7661, GWN7664, and GWN7664LR. Moreover, the use of multiple SSIDs and captive portals gave the administration team the ability to secure the network and allocate bandwidth accordingly to different users depending on their needs and use.
In addition to the stable network connectivity, coverage, and security, the GWN access point solution had a streamlined installation and setup process. Maintaining the networking setup was also simplified as a result of Grandstream’s free-of-cost network management platform, GDMS. Overall, Calista Resort is very happy with Grandstream’s Wi-Fi access points and there are plans in place to install Grandstream’s solutions in their other hotels and resorts.