Madison Technologies general manager – Telco and Wireless – Larry O’Toole looks at how to achieve perfect WiFi coverage in poor RF conditions

The Origin Gas Gathering Village, built by Hutchinson Builders, is located at Condabri, outside of Miles in western Queensland.  The camp is made up of 135 dongas which house 400 individual living units, dining room/cafeteria, wet mess, gym, laundry, and onsite offices. 

HSE Communications were appointed to deliver the electrical and communications network for the site. HSE needed an efficient and effective network that could offer FIFO workers total Wi-Fi coverage for smart technologies such as Skype, Apple Facetime and social networks.

Challenging Environment
HSE faced numerous challenges with this site during the set up of the network. The accommodations are constructed using materials that obstruct the in-building penetration of a wireless network. 

Network access control provided another challenge. Origin would need to protect against unauthorised access, allow management to monitor user numbers, and allow access based on the identity of users/devices i.e. guest or employee.

The remote location meant that there could be significant costs in getting equipment to site and maintaining the network once installed.

The network infrastructure also had to be scalable and easy to transport to allow for any changes to the site.

Using new technology
Madison Technologies recommended the Wavion WBSn series carrier-grade outdoor Wi-Fi base station, which uses 802.11n technology, and operates in the 2.4 and 5 GHz unlicensed bands.

The Wavion Base Station uses beam-forming, 2×2 and 3×3:3 MIMO technologies to deliver up to three times the coverage of alternative solutions, even in Non-Line-of-Site (NLOS) and poor RF conditions such as those present on the Condabri site.  The access control functionality offers true visibility of the network at any time for both tracking and reporting.

Proof of Concept Testing
Madison Technologies’ Wireless Expert, Sam Reeve conducted proof-of-concept testing of the Wavion solution on site prior to purchase to ensure that the solution would provide the required coverage.  The Wavion Base Station delivered outstanding indoor penetration with connectivity for indoor users from outdoor-located base stations. *see test results on web page.

Benefits
The wireless network solution recommended by Madison offered superior Wi-Fi coverage and in-building penetration in poor RF conditions, while providing simple scalability for any site modifications. 

The solution delivered significant cost savings to HSE. The proof-of-concept testing ensured that the network was easily installed and worked as expected from the moment of install. 

The access control system also allows Origin to optimise the wireless coverage and adapt the network coverage to suit any changes as the site grows.

The final result is a lower cost Wi-Fi network that provides better site coverage and excellent network management capabilities for Origin.

Visit www.madisontech.com.au.