Buffalo Bills' New Stadium Delivers Record-Breaking Wi-Fi Performance with Cisco, Nutanix
The Buffalo Bills' new stadium, Highmark Stadium, has improved its Wi-Fi performance significantly compared to their old home. The new network is powered by Cisco and Nutanix equipment, which includes Wi-Fi access points, telemetry feeding into a single Catalyst Center management console, and Cisco's Firepower 2110 data center rack equipment in the technology building.
The stadium's IT infrastructure project director, Shaun Handley, explained that the old system was based on legacy Wi-Fi technology and an outdated deployment model that couldn't keep up with soaring demand. The new network relies on Wi-Fi 7 technology, which offers significantly more bandwidth capacity than its predecessor, Wi-Fi 6.
During a pre-season game, the new network showed a more than 800% increase in network speeds and capacity compared to the old stadium and network. Handley noted that this is due to Wi-Fi 7's ability to open up more channels and frequencies, reducing interference from other devices.
The deployment also features a unique non-traditional model, with antennas installed in the stadium canopy to cover wide swaths of the seating areas. This approach saves costs by avoiding core drilling into the stadium for equipment placement.
Handley emphasized that the network's performance is all about supporting the fans' experience, which he described as 'the complex part.' He added that finding the correct technology and working operationally with staff will drive the whole building's operations.