Multiple Dwellings – apartment blocks, hotels and other multi-unit facilities – are advantageous for network providers as the provider can deliver upgraded capacity to one “door” to serve potentially many customers. The disadvantage is a set of challenges including complicated structures, highly variable rates of contention, multiple permissions, poor access and, increasingly, a vast array of devices to be served.

But surely this is the problem the Wi-Fi solution was looking for? True, but bandwidth hungry data and video services are now pushing many standard model Wi-Fi systems to the edge of their performance and, often, beyond.  And that’s before the widespread introduction of 4K UHD which will significantly up the pressure on Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) Wi-Fi networks.

Additionally, because most MDUs are multi-storey they have complex and reinforced architectures that create many ‘cool’ or even cold spots for Wi-Fi where the signal is weak or non-existent.

So, is there a way to upgrade these systems to meet the challenges brought on by new data and video delivery technologies as well as the ever growing user demand without a prohibitively expensive whole network upgrades?

The answer may be found in Ethernet over Coax (EoC) technologies. New devices including Wi-Fi Extenders from Teleste Corporation that are powered by Entropic’s c.LINK™ 1.1+ Broadband Access technology bring a massive increase in total bandwidth throughput to 800Mbps and the total number of connected Wi-Fi extenders to 252 devices. By using c.LINK 1.1+, hospitality facilities, leisure environments and MDUs gain an ideal system to access higher speed broadband entertainment services including HD Video on Demand (VoD).

The Wi-Fi Extender is simply connected between the coaxial wall outlet and the existing TV. Each client device provides a Wi-Fi hotspot and Ethernet ports for tablet and laptop hook-ups. The entire installation process can be done in just a few minutes. This ease of installation is critical to the hospitality industry, as it minimizes revenue loss due to service upgrades. The easy-install, no new wires approach minimizes deployment time and capital expense.

Bringing the Wi-Fi extender to market is Finland’s Teleste Corporation, a world-leading provider of video and broadband technologies and services.

“The key application for this technology is the delivery of reliable high speed data and HD video to a large number of client devices, with particular emphasis on being able to extend Wi-Fi anywhere in the building. In the case of hotel facilities, c.LINK enables hotel operators to install a Wi-Fi extender in every room, using the same coaxial cable network that delivers the regular linear TV signal,” said Jason Dando, Ethernet over Coax product manager, Teleste. “With the exponential increase in Wi-Fi enabled consumer devices, hotel guests demand to have the best quality Wi-Fi coverage and bandwidth. The new EoC Wi-Fi extender product, powered by Entropic, enables hotel guests to enjoy their devices with a similar or better experience when compared to their home set-up.”

The other key component of the system alongside the individual Customer Premises Equipment (CPE which uses Entropic’s EN3690) is the Network Controller, which uses Entropic’sEN3681 integrated circuit technology. The Network Controller allows management of access for each individual client when appropriate.

“We believe our c.LINK 1.1+ Broadband Access system is an ideal solution for the hospitality and MDU markets,” said Roger Gregory, vice president, Marketing, Entropic. “In the hospitality case, the central network controller is able to manage the connection speeds of each individual client per service agreement. For example, standard rooms may have basic service with ‘good enough speed’ for email and web browsing, whereas premium rooms can have ‘upgraded speed’ for HD video streaming without glitches.”

The Ethernet over Coax Broadband Access Wi-Fi adapter is being distributed by Asheridge Communications, a member of the Teleste Group.

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