Mitsui Ventures 三井ベンチャーズ(MVC、MCVP) ベンチャーキャピタル ベンチャー 三井物産 起業

NEWS 2009

[12/08/2009]

Ruckus Wireless 802.11n Wi-Fi Equipment Enables
High Definition Video on Demand
for Kimpton’s Hotel Palomar Philadelphia

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Smart Wi-Fi to Provide Connectivity to Myriad Devices
as Kimpton Moves to an all IP Infrastructure

SUNNYVALE, CA December 8, 2009—Ruckus Wireless today announced that, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has selected and deployed the Ruckus ZoneFlex dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi system to support the simultaneous distribution of IP-based high-definition (HD) video on demand (VOD) and high-speed Internet access services (HSIA) at the newly-opened Hotel Palomar Philadelphia.

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia is the first hotel in the nation to implement an advanced, 802.11n Wi-Fi system to support the simultaneous distribution of IP-based VOD over Wi-Fi.

Recent advances in Wi-Fi technology that extend the range of signals and increase the reliability of Wi-Fi connections, now make it possible for Wi-Fi to support delay-sensitive applications like video. Historically, Wi-Fi has suffered from erratic performance and the inability to cope with interference and other obstacles that degrade performance. New innovative, patented Wi-Fi technologies, developed by Ruckus Wireless, effectively eliminate these problems.

“Our plan was always to deliver IP-based VOD to the TVs in our guest rooms at the Hotel Palomar., “said Donald O’Grady, director of property technology at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “ During the project, we decided to move to the wireless VOD solution. Based on a pilot test of the solution, we knew it worked. This was a fairly easy choice for us.”

Whether a renovation, a new development or an existing property, the benefits of Ruckus Wireless Smart Wi-Fi solutions include the elimination of cabling, greater flexibility to deliver services anywhere throughout a hotel while minimizing disruptions that might otherwise require shutting down rooms for days or weeks for hotel in operation. For existing hotels without cabling and with limited budgets, Ruckus solutions can bring guests the latest and greatest video applications and content cost effectively.

Wi-Fi Deployment Details

At the Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, Kimpton has deployed 91 Ruckus ZoneFlex 7962 access points (APs) to transmit HD (MPEG-2) IP-based VOD streams at a data rate of 20 Mbps as well as standard definition IP-based VOD streams to 98 of the hotels 242 televisions located throughout its 25 floors and 230 guest rooms. The APs also provide high-speed Internet access throughout the hotel’s 130,000 square feet of space, including guest rooms, meeting spaces, spa and common areas. Superclick Networks installed 58 Ruckus ZoneFlex 7962 802.11n dual band APs throughout the hotel’s guest room areas, with most APs servicing two or more rooms. It installed an additional 43 APs throughout the building to provide Wi-Fi coverage for the rest of the hotel. All of the APs were already specified to accommodate guest Wi-Fi using both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

Additionally, there are 98 Ruckus MediaFlex 7111 adapters installed out of sight behind the TVs to extend the VOD signal to the TV’s location, connecting to a set top box (STB). For Kimpton’s VOD application, Ruckus ZoneFlex 7962 APs, bridge traffic to the MediaFlex device, which connects into the Ethernet port of the STB. An HDMI cable connects the STB to the back of an HDTV.

History of Wi-Fi – why it didn’t work for VOD before and why it works now

Until now, hotels have regulated Wi-Fi to providing guests with Internet. Until recently, running IP-based video, voice and data over a single Wi-Fi network was not possible due to capacity limitations and the inability of conventional Wi-Fi technology to handle interference, range issues, dropped packets and obstacles that cause signal degradation.

Recent technical advances in Wi-Fi correct these problems by constantly forming and directing signals over the highest performing paths to ensure flawless reception of media-rich and latency-sensitive applications.

Instead of having discrete and disparate networks to support different services, hotels are increasingly interested in moving to an all-IP infrastructure so they can deliver myriad services efficiently over a single system.

To support IP-based VoD today, many hotels must deploy expensive coaxial injectors at the headend. In guest rooms, where Cat5 cabling is not always available or easily installed, coaxial adapters terminate these connections, outputting an Ethernet signal to one or more set top boxes.

About Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a collection of boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants in the US, is an acknowledged industry pioneer and was the first to bring the boutique hotel concept to America. Founded in 1981 by Bill Kimpton, the company is well-known for making travelers feel welcomed and comfortable while away from home through intuitive and unscripted customer care, stylish ambience and having a certain playfulness in its approach to programs and amenities. Each hotel provides a range of exciting culinary experiences through locally-loved, top-rated, destination, chef-driven restaurants. Kimpton leads the hospitality industry in ecological practices through its innovative EarthCare program that spans all hotels and restaurants. Privately held Kimpton has consistently earned high customer satisfaction scores by the Market Metrix Hospitality Index, exceeding other hotel companies including those in luxury and upscale segments. Among the company’s newest properties are the LEED certified Hotel Palomar and LEED certified Square 1682 restaurant by Chef Guillermo Tellez in Philadelphia, PA, which opened in September 2009. Currently, projects are underway in New York City and Chicago. For more information, please visit www.KimptonHotels.com or call 1-800-KIMPTON.