A single connectivity partner for improved performance
The nature of the Henley Festival site makes it challenging for connectivity. Being on the banks of the River Thames without a fixed internet supply, with thousands of guests queueing to buy drinks and dinner, and multiple separate WiFi networks combatting against each other for connectivity, the legacy solutions simply weren’t working. It was time for a change.
In 2024 they looked for a single connectivity provider to solve their long term challenge once and for all.
A single, high availability WiFi network for improved revenue generation and festival operations.
Designing an internet and WiFi network that would act as a core business enabler.
In 2023, Wireless Solutions was asked to provide internet connectivity for Henley Festival, to improve their event connectivity.
The site had no fibre infrastructure, and 4G/5G coverage was too unreliable to meet the production team’s needs. They required a dependable, high capacity connection with uncontended bandwidth for the duration of the event.
Connectivity issues were also affecting other areas of the festival. Bars were losing sales when card machines failed, forcing them to switch to cash only transactions. The ticket office was printing thousands of paper tickets at significant cost because guests could not access their digital tickets.
After reviewing the site layout and internet requirements, we proposed a tailored solution: a dedicated temporary fibre service installed specifically for the festival, delivering ample bandwidth for the production team and reliable connectivity for the event’s duration.
A secondary WiFi need
From supplying the internet service in 2023, it became clear that the an improved WiFi network could offer the festival huge advantages.
With two separate WiFi networks being built on site to cover the production team and the food and drinks concessions, the solution wasn’t working for either of them – both WiFi networks kept falling over. Revenue losses were mounting up fast, and it was seen as a critical business challenge to resolve for 2024.
We undertook a consultancy project to understand the issues and advise on how they could address the challenges:
1. With only a 2 day window in which to build the WiFi network, the IT company that had been providing WiFi for the production team lacked expertise in working with greenfield sites. Multiple previous WiFi specialists had attempted and failed to provide a reliable connectivity solution for the bars and production team and test it within the time constraints.
2.Too many point to point links were being used without any RF (radio frequency) design. Radio frequencies used by the production network and the food and drinks concessions networks were competing with each other, causing problems for both networks. Ultimately, the network design was flawed.
Communications and revenue were being lost, putting strain on the event teams, and losing critical profit margins for the festival.
Because of the unique challenges faced the by Henley Festival site, a new way of connecting the event was sought – one central provider that could solve the challenges plaguing the site for years. Wireless Solutions were tasked to design the solution.
The solution
We designed a single site-wide WiFi network architecture that would address the needs for the production team, box office and the food and drinks concessions. For 2025 we also added in guest WiFi.
Adding resilience to the temporary fibre internet supplied in 2023, for 2024 we coupled it with satellite to deliver a high availability internet service. This meant that should the integrity of the fibre be compromised, the satellite service would instantly take over.
We then redesigned the WiFi network, making it site-wide for the first time to provide unrestricted connectivity to every corner of the event site:
- A high availability core to build extra resilience into the WiFi network. In the event of a hardware failure, the backup core could instantly take over, ensuring that within milliseconds the network would be accessible again following any critical failure.
- Enterprise-grade technology configuration of two individual networks (three for 2025) for the production and food and drinks concessions (and guests in 2025), meaning that data could not cross between networks for added security
- Cabled connections between the core and edge infrastructure, for improved performance and to negate RF congestion issues
- Strategically planned access points, based around key zones of activity for reliable internet access across the site
- Full pre-live network testing and sign off for connectivity across the entire site
- Live network monitoring, alerting us to any devices offline within 5 seconds
- Remote and onsite support throughout the event for added reassurance for the production team
The Results
With an experienced team successfully delivering the 2 day install and testing phase, we worked in unison with all the other event contractor teams to pull off this remarkable installation – underlied by meticulous planning.
The WiFi network in 2024 delivered a completely different result to that reported in 2023:
- 100% WiFi network uptime
- The production team were connected throughout the event without incident
- Payments were smoothly taken across the 6 day event, without losing revenue due to drops in connectivity
- In 2025, the box office was able to supply digital tickets which guest could download on-site for entry over the guest WiFi network, and supported the camera security feed for safety
After struggling for a number of years with WiFi, in 2024 we took the pain away completely, and delivered a refreshingly different WiFi experience. And in 2025, added guest WiFi for free across the site.
Moving forward, we’re looking at how the WiFi network can support additional services such as people counting, data capture/marketing and more to reduce costs and enhance revenues.
Client Comment
John Harris
“What a difference Wireless Solutions has made to Henley Festival. Easy to work with, reliable, trustworthy and highly professional, Wireless Solutions have had to manage multiple vendors and prove they were up to the task. I can honestly say they have transformed the IT function at Henley Festival. We now experience robust connectivity across the site, even for guests – something that no supplier has been able to make happen before! Having worked with many WiFi contractors, these are the guys!”
What Wireless Solutions Can Offer You
We’re committed to bringing better event WiFi to the UK market.
Here’s why we’re different.
Cost management
We'll make sure your costs are managed at every stage thanks to our thorough design process. This means no nasty surprises.
New ideas
We have ideas that go beyond just connectivity. Our experience of working with large events means that we can bring fresh ideas to your table.
Excellent track record
With 100% uptime in 2023, as to speak to one of our clients to hear it from the horse's mouth.
Professional team
Our team of experienced engineers will give you exceptional service, and be a pleasure to work with. We see ourselves as part of your team.
Delivery that goes to plan
We have a track record of delivering to the expectations set when we agree the contract. We're always on time, on budget.
Experienced Network design
We produce site designs to show you exactly where you'll get connectivity. By agreeing this up front, we know your requirement and make sure we deliver.
