Case Studies
Hudson River Park Trust
Business Challenges
- Sprawling outdoor environment made dependable WiFi a challenge
- Robust network was required to support hundreds of simultaneous users
- Hudson River Park Administration building needed a technology upgrade to support wireless
Receiving approximately 18 million visitors per year, the 550 acre Hudson River Park extends for five miles along the shoreline of Manhattan. This unique project is a partnership between the State and City of New York and is the largest open space development in Manhattan since the completion of Central Park over 100 years ago. The Park offers spectacular passive and active recreational facilities, entertainment events and educational programs for the greater community and visitors from around the world.
Axispoint Solution
- Axispoint donated the services to deliver wireless internet access for the entire Greenich Village section of Manhattan's Hudson River Park
- Outdoor Wireless Mesh network utilizes "hot spot" functionality which allows for dependable wireless coverage over a large area
- Mesh architecture allowed the Park's interior administration building to benefit from the new and improved wireless network
As the final stage of the redevelopment of the Park’s Greenwich Village section, Axispoint, Cisco Systems, and the Hudson River Park Trust joined forces to extend free wireless network access to those people who frequent the park each day. In the pro bono project, Axispoint and Cisco donated the technical services and equipment and necessary to “light up” the Greenwich Village section of the park (Houston Street north to Horatio Street), combining the “hot spot” functionality of Cisco’s hardware with the security products necessary to create a highly-available secure WiFi network for park-goers. The design of the mesh network, new to the wireless industry, allows for a more redundant network, as wireless access points overlap each other to provide better quality of service. An added benefit of a mesh architecture is the ability to extend the outdoor wireless signal to greater distances indoors. Now, the Hudson River Park Trust, the administrative body that runs the park, can also benefit from a more robust and secure network.
Business Value
- Readily available to anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop
- Provides a robust, secure wireless network for both the Park and Administration buildings
- Broadens the amenities the Hudson River Park can offer to the public
- Extends the benefits of the Park to a new audience of people who can work from the piers and cafes
The Hudson River Park’s secure wireless network provides internet access to anyone with a laptop, and has been such a success that future plans include extending the coverage to include most of Manhattan’s West Side. The network gives all New Yorkers the opportunity to access the possibilities of the Internet for free. The Park Administration building also benefits from the network improvements, allowing staff to devote more time to park projects and development. Most importantly, the wireless network invites a whole new audience to the Park each day. Visitors can now use the park piers and cafés to make work a true “walk in the park”.
“The wireless network provided by Axispoint not only broadens the amenities we can offer the public, but also extends the benefits of the park to a whole new audience. People can now work from the cafés and piers that make the Hudson River Park one of the most unique places in Manhattan. We look forward to working with Axispoint to continue to provide world-class facilities for the people of New York.”
- Christopher Martin, Vice President Marketing and Public Affairs, Hudson River Park Trust