Gemeente Weert

Overview

Gemeente Weert is a municipality of 45000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Limburg in the southern region of the Netherlands. Recently named the greenest city in Europe, Weert is dedicated to increasing economic development and quality of life for its citizens and the rising number of tourists coming to the city.

Challenges

• Network would be deployed in both outdoor and indoor locations and would need to blanket the entire city in wireless
• With thousands of users connecting daily, needed a reliable and resilient network that could handle highly dense and dynamic environments

We got more than we asked for with the impressive Meraki functionalities, complete security, and almost zero on-site equipment. It’s the easiest solution I’ve ever used.

 

Ir. Michel Blezer

IT advisor, Gemeente Weert, Global Wifi B.V.

Why Cisco Meraki

• Complete wireless solution with built-in security, visibility, and network optimization creates a reliable city-wide infrastructure
• Centralized management of indoor and outdoor APs throughout the city allows admins to remain in control without being on-site
• Easily customizable configurations allow admins to update existing SSIDs or create new SSIDs for local businesses or events

The Deployment

• Deployed 55 indoor and outdoor APs in Weert within two months and are expanding to other villages, parks, and shopping areas
• Location-specific APs tagged to broadcast certain SSIDs with customized splash pages, L7 firewall rules, and bandwidth limits
• Network segmented by usage, whether for free guest access or secure wireless for ATM machines and other financial services
• WIDS/WIPS continually running on each AP’s dedicated security radio to detect and neutralize wireless threats
• Auto RF optimization ensures performance in high density areas by monitoring channel utilization, signal strength, and more

Results

• Seamless network permits users to access relevant information as they arrive and travel between destinations in the city
• An average of 5000 users connect to each AP daily, transferring hundreds of gigabytes of data every month
• Location analytics at events, like marathons, provide information on participant positions and estimated checkpoint times
• Integration with city audio systems permits admins to use wireless to play music or to issue public safety announcements
• Built-in billing options allow the city to require users to pay for wireless access over a secure connection at specific events
• City-wide WiFi provides valuable services to visitors, citizens, and businesses, encouraging tourism and a better economy
• Built-in MDM allows admins to centrally monitor mobile devices and keep them up to date with the latest applications and content