Executive Summary
Breezy Point Resort, located just northwest of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, offers an escape for those that want to vacation and celebrate in nature. Their remote location and proximity to multiple waterfronts make it difficult to provide internet access using traditional wireline methods. Breezy Point is utilizing the Industry’s first Outdoor 4G/LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot from BEC Technologies.
The Customer
Breezy Point Resort, located just northwest of the Twin Cities in Minnesota is a full-service, year-round resort on Pelican Lake in the heart of the Brainerd, Minnesota resort country. Established in 1922, Breezy Point has a rich history and has grown to include 250 rooms, cabins and condos, two 18-hole golf courses, a complete boat marina, and three restaurants. From golfing to conferences and weddings, the Minnesota resort nestled on Pelican Lake has a wide variety of options for any vacationer’s needs.
Breezy Point facilities are meticulously maintained with plenty of amenities to ensure visitors feel at home and have everything they need to have the best vacation possible. One critical amenity is Wi-Fi access, which is no surprise as travelers increasingly desire connectivity for both leisure and business travel.
Challenges
Breezy Points customers come to the vacation destination to enjoy the remote beauty of nature. While being away from the constant connection of the city is appealing to some, others find themselves in need of connection to keep them relaxed during their getaway. Breezy Point’s remote location limits the available connection options. While copper service is available for traditional landlines, providing DSL internet over that existing copper wire is not reliable due to the condition and physical distance from the central office. Wireline options such as cable infrastructure and fiber are not present nor economically feasible.
Breeze Point is already providing Satellite TV and naturally considered Satellite internet; however, it was deemed not suitable due to cost, performance, and susceptibility to connection loss in adverse weather conditions. Staffers noticed visitors using cellular Mi-Fi devices and later discovered that T-Mobile’s footprint provides substantial coverage in the area. The decision was made to investigate cellular connectivity solutions for broadband connectivity along with the local guest hotspot/Wi-Fi connectivity and thus, Breezy Point turned to BEC’s 6950 Outdoor 4G/LTE Wi-Fi .11ac Hotspot solution.
How BEC Product Helped
As the Industry’s first Outdoor 4G/LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot, the 6950 combines two of the latest generation wireless technologies; 4G LTE Advanced (with carrier aggregation and Dual Band 802.11ac Wave 2 WLAN along with Hotspot and Captive Portal functionality. Purpose-built for challenging/rugged deployments the IP68-rated enclosure is designed to withstand harsh outdoor conditions, including the wind, rain, and the notorious Minnesota winters.
The lightweight, unobtrusive design with multiple mounting options supports fast deployment and the advanced MIMO antenna technology ensures high performance in LOS (Line of Sight) and NLOS (Non-Line of Sight) locations thus allowing Breezy Point to focus on placement for optimal WLAN coverage and overlap.
The 6950 directly addresses Breezy Point’s lack of a wireline alternative for internet connectivity and enable support for the #1 requested amenity amongst their visitors, Wi-Fi Access.
Results
After initially testing one 6950 in a single location, the staff was immediately impressed with the quality, speed, and reliability of the service. The deployment of the 6950 has grown to 20 units throughout the resort blanketing the area with multiple hotspots for optimal WLAN coverage. Ultimately, this has resulted in an immediate return on investment. Breezy is now offering tiered Wi-Fi services, complimentary Guest Wi-Fi sufficient for email and basic browsing, and a premium (paid) connection for high-speed internet, and streaming. Additionally, the Captive Portal supports advertisements allowing Breezy Point to sell space to partners and other local vendors.
Conclusion
The 6950 proved to be the right solution for Breezy Point. In addition, providing secure, high-performance, reliable internet connectivity over T-Mobile’s cellular network, the 6950 enables a host of local applications and new revenue-generating services.
Talk to Us! See How We Can Help Your Business
If you want to discuss product solutions customized just for your opportunities, please contact us at 972- 422- 0877 | [email protected]