Aruba Networks Serves Wi-Fi Upgrade to Restaurants

Business professionals grabbing a bite will now have more hotspots to choose from, thanks to Aruba Networks, Inc., a provider of next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprise. Teaming up with HarborLink Network, Ltd., a provider of public Wi-Fi networks, the company has completed an upgrade at 350 corporate-owned restaurants in North America.

HarborLink chose Instant, a controller-less Wi-Fi solution, because of its built-in reliability, zero-touch provisioning and ease of management.

“When faced with a two week deadline for upgrading our Wi Fi offering, we looked for a cost-effective, enterprise grade solution that was simple to deploy and manage,” said Rick Tangeman, HarborLink president and CEO. “Unlike other Wi Fi vendor solutions we considered, Aruba’s Instant platform provides a full set of features, including Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) for automated interference mitigation and Aruba Activate which reduced our deployment time by at least 75%.”

Restaurant customers were provided with free Wi-Fi access prior to the network upgrade. "The upgrade has enabled better wireless throughput ensuring a more reliable experience," Tangeman said. "What this translates to for restaurant customers is much faster, seamless Wi-Fi connections resulting in an overall improved experience when using the free Wi-Fi offering."

This deployment marks the first major roll-out of Aruba’s wireless solutions for HarborLink. When complete, Instant access points will be available in more than 800 restaurant locations across the United States and Canada enabling free Wi-Fi access for restaurant patrons.