We present some recommendations that will help maintain a correct functioning of the internet when it comes to having virtual or hybrid events.
Luis Alberto Cabareda Rondon*
The pandemic brought with it radical changes in the way meetings and events are held, as they went from physical to virtual form in the blink of an eye. This has resulted in many people working from home, and even participating in events, congresses and seminars as exhibitors remotely, and at the time of participating in such events have internet connection problems.
Are these phrases familiar to you?
– I dropped the internet!
– I ran out of signal!
– Excuse me, I had connection problems
Well, it is time to explain in a summarized way the six keys that you must take into account to minimize the risks of falls or disconnections due to the internet:
1) Have a switch equipment with fail over / redundancy / dual wan
In the marketing there are switcher equipment with Dual WAN systems, which allow the connection of at least two independent internet lines and with FailOver (Failover), this means that two internet lines (WAN) can be connected to said equipment and that, at the time of having a failure in one of the lines, automatically the equipment makes the change to the next backup line, maintaining the internet connection or flow, without interruptions.
2) Have two independent internet providers
By having two different internet providers, at the time of a failure that affects one, then we will have the backup of the next line, thus reducing the risk of being offline during a transmission.
These two independent lines must be connected to the switch mentioned in point 1, maintaining the stability of the connection in case of failure in one of the lines.
3) Have at least one internet provider with "fiber optics"
At least one of the two internet providers you hire must ensure that the service is not affected in the event of local power failures. Contact different suppliers and ask specifically if they guarantee the continuity of service in case of blackouts or electrical failures in the sector where you are located.
4) Have backup of electrical energy (UPS or electricity generator)
It is very important to include in our system, a high-capacity power backup (UPS) or in the best case, an electricity generator that works during live broadcasts, where all the equipment involved in the transmission of the event (routers, swichers, laptops, etc.) are connected so that in this way all the equipment and the internet connection continue to work without problems in case of failures in the supply of electrical energy.
5) Use dedicated internet
There are two types of internet connection service:
1- Internet with shared internet (residential internet): In this case the connection is "shared" between several users and the flow or speed of the internet cannot be guaranteed, they are unstable and sometimes with a lot of latency. It is characterized by offering asymmetric download speeds (for example, 300mb) and upload speeds (usually up to 15mb). Service providers offer them as "residential internet" or for home use.
2- Internet with dedicated connection (corporate internet): This type of connection is characterized by symmetrical speeds (for example, 50mb of upload and 50mb of download), have good stability and low latency. Service providers offer it as a "corporate internet" or for commercial use.
When hiring an internet service, you must have at least one dedicated internet connection line, as this guarantees a better quality and stability in the connection.
6) Connect by cable, don't use WIFI!
Although WiFi technology has improved a lot (Wifi 6 technology is already on the market), there are several factors that influence the connectivity and stability of the signal such as: Physical barriers, congestion in the frequency spectrum between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, the quality of the equipment, among others. That is why the safest way to connect to the internet and reduce the risks of signal drops is to do it directly to the router or switch by network cable (CAT5 or CAT6).
Taking into account each of these six keys that we have mentioned, I guarantee that the most common failures in the internet connection will be reduced almost entirely and you will be able to carry out guaranteed virtual events.
*Luis Alberto Cabareda Rondón, Master in advertising and marketing, marketing and sales manager of Ten Tu Evento with more than 17 years of experience in the organization and production of corporate events. You can contact him through [email protected]
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