Aruba Instant’s simplified, zero-touch architecture supplies reliable, cost-effective and secure Gigabit Wi-Fi

When an employee survey at The Pittsburgh Golf Club described technology as the primary hurdle to doing their jobs, Dan Brennan knew it was time for an overhaul.

“Shortly before I arrived, the Club updated its wired and wireless infrastructure,” explains Brennan, the new General Manager and COO of The Pittsburgh Golf Club a Pennsylvania organization. But, our Wi-Fi was already insufficient. We wanted a state-of-the-art solution that could handle our current and future needs.”

Seeking High-Performance, Simplified WLAN

A private organization where club members enjoy racquet sports, summer swimming, private parties and fine dining in a “home away from home” setting of simple elegance, the Club’s 19th Century building includes four additions. “This makes running cable and discretely mounting hardware more problematic,” Brennan points out.

Our Aruba network cost-effectively put us on the leading edge of technology without creating complexity.
Dan Brennan, General Manager, COO, The Pittsburgh (PA) Golf Club

In addition to modernizing its internal WLAN, the Club also sought to supply members and guests with an external guest network. “Of course we needed to do it all in accordance with the building’s architecture and décor,” says Brennan.

Calling on the expertise of a local Aruba partner, PGH Networks, the Club evaluated its facilities, including restaurant and other point-of-sale systems. “I asked PGH to take the Club to a whole new level,” says Brennan.

Aruba Instant Is a Reliable, Affordable Match

To meet its various requirements, the Club elected to deploy a pervasive, reliable enterprise Wi-Fi comprised of indoor and outdoor 802.11ac Aruba Instant APs using a controllerless strategy.

By utilizing Instant’s zero-touch, self-provisioning capabilities, a single “conductor” AP communicates configurations to all other similar APs on the network. In short, an Instant-based solution simplifies and streamlines wireless networking while reducing deployment, administration and build-out costs.

Deployment blends with stately décor

To preserve the Club’s aesthetics, PGH provided a high-touch installation. “We were very impressed with how hard they worked to minimize the disruption to our physical plant,” says Brennan.

“Where it was necessary to drill holes, PGH restored the areas to look as if they’d never been disturbed,” he adds. “The level of professionalism was just outstanding.”

Gigabit Wi-Fi Aces the Serve

Today, Aruba’s Gigabit Wi-Fi solution furnishes The Pittsburgh Golf Club with the secure, reliable and scalable connectivity it requires for its #GenMobile community -- the new breed of mobility-enabled technology users.

Operationally, the new system provides exceptional reliability and resiliency as Aruba’s technology automatically transfers critical controls from one Instant AP to another, ensuring no connectivity disruptions in the event of an AP failure. As a whole, Aruba Instant’s features enable the Club to supply exceptional customer experiences.

“Rather than a paper and pencil, our restaurant servers visit tables with an iPad,” Brennan reports. “Orders are then transmitted directly to the kitchen, which significantly speeds delivery to the table.”

Banquet and conference services are also improved. “When our event planning team meets with clients, they can bring up images and floor plans on their mobile devices,” says Brennan. “Plus, they can capture event data while they’re with the client.”

Guest network appeals to members and corporate clients

According to Brennan, the Club’s new dedicated guest network – which is completely separate from the internal network – makes conference and banquet facilities more attractive. Individuals and officials from nearby institutions, such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s and Carnegie Mellon University, regularly hold meetings and events at the Club.

“Our members are very pleased with the high-performance access and it appeals to our conference customers as well,” Brennan says.

On the leading edge, exactly as planned

Overall, Brennan says the new Wi-Fi helps put the Club at the top of its game.

“Now we’re on leading edge of technology without adding complexity,” he says. “Our efficiency is enhanced, our staff is happier and our facilities are more impressive. Most importantly, our member and customer experiences are greatly improved.”