Free WIFI on course at NZ Race Tracks?

[Murray Fish]

Do any Clubs/courses nowadays offer free wifi?

[The Centaur]

If they don't they should group together and invest into portable wifi or as its also known popup wifi. Something I'm a bit green on perhaps some one could give us the gist of it as well as cost.

[Chief Stipe]

12 minutes ago, The Centaur said:

If they don't they should group together and invest into portable wifi or as its also known popup wifi. Something I'm a bit green on perhaps some one could give us the gist of it as well as cost.

Why doesn't TAB Trackside and ENTAIN provide it?  They need a data uplink for their broadcasting and terminals.  Reserve some bandwidth for punters using the app.  Although I sense the new app might be bandwidth hungry.

[Special Agent]

Clubs used to give out the password (there were various sectors like the press) at the Secretary's Office but, it would make sense for Entain to now offer the service.

[Bill]

21 hours ago, Murray Fish said:

Do any Clubs/courses nowadays offer free wifi?

New Plymouth had a good wifi service, not sure if theh still do?

[Bill]

On 5/9/2024 at 11:04 AM, Chief Stipe said:

Why doesn't TAB Trackside and ENTAIN provide it?  They need a data uplink for their broadcasting and terminals.  Reserve some bandwidth for punters using the app.  Although I sense the new app might be bandwidth hungry.

Because its different…and I know because I use to work for Chorus.

The fibre networks that are used for broadcasting are different to what you get your home broadband on.

These are specific circuits that are dedicated for television broadcasting. Not all racecourses have fibre broadcast connections. All the “main” tracks, the places that race often do - Avondale, Alex Park, Ellerslie, Te Rapa, Cambridge Awapuni, Manawatu Raceway, Trentham, Wanganui, Addington, Riccarton, Ascot off the top of my head have fibre circuits for broadcast transmission.

Same with the main sporting stadiums in NZ - Eden Park, Sky Stadium, all have fibre broadcast circuits. Run by Kordia

Other tracks have a satellite uplink set up, and its only an uplink, not a downlink. Just like this in the photo from Kumara.

Before fibre and the tab set up their own satellite linking trailers (in the photo) Kordia use to provide all the old analog links for the TAB.

Like in the Waikato, a tech from Kordia would come and point the dish to the top of Mount Te Aroha or Te Miro, or even the railyard at Frankton in Hamilton where Kordia had a mast and then the signal would be bounced up /or down their tv masts across the country.

 

As for the betting, that is totally separate from the tv broadcast side of the track connections. They have servers in those trailers you see parked up at the tracks and they obviously talk to servers back at TAB HQ and they also have a back up satellite system at each venue if the wired network was down or compromised.

they moved to IP based equipment a number of years ago for the wagering systems.

[Chief Stipe]

8 hours ago, Bill said:

Because its different…and I know because I use to work for Chorus.

The fibre networks that are used for broadcasting are different to what you get your home broadband on.

These are specific circuits that are dedicated for television broadcasting. Not all racecourses have fibre broadcast connections. All the “main” tracks, the places that race often do - Avondale, Alex Park, Ellerslie, Te Rapa, Cambridge Awapuni, Manawatu Raceway, Trentham, Wanganui, Addington, Riccarton, Ascot off the top of my head have fibre circuits for broadcast transmission.

Same with the main sporting stadiums in NZ - Eden Park, Sky Stadium, all have fibre broadcast circuits. Run by Kordia

Other tracks have a satellite uplink set up, and its only an uplink, not a downlink. Just like this in the photo from Kumara.

Before fibre and the tab set up their own satellite linking trailers (in the photo) Kordia use to provide all the old analog links for the TAB.

Like in the Waikato, a tech from Kordia would come and point the dish to the top of Mount Te Aroha or Te Miro, or even the railyard at Frankton in Hamilton where Kordia had a mast and then the signal would be bounced up /or down their tv masts across the country.

 

As for the betting, that is totally separate from the tv broadcast side of the track connections. They have servers in those trailers you see parked up at the tracks and they obviously talk to servers back at TAB HQ and they also have a back up satellite system at each venue if the wired network was down or compromised.

they moved to IP based equipment a number of years ago for the wagering systems.

All I'll say is you can run multiple protocols simutaneously across any data link.  I know because as IT Manager for a prominent NZ Corporate location for a massive Global Company we were running over 6 different network protocols over the same data link.  That was in the 90's.

 

Having worked for Telecom the only constraint in providing novel solutions to simple problems was the intransigence of the Works Managment Team to change their way of thinking.  That thinking moved to Chorus.

The only requirement is sufficient bandwidth on the data link.  Obviously with a fibre connection or a Sattelite connection the that physical constraint doesn't exist.

It's not surprising that we still don't have a 1st World broadband service in NZ.

Most of the constraints are not technical but commercial based on old school thinking.

Not to mention the lever that was used against some Clubs that a requirement to be a racing club was access to high speed fibre connections in order to broadcast HD 4k vision.