During the pandemic, card payments – especially contactless – have become the new normal with venues seeking to minimise transmission by not accepting cash payments. Tills and payment points have traditionally been at the points where food, drinks and other products are sold.
In the case of Sutton and Epsom Rugby Football Club, this was at the bar inside the main clubhouse and at the other end of the site by the spectator stand. There is a card payment device at the bar and it is ‘cash only’ at the other end of the site as there is no internet connection available.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when pubs and bars were open it was strictly table service – and many people seem to want that to continue. Outside areas have seen greater use too, with many bars and restaurants seating patrons outside to increase the number of customers they may serve. While there was little room for manoeuvre with such restrictions, those outdoor spaces will continue to be popular.
The club in this case study has two bars: the main bar is on the ground floor while there’s a secondary bar used for functions and meetings upstairs. There is a large outdoor area too. The club wanted to strengthen WiFi signal and also extend WiFi range to enable card payments to be taken from anywhere within the premises and outdoors. It was also hopeful that a solution could be found to have the ability to take card payments at the stadium area.
EJP Ltd has installed a system that has met all the club’s requirements. The equipment uses both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies so all devices are able to connect to the internet wirelessly. Internal Access Points (APs) have been installed on both floors of the main clubhouse, giving full coverage.
All Requirements Met
The exterior of the building features an external AP which covers the outdoor serving area. A nanobeam transmitter also provides internet access at the stadium end of the site about 170 metres away where a nanobeam receiver allows an internal AP and another external AP to cover the stadium and the café/bar area.
Coverage across all areas
All areas of the site where payments are required are now covered with a strong Wi-Fi signal. Customers need never leave the comfort of their seats. No more connection problems!
EJP has programmed the system so there is always bandwidth to accept payments while allowing other internet requests from customers’ and staffs’ devices to run smoothly too.
All cables have been installed as discreetly as possible. Routes of existing cables have been used and where possible wires have been placed out of sight – above ceilings and in walls directly behind the APs.
Club Steward Mr Murray says he is now “delighted that personnel are able to take payments from anywhere across the premises where they need to be taken from and that having a separate network for guests is a great feature to offer customers”.
