WLPC Prague – Community At Its Best

October 16, 2019 By Rowell Leave a Comment

After a total of fourteen and a half hours from San Jose, California I had found myself in Prague.

A couple of firsts for me. First time in Prague and a first time attendee at WLPC.

With the sun setting, I made it to NH Hotel located at Mozartova 261/1, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov, Czechia. We’re not in Kansas anymore.

In the lobby, I noticed some familiar faces – Jerry Olla and Joel Crane. Two-thirds of the Wireless Banter Show (we host a crossover podcast with them later). I say my quick hellos and check in as fast as I could.

There’s no time to crash. The WLPC registration and reception was currently happening.

Aside from the content, one of the best parts of any conference is connecting with people. What’s different for me is connecting with others who may be based out of Europe. This was the first time I’ve attended a conference outside of the United States.

It’s quite refreshing. The attendees are exceptionally friendly. Many of them whom I’ve met for the first time and some who have been listeners of the podcast.

François and I were set to do 55-minute session on the State of Wi-Fi 6 on the first day. Prior to the presentation, we were advised to test out the live lab we had planned on doing.

This is the testament to the fine folks in our industry. Shout out to Ferney Munoz. He was crucial in the efforts of testing out the lab and providing WLANpi, power strips, ethernet cables, switches, and more. This went late into the night until we were kicked out of one of the rooms. And the generosity of Keith R. Parsons for allowing us to borrow ten WLANpi for the iPerf3 test during the live lab.

Sessions

Each session at WLPC Prague was on point. There’s always a time to learn something and I can say I’ve increased my knowledge from various topics. From David Coleman on how DFS works, Andrew McHale on the effects of 802.11kvr and VoIP handsets, to Eddie Forero’s Wireshark ninja skills.

There was exceptional work by Gjermund Raaen on the Visualization of Airtime which included Wi-Fi 6. He’s made it available to the community as well.

An interesting topic was the analysis done by the Wi-Fi Ninjas on RTLS. Wes Purvis defends RRM with an interesting look from “inside the box.”

Let’s just say, I can’t wait for all the videos to be published.

Events

You’ll get the best interactions from other attendees outside of the sessions. Whether that’s at dinner, over drinks, or even attending some super geeky event like the Wi-Fi 6 party.

During our presentation we invited attendees to bring along their Wi-Fi 6 devices so we can test it against the latest access points. Our goal was to capture OFDMA in action.

After spending multiple hours on the topic, I think the conclusion is it is too early to perform this analysis. David Coleman mentioned, in our presentation, some vendors are just receiving the latest SDK to enable Wi-Fi 6 features.

It was good effort with many smart individuals in the room. Just check out the photos for yourself.

Together with the Wi-Fi Ninjas and Wireless Banter Show, we hosted a live-recording discussing some of the sessions. In a relaxed environment we were able to express our thoughts and banter a little about Wi-Fi. It’s a fun, different aspect, of Wi-Fi. Sometimes we can be too serious about the topic.

The City

For the second time in my life I am in Europe. There’s no way I’ll pass up the opportunity to step into Prague.

The history fascinates me. Walking down the cobblestone roads and climbing the stairs of the Prague castle tower. The views are beautiful.

While I only had 3 hours of tourist time, I managed to see quite a lot. From the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Center. Walking in between buildings to be surprised of where I find myself felt liberating.

My Thoughts on WLPC

A must attend conference. Thank you to Keith R. Parsons and team for hosting an event like no other. Thank you to Maksim for the handpicked tea leaves! Thank you to Herr Nilsson for the bottle of Whiskey

I’m thankful for all the new friends I’ve made. Thank you to François and the work he put into the presentation, allowing me to attend WLPC Prague.