Managed Wi-Fi
Who installs and manages enterprise Wi-Fi networks across Ireland and the UK?
VEI Global is a certified HPE Aruba Networking partner installing and managing wireless networks for enterprise customers across Ireland, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. From our headquarters in Clane, Co. Kildare and our office in Manchester, we have deployed more than 20,000 wireless access points for retail chains, healthcare groups, government agencies, manufacturing sites and universities. Our engineering team carries Aruba product certifications and MEWP working at height tickets, and we run the same survey, design, deployment and management workflow on every project regardless of site size.
Which Wi-Fi vendors and survey tools does VEI work with?
Our primary networking partner is HPE Aruba Networking. We design, deploy and manage Aruba’s wired, wireless and security stack including Aruba Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E access points, Aruba switching, Aruba Central cloud managed networking, and Aruba ClearPass for policy and network access control. Aruba has been recognised by third party analysts as a leader in Wi-Fi 6, switching and SD-Branch, and we hold multiple certified engineers on the platform.
For site surveys we use Ekahau and AirMagnet, the two industry standard tools for predictive design, on site RF validation and post installation passive coverage testing. We also support Cisco wireless where a customer has an existing Cisco estate they want to extend before refresh.
How does VEI handle Wi-Fi in warehouses, production lines and other difficult sites?
Three things go into difficult site Wi-Fi deployments, and we run all three in house.
Our engineers hold MEWP (mobile elevated work platform) certifications for working at height on scissor lifts and cherry pickers, with health and safety sign off on every project.
We segment Wi-Fi traffic by application class so production floor scanners, warehouse handheld terminals, guest devices and back office laptops each run on isolated SSIDs and VLANs, with the right QoS and security profile for each. And we survey against the actual environment, not the empty shell drawings. Racking, machinery, partitions and fast moving forklifts all change the RF picture, and our on site surveys account for them before the access point positions are finalised.
What does a VEI Managed Wi-Fi deployment include?
Every deployment runs through six standard phases:
- Predictive site survey. Ekahau or AirMagnet models access point placement, channel plan and expected coverage from your floor plan before any hardware lands on site.
- On site RF survey. Both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands validated against the physical environment, accounting for racking, machinery, partitions and obstruction.
- Hardware procurement. Sourced through our Aruba partner channel, with stock held for fast replacement scenarios.
- Installation. Cabling, mounting at height where required, controller configuration on premise or cloud based, all delivered by our own certified engineering team.
- Configuration and on-boarding. Access points on-boarded to your chosen Aruba controller or Aruba Central cloud instance, including SSID design, VLAN segmentation, guest portals and policy.
- Post installation passive survey. Coverage validated across the live site, with the heatmap delivered as part of the project handover.
The same workflow runs on single site offices, multi site retail estates, healthcare facilities, university campuses and warehouse or production environments.
Who has VEI deployed Wi-Fi for?
Named deployments include:
- Technological University of the Shannon (TUS, the merged successor to Athlone Institute of Technology): campus wide Wi-Fi infrastructure across teaching, research and student services buildings.
- A multi-site European agency: multi building enterprise Wi-Fi deployment across the agency’s sites in the Brussels region.
- Mowlam Nursing Homes: Wi-Fi installation across 31 nursing home facilities supporting clinical and back office systems. Initial network stabilisation completed within three weeks. Peter Maher, Chief Operations Officer at Mowlam Group, confirms: “Wi-Fi networks are now working reliably and the helpdesk reacts quickly to any outages.”
- Smyths Toys: enterprise Wi-Fi rollout across the retailer’s store estate in Ireland, the United Kingdom and France.
- Grafton Group: Wi-Fi deployment across the group’s retail and merchanting brands (Chadwicks, Woodie’s and MacBlair) in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
VEI’s installed base now stands at more than 20,000 wireless access points across Europe, with customer operations supported in over 100 countries from our Clane HQ and Manchester office.
