TrueNorth Network Design

NORTHSTARSHOW SYSTEMS

TrueNorth Network Design

Wi-Fi planning, IP addressing, and AP selection for venues

Default Topology

         ┌──────────────────────┐
         │  10.0.0.254  (AP)    │
         │  TRUENORTH SSID      │
         │  5 GHz 80 MHz        │
         └──────────────────────┘
              │  (Cat6 or built-in)
   ┌──────────┴────────────┐
   │      Helm NUC         │
   │      10.0.0.1         │
   │      HelmOS + Web     │
   └───────────────────────┘
              ⋮  (Wi-Fi)
   ┌─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┐
   │  Polaris ×N │  Cuemaster  │  Bridge*    │
   │  10.0.0.10+ │  10.0.0.250+│  USB cable  │
   └─────────────┴─────────────┴─────────────┘

* Bridge is connected via USB, not Wi-Fi.

IP Plan

Access Point Requirements

Consumer routers tap out around 30–50 concurrent stations and are not appropriate for venues with more than ~20 Polaris nodes. Specify enterprise hardware:

• Ubiquiti UniFi U6-Pro or U7-Pro — preferred for cost and management interface
• Ruckus R650 or newer — strong roaming behaviour
• Aruba 500-series — recommended for large venues with multiple APs
• TP-Link Omada EAP-660 or EAP-690 — cost-effective for small venues

Channel Planning

• Use 5 GHz only for the show network. 2.4 GHz is reserved for legacy gear and guest Wi-Fi if present.
• Pick an 80 MHz channel away from radar bands (DFS) — channels 36, 40, 44, 48 are safe.
• Avoid 2.4 GHz channels 1, 6, 11 even for AP management — guest devices will saturate them.

Scaling Beyond 100 Nodes

Above 100 nodes per AP, plan additional APs on non-overlapping channels and roam by SSID. Above 200 nodes, expand the subnet to /23 (10.0.0.0/23 → ~510 hosts). Beyond 500 nodes, contact Northstar for a custom deployment plan.

What Not To Do

• Do not put the Helm NUC on a network with a default route to the internet. The license check is offline; there is nothing to gain and exposure to lose.
• Do not share the TrueNorth SSID with guest devices. Use a separate AP or VLAN if guest Wi-Fi is needed.
• Do not use a residential ISP-supplied router. They lack the simultaneous-client capacity show networks need.

Related Documents

• NSSS-DOC-0010Architecture Overview
• NSSS-DOC-0013Security Model

Revision History