Interop, the trade show where networking nerds and tech junkies find out about new ways to work. This was my first year traveling with the MetaGeek crew to Interop in Vegas. MetaGeek has been at the expo for years – growing their booth as business grew, and you know – tracking down robots, as well as our own Brian Tuttle helping to set up and manage the network operations center. The NOC crew is an interesting bunch – the true magicians.

We had a 10×20 booth space, on the right side of the show floor, near the snack bar, and close to the NOC. I redesigned the back wall and I really like how it turned out (see slideshow below). We went with a simple booth setup – three rented tables, four matching bar stools, and 27” Mac cinema displays showing off our wireless troubleshooting package made in Wi-Fi heaven – Wi-Spy and Chanalyzer Spectrum Analyzer, Eye P.A. Packet Analyzer, and Ekahau Site Survey.

The MetaGeek booth was hopping, and early reports indicate that the show was well attended. We talked to a lot of interesting people – from campus IT administrators to Government agency network staff to other technology vendors – everyone knows Wi-Fi troubleshooting is becoming an essential part of any network management plan.

At the MetaGeek booth we explained our story – start with layer 1 to see interference, then go to layer 2 to troubleshoot wireless data issues, and then plan and optimize your AP deployment with site survey.

MetaGeek’s Wi-Spy and Chanalyzer are an amazing draw for expo attendees. With their real-time spectrum visualization, people can’t help but to stop and ask what its showing. And Eye P.A., our latest software innovation for packet analysis was displayed in the center of the booth, highlighting its beautifully designed User Interface and its quick ability to visually explain what’s happening with the conversations between clients and APs at the wireless data level. And Ekahau, our partners from Finland, displayed their equally beautiful Site Survey software that plots wireless signal strength as you walk a room with a laptop, their software, and a Wi-Spy and see results live as you go.

Our three days on the Expo floor were really well spent. I did attend the Vendor Party at the Aria Hotel and that was a fun dance party, thanks event organizers! In the Interop slideshow, you can see a lot more about what happened on the floor, and at all the parties, in photos – which really is a lot easier on your feet. Someday a company that makes good looking orthopedic shoes should descend to a tradeshow and let people check out their shoes while they walk (or stand as in my case) the show floor. We also took a few hours and went to visit Old Las Vegas one evening.

At our booth, we were visited by Mike Rydalch, who works for Xirus and was part of the NOC team. He was doing a site survey of the show floor wireless, and one of his tools was a MetaGeek Wi-Spy DBx and Chanalyzer Pro!

MetaGeek stayed at the lovely Tropicana, just head right over the walkway for the tram to Mandalay. Our rooms were great, they had a very accommodating staff (when on travel with big groups there are always things to work out – and they handled our glitches with ease). And they play Disco in the taxi/porter entrance area. I don’t know about my fellow gentlemen travelers, but it was a feature of the hotel that I quite enjoyed. Also – tip to those of you with dreams of putting your feet up by the pool after the show floor closes, when it’s still 90+ outside, while fruity drinks are delivered – the pools close early, like 7pm. I mean, really? Must be some sort of prevention from drunk people drowning because I still can’t figure out why.

We’ll be back at Interop next year, to talk to our friends at the Expo, and make some new ones. The coolest / weirdest person I met was the IT database and storage designer of the Cassini Space Mission from NASA’s JPL. There were a lot of details I don’t remember, but one I do – 8P. That’s petabyte . . . eight of them . . . a serious amount of data to manage. Hi Eugean.

Check out MetaGeek’s Wi-Spy and Chanalyzer Spectrum Analysis, Eye PA Packet Analysis, and Ekahau Site Survey for the most visual and easy-to-use wireless network troubleshooting.