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The Bills’ new Highmark Stadium was designed around a Cisco-centered network that supports fan Wi-Fi alongside broadcast, signage, staff communications, security, and venue operations. The project’s most transferable ideas are practical ones: bring IT into construction early, plan for operational visibility across systems, and set clear boundaries for third-party equipment. Published figures describe reported deployment and usage—not independent tests of speed or reliability.
What the Bills announced—and what the network is meant to do
On August 26, 2025, the Buffalo Bills announced a multi-year partnership with Cisco. The team said Cisco infrastructure would support multiple parts of the organization, from team facilities to stadium operations. The announcement named high-density Wi-Fi 7 access points and Cisco IP Fabric for Media for 4K video delivery. Bills Vice President of Technology Dan Evans said the partnership marked a step toward delivering a “world-class experience” at Highmark Stadium. The Bills’ announcement describes the partnership, not an independent assessment of its results.
The wider architectural idea is convergence: use a coordinated network foundation for guest connectivity and many operational applications, rather than treating public Wi-Fi as the whole venue network. Network World’s September 23, 2026 report describes systems for broadcast, digital signage, staff calling, location analytics, perimeter security, and data-center workloads. The services remain distinct, but a shared infrastructure and management approach can make them easier to coordinate.
How fan Wi-Fi and cellular coverage were designed
Wi-Fi coverage in the bowl and event areas
In an August 10, 2026 interview with Stadium Tech Report, Bills IT Infrastructure Project Director Shaun Handley said the stadium canopy enabled hyper-directional Cisco Wi-Fi antennas, while MatSing supplied cellular antennas. He identified Cisco CW9179F Wi-Fi 7 antennas and said the design serves the seating bowl and field-level event areas. Handley also described the Bills’ earlier fan connectivity problem: “Previously, our fans had issues connecting. They would go in and out of service.” That is his account of the old experience and the design rationale, not a published before-and-after reliability study. The interview also says fan-facing Wi-Fi and cellular networks were intended to reach parking areas and approaches; that statement reflects the interview’s date and status.
#1 Best Overall
- SWITCH PORTS: 16 -Port 10/100/1000
- SIMPLE: Plug-and-play without a need for IT know-how or support.
- FLEXIBLE: Extensive portfolio provides ultimate flexibility from 5 to 24 ports and PoE combinations
- PERFORMANCE: Gigabit Ethernet and integrated quality-of-service (QoS) intelligence optimize delay-sensitive services and improve overall network performance.
- INNOVATIVE DESIGN: Elegant and compact design, ideal for installation outside of wiring closet such as retail stores, open plan offices, and classrooms
Reported scale and usage
Network World reported an estimated 1,300 access points and coverage of about 64% of the venue. It also compared approximately 840 GB of Wi-Fi data consumed during a 2025 preseason game at the old stadium with 16 TB during the 2026 preseason opener at the new one, describing the latter as roughly 19 times higher. These are figures reported by Network World, not independently verified counts or a controlled comparison. Data volume is a measure of usage; by itself it does not show connection speed, reliability, the number of users, or that Wi-Fi design alone caused the difference. Network World’s account does not present an independent performance test.
What else runs on the venue network
Network World’s account places several operational services alongside fan access. The combination matters because each service has different traffic, availability, and security needs, even if teams aim to manage them with shared tools.
Rank #2
- SWITCH PORTS: 5 -Port 10/100/1000
- SIMPLE: Plug-and-play without a need for IT know-how or support.
- FLEXIBLE: Extensive portfolio provides ultimate flexibility from 5 to 24 ports and PoE combinations
- PERFORMANCE: Gigabit Ethernet and integrated quality-of-service (QoS) intelligence optimize delay-sensitive services and improve overall network performance.
- INNOVATIVE DESIGN: Elegant and compact design, ideal for installation outside of wiring closet such as retail stores, open plan offices, and classrooms
- Broadcast: SMPTE 2110 video traffic carried over Cisco IP Fabric for Media, with 4K delivery also named in the Bills’ partnership announcement.
- Digital signage: Cisco Vision Edge for stadium displays.
- Staff communications: Webex Calling.
- Location analytics: Cisco Spaces location data feeding Splunk.
- Perimeter security: Cisco Secure Firewall.
- Data center: Cisco UCS integrated with Nutanix.
Network World said the Bills were testing Cisco AI IQ with Catalyst Center to flag potential issues before outages. That is a test in progress as reported in September 2026, not evidence of a mature predictive capability or a demonstrated reduction in outages.
Why construction sequencing mattered
A network can be technically sound and still miss opening-day needs if installation waits until the venue itself is nearly finished. Network World reported that the Bills’ separate technology center covered about 18,000 square feet, including roughly 9,000 square feet allocated to distributed antenna system (DAS) equipment. It also housed video production, common-carrier rooms, and broadcast infrastructure. According to the report, this arrangement let teams begin installing IDFs, switches, and cameras roughly eight months before stadium completion.
Rank #3
- Cisco Catalyst 2960X-48LPS-L Ethernet Switch - 48 Ports - Manageable - 48 x POE - 5 x Expansion Slots - 10/100/1000Base-T - PoE Ports - Rack-mountable
- Cisco Catalyst 2960X-48LPS-L Ethernet Switch
- 48 Ports - Manageable - 48 x POE - 5 x Expansion Slots - 10/100/1000Base-T - PoE Ports - Rack-mountable
The project lesson is to treat technology space and access as construction dependencies, not late-stage fit-out details. A separate technology center can provide room for specialist systems and allow work to proceed while other stadium construction continues. Whether that approach fits another venue depends on its site, schedule, carrier requirements, and operating model.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What IT leaders can take from the case
Involve IT early enough to shape the build
Plan pathways, equipment rooms, power, cooling, mounting locations, and access windows alongside the building schedule. Agree on which spaces can be handed over early so network teams are not blocked by final construction or commissioning tasks.
Rank #4
- 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝟮.𝟱 𝗚𝗯𝗽𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 5× 2.5-Gigabit ports unlock the highest performance of your Multi-Gig bandwidth and devices, and provide up to 25 Gbps of switching capacity.
- 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼-𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Auto-negotiation intelligently senses the link speeds and adjusts between 3-speeds (100Mb/1G/2.5G) for compatibility and optimal performance for all your devices, including 2.5G WiFi 6 AP, 2.5G NAS, 2.5G PCIe Adapter, 2.5G Server, gaming computer, 4K video, and more.
- 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀: Built for LAN parties, home entertainment, small and home offices, and instant transfer for workstations.
- 𝗛𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲-𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: Instantly upgrade to 2.5 Gbps without the need to upgrade to Cat6 wiring, reducing wiring costs and hassle. *
- 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Industry-leading fanless design ensures silent operation, ideal for any home or business.
Design for shared visibility, not just shared cabling
Handley told Network World the goal was a “single pane of glass” rather than jumping among vendors, particularly on game day with 60,000 people in the venue. That describes an operational objective, not proof that every tool or workflow was fully unified. When evaluating a similar architecture, ask which systems actually feed common dashboards, who can act on alerts, and how teams coordinate during incidents.
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Stadiums bring in broadcast crews, carriers, production vendors, and event partners, often with their own devices and deadlines. Set requirements for onboarding, network access, segmentation, support ownership, and removal after events. A common infrastructure does not eliminate the need to separate traffic and control access.
Best Value
- GIGABIT ETHERNET PORTS: Features 5 x 1.0Gbps Ethernet ports for high-speed connectivity. Auto-negotiating ports detect the optimal speed for connected devices and work with existing Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet cables.
- PLUG-AND-PLAY UNMANAGED NETWORK SWITCH: Simple plug-and-play setup with no software to install or configuration required.
- FLEXIBLE MOUNTING OPTIONS: Compact metal design supports desktop or wall-mount placement for versatile installation.
- SILENT & ENERGY-EFFICIENT OPERATION: Fanless design ensures silent performance, while IEEE 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet reduces power consumption without compromising high-speed network performance.
- REGIONAL COMPATIBILITY: Made for use in U.S. & CA only
Measure user activity without confusing it with quality
Track useful measures such as successful association, authentication failures, application performance, incident duration, and busy-area demand. Aggregate traffic can show adoption or load, but it cannot substitute for measures of whether users connected reliably and completed what they came to do.
Compare architectures on the operating problem
The Bills’ case suggests useful questions for venue planners, rather than a vendor ranking: Can operations see relevant systems in one place? Does the design serve seating and field-level areas? Can it support broadcast and facility applications as well as guest Wi-Fi? Are partner devices governed securely? Does the construction plan allow installation before opening deadlines? Which telemetry demonstrates that the experience is working?
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