FedExForum - Memphis Grizzlies

Background

FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, serves as the heart of local sports and entertainment. Home to the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Memphis Tigers, the 18,000-seat arena hosts a wide variety of high-traffic events: basketball games, professional wrestling, bull riding, concerts, and graduations, among others. Across these diverse gatherings, attendees expect seamless connectivity that lets them share videos, post on social media, and stay updated in real time.

Overseeing the venue’s network is no small feat. With up to 9,000 fans connecting simultaneously during peak events, FedExForum’s IT staff must deliver robust, high-density Wi-Fi while also handling wired connections for media, security scanners, and point-of-sale systems. “We never know what each event requires until show day—we have to adapt quickly and easily,” says Darrell DeRosia, Sr. Director, Network & Infrastructure Services for the Grizzlies.

Business Objectives

1. High-Density Wireless Performance The primary goal at FedExForum is to ensure that everyone—fans, vendors, production crews—experiences consistent and high-speed connectivity, no matter the size or nature of the event. “If our Wi-Fi lags, it hurts the fan experience,” Darrell says. “We want it to be seamless so it doesn’t even cross their minds.”

2. Flexible Network Configurations Different events bring diverse technical requests. A touring concert might require dedicated VLANs for streaming; a sports broadcast might need robust, low-latency wired connections to feed 4K camera signals. The team must be ready to pivot configurations rapidly between NBA games, bull-riding events, or major concerts.

3. Reliable Core with Minimal Downtime FedExForum is operational around the clock. Beyond game nights, employees use the space for rehearsals, vendor setup, maintenance, and administrative work. The network must sustain crucial functions like ticketing, security checkpoints, and broadcast coverage. Because the arena cannot simply pause operations, segmentation ensures that individual sections can be  updated or replaced without impacting the entire facility.

Why UniFi

Enterprise-Ready Scale FedExForum selected UniFi for its capacity to manage thousands of concurrent connections. “The Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG) was the largest gateway at the time, and it meets our requirement of getting 5,000-plus people online with no hiccups,” Darrell explains.

High-density environments often demand extreme throughput, so the IT team provisions multiple 10 Gbps circuits from different ISPs (Comcast and Verizon). NAT pooling further helps prevent port exhaustion when thousands of devices simultaneously try to connect.

High-Density Wi-Fi and Intelligent RF Arenas present complex RF environments: large open spaces, thousands of bodies blocking signals, and multi-level seating. FedExForum’s bowl uses a combination of 
UWB XGS (Wi-Fi 5, triple 5 GHz radios) and newer E7 Audience APs that add 6 GHz spectrum and pave the way for Wi-Fi 7. The older UWB XGS still delivers reliable performance, while the E7 Audience is already relieving congestion by offering more channels.

Line of Sight and Under-Seat Coverage In lower bowl sections, APs mount just below the scoreboard. “Line of sight is king in high-density Wi-Fi,” Darrell notes. This approach minimizes interference since fewer spectators block signals. Meanwhile, certain levels incorporate under-seat access points to ensure strong coverage, placing them every 50 to 70 seats.

Sophisticated Channel Planning Proper channel reuse is essential in a large venue. The team sets minimum RSSI thresholds, uses color-coded channel striping, and leverages the 6 GHz band to increase overall capacity. Current testing shows around 1.6 Gbps of aggregate wireless throughput during peak times, and the additional 6 GHz spectrum is expected to double or even triple that figure as more clients adopt newer devices.

Integrated Switching for Seamless Power and Aggregation UniFi’s switching infrastructure complements the arena’s high-density Wi-Fi deployment. The ECS series switches offer robust PoE capabilities to power multiple APs and scoreboard systems, with ECS campus switches handling fiber aggregation on the wired side. This layered approach ensures the backbone can handle data surges—particularly when camera crews push large files or thousands of fans stream simultaneously.

Additional Highlights

Wi-Fi 7 Readiness As new devices proliferate, FedExForum anticipates an uptick in Wi-Fi 7 clients. Although many fans currently use Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 devices, the E7 Audience APs can already broadcast on 6 GHz to give early adopters a significant performance boost. The team limits certain SSIDs on these APs to avoid overloading them with legacy devices, but has observed speeds of 500 to 600 Mbps even in crowded conditions.

Maintenance Windows and Segmentation Because FedExForum operates nearly 24/7, scheduling downtime is tricky. The UniFi architecture lets IT isolate sub-networks for updates while keeping others fully functional. Ticketing, security scanners, and broadcast operations remain online if only a specific portion of the network is being upgraded. This segmentation strategy helps maintain reliability for critical services during firmware updates or hardware swaps.

Handling Seasonal Peaks

During key NBA matchups or major concerts, the venue can see well above 9,000 concurrent wireless devices. The network balances load across APs and channels, ensuring that every seat in the lower and upper bowls receives adequate coverage. Under-seat APs supplement scoreboard-mounted units, preventing radio interference and maximizing throughput. This design allows spectators to post on social media, watch replays, and capture high-definition videos in real time, without network lag.

Conclusion

From casual fans checking social media during a basketball game to roving production teams streaming 4K video at a sold-out concert, FedExForum’s networking demands span a broad spectrum of use cases. By deploying a UniFi-centric solution—featuring EFG gateways, ECS PoE switches, and high-density access points—the Memphis arena has built a foundation that comfortably supports both today’s Wi-Fi traffic and tomorrow’s influx of 6 GHz and Wi-Fi 7 devices.

In a high-density environment where thousands of people converge, FedExForum’s seamless Wi-Fi experience stands as a testament to thoughtful planning, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to giving every guest the best possible experience—no matter how big the show.