Latest WAP technology for BoardConnect at Lufthansa

Next year, Lufthansa Technik AG will equip 20 of Lufthansa’s Airbus A321 aircraft with the BoardConnect in-flight entertainment solution developed by Lufthansa Systems. In contrast to conventional systems, BoardConnect requires no labor-intensive cabling of each seat. Instead, the system relies on an ultra-fast WLAN network that meets the latest WiFi standard. The wireless access points (WAP) were developed by Lufthansa Technik, and are the first access points in an aircraft to support the wireless standard 802.11ac (1.3 Gbps). The system has been optimized for the extremely demanding conditions of an aircraft cabin and enables hitherto unattainable data transmission rates. The new WAPs have their own integrated antennas (3×3 MIMO antenna array): in addition to the simplest possible installation, there is no need for the tuning or adjustments necessary with external antennas. This new WAP technology has already been designed to meet the standards of the latest aircraft generations, such as the Boeing 787 or the Airbus A350. Depending on the aircraft’s size, Lufthansa Technik needs only a few access points in the cabin to enable every passenger to enjoy a wide range of content, including perfectly streamed media. Passengers use WLAN to connect to the aircraft’s infotainment server quickly and easily using their own laptops, tablet computers or smart phones.