WLPC Phoenix 2024 Recap
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Wireless LAN Professional Conference (#WLPC). The inaugural conference occurred at a convention Center in Austin, TX, close to the Airport. Keith Parsons took a massive leap of faith, laying down a deposit for a conference venue, hoping people would sign up to cover that deposit.
No one knew what to expect from the conference, but 100 people registered to attend. WLPC was built around the idea of doing things wireless geeks were looking for at a conference:
- Technical talks
- Cool devices and toys to play with
- Time to chill with like-minded people
I was able to attend that 1st conference and have tried to attend each one since (missing only Dallas and Berlin). It was wonderful to be welcomed into a crowd of people bound by a common interest in Wi-Fi, and it has been amazing to watch the conference grow and evolve. As feedback was collected, the format and community participation changed.
I have been fortunate to watch WLPC evolve over the years and witness a part of what Keith Parsons has created and built for the community. It was very touching to see Keith’s family react at the 10th Anniversary Party. They were finally able to see the impact of what their father has been doing all these years.
Thank you, Keith, for what you have brought to the community through WLPC for the last 10 years; I look forward to the next 10 years and beyond.
“It’s OK to be you.”
-Keith R. Parsons
WLPC started off with a packed room of over 375 attendees. There were many 1st-time attendees in this mix, and Keith reminded everyone to be social and make space for new friends.
Below is a quick summary of highlights of the 10th Anniversary of WLPC hosted this past week in Phoenix, AZ.
Starting with a few data points:
- 10% more attendees than last year (375 attendees)
- 11 Boot Camps filled with 37% of attendees
- 15 Deep Dive Options
- 35% of attendees were 1st-time attendees
- 23% of attendees presented
As is tradition, boot camps ran the three days leading up to the conference. The following classes were offered, but LoRaWAN was the one people were most excited about. 😉
- Rockstar Cisco 9800 V2
- Ruckus Certified Wi-Fi Associate
- Advanced Wi-Fi Security: Rea-World “Defense Against the Dark Arts”
- Hamina Certified Network Architect Boot Camp
- Rockstar Wireless Analysis
- 6 GHz Spectrum and You
- CWNA-109
- Secure Wi-Fi Architecture Masterclass
- LoRaWAN
- Python for Wireless Engineers
- Wi-Fi Adjuster
6 WLPC Presentations to Watch First
Let me start by saying you should watch all the videos from WLPC 2024 US. While all the presentations were wonderful, if you weren’t able to attend or happened to miss some of the presentations live, here is a list of the first 6 presentations I encourage you to watch:
- Wes Purvis – Wi-Fi 6E, Year Three
- Bryan Ward – Outdoor Wi-Fi and Hybrid Power+Fiber Cabling
- Jim Palmer – Antidote to the Wi-Fi 7 Marketing Machine
- David Coleman – Is Wi-Fi 7 the Upgrade You’re Craving?
- Mike Pennacchi – You Can’t Spell Wireless with Wire
- Connor Burke – The Ups and Downs of Your Signal – Does Polarization Matter?
3 & 4 should be watched back-to-back to ramp up your Wi-Fi 7 theory before moving into hands-on testing. Block some time to start with these and work systematically through the others. Warning: you may have to watch some more than once.
Deep Dives
Following recent tradition, deep dives ran 3-hour sessions at the end of day 1 and 2. Each attendee can join one deep dive, but it is important to register early as some deep dives have a limited number of seats and fill up quickly. (Tip for next year: Pay attention to dates and sign up the hour WLCP registration goes live to get your choice deep dive.)
Here is a list of all the Deep Dives from WLPC Phoenix 2024:
- WLAN Pi Deep Dive
- Real-World Pentesting and Hacking for Wireless Devices
- Hamina Site Surveys and Advanced 3D Planning
- Secure Wi-Fi Design and WPA3 Migration
- Antenna Fundamentals for the Wi-Fi Professional
- Using mobile devices to troubleshoot Wi-Fi
- Mastering Wi-FI Explorer Pro (Windows & Mac)
- Using drones to improve your WLAN operations
- WI-FI and Cellular
- Learn to use an Aaronia V6 Spectrum Analyzer
- Flipper Zero
- Analyzing 6GHz Client Behaviour
- Compact Network Network in A Box
- Learn to use NetAlly AirCheck G3 for Wi-Fi Troubleshooting
- Wi-Fi Technology – with Packet Captures
WLPC PHX 24 – Bonus Activities
There were several informal activities where groups hiked to the top of Piestawa Peak, swapped whisky and coffee beans, or went for a coffee run at Press Coffee. There is a trending saying – “Cyclists are better people.” Acknowledging this sage advice, and thanks to Jim Vajda, the first annual group cycling ride occurred at WLPC 2024. If you want to get involved next year, keep your eye on the socials (WiFiPros Slack, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc..) and be involved.
Additionally, I orchestrated a contest that gave away a Hive Radar – Wireless Site Survey Kit (WSSK) to one qualifying lucky WLPC attendee. Congratulations, Scott McDermott. Stay tuned for another Hive Radar contest coming next month.
Lastly, a video recording with Raymond Hendrix was shared during Ferney’s presentation. Raymond awarded Ferney the first and only Wi-Fi Wise Award for being the heart of the wireless community.
Until next year…
Slàinte Mhath!
Resources
Hive Radar Wireless Site Survey Kit (WSSK)
Polycam 3D Lidar Scanning for iOS and Android