Hang out with Velaspan long enough and you’ll hear it: We believe that the convergence of art and technology is our x factor. That for the many merits of ever-evolving tools, the human touch is what makes Velaspan wireless networks sing.
Our friends down the road at JuxtaHub think similarly. Their digitally enabled maker space is all-in on the symbiosis of art and technology. In fact, the juxta in “JuxtaHub” is a nod to the combined power of these seemingly disparate things.
So when we heard that JuxtaHub needed a comprehensive tech solution to enable it all, we felt uniquely equipped to step up – and uniquely inspired to do something completely innovative.
MORE ABOUT JUXTAHUB
JuxtaHub is a 36,000-square foot warehouse outfitted for artistic possibility. It was developed over the course of seven years by volunteers committed to bringing a unique take on art to the Lehigh Valley.
Inside JuxtaHub, artist studios, maker spaces, a gallery, classrooms, and a conference room are all purpose-built to turn creative visions into realities. Human movement studios, a black box theater, digital lobby, and industrial kitchen will be added in phase 2. Until recently, though, the non-profit was missing an essential ingredient: A robust wired/wireless network capable of supporting it all.
“Before Velaspan got involved, I think we had the bandwidth and latency for something like two virtual reality headsets at a time,” Bethlehem resident Tyrone Webb says with a laugh.
Webb is JuxtaHub’s Digital Maker Space Director. He’s also a member artist who has rented space at other arts centers.
“I know firsthand that when wireless network infrastructure is insufficient, it keeps artists from bringing their work to life – in any space, but especially one like JuxtaHub that’s earmarked for digitally infused creativity.”
Say, for example, multiple JuxtaHub artists want to simultaneously stream their work to YouTube in 4k.
“That can easily kill bandwidth,” Tyrone says.
Say performance art calls for twenty performers in VR headsets.
“That’s impossible on a standard wireless infrastructure,” Tyrone explains.
“Limitations like these are the reason many digital artists work and exhibit at convention centers instead of in galleries,” he adds. “Galleries rarely offer the tech to support digital artists and their work.”
PROOF POSITIVE
If anyone knows as much, it’s Tyrone. When COVID locked the world down in 2020, he used Spatial.io – which he’d discovered via JuxtaHub – to sell his art virtually. “I bought my own headset and harnessed the power of VR at home.” His novel process attracted buyers worldwide and ushered in a new era of art and community.
Spatial.io hired Tyrone in 2021 to help other artists, including high-profile artists, do the same. The same year, Tyrone joined JuxtaHub’s board with a vision for ensuring that other member artists could similarly leverage technology to get their work up and out. And when he became JuxtaHub’s first paid consultant in 2024, Tyrone began pursuing a long-term, full-tilt technical infrastructure solution capable of exactly that.
“Beyond delivering for our members, JuxtaHub is always in fundraising mode. Showing what our space can do is key to raising capital. But to do that, we need sufficient wireless.”
He’s also keenly cognizant of the relationship between capability and reputation.
“The best way to get bad reviews is to bring the public into a tech-centric space only to have technology that doesn’t work,” he says. “I refuse to let that happen.”
DEFINING THE ASK
Tyrone researched tech vendors and got clear on what he wanted: The ability for everyone at JuxtaHub to have the same simultaneous experience, even if tapping its most bandwidth-hungry offerings.
“If a few dozen people want to put on virtual reality headsets and have a collective immersive experience – this space needs to support that, at scale, with no degradation, If we’re throwing a ball in VR and there’s a stutter due to latency issues, the experience is lost.”
He scheduled visits from traditional IT service providers – and was underwhelmed.
“What they offered were retail solutions, more or less, that wouldn’t work for the full tilt experience we’re after. There wasn’t much imagination.”
Then JuxtaHub treasurer and board member Gary Guthrie mentioned Lehigh Valley’s own Velaspan. Velaspan principals Eric Trout and Kerry Kulp came in for a tour. Incidentally, Velaspan had designed wireless for the space years back, when it belonged to a private company!
“Velaspan came and did what other vendors didn’t,” Tyrone says. “They started brainstorming out loud, asking questions, exploring all kinds of possibilities.”
Excited by JuxtaHub’s mission and vision, our Velaspan team came back a few days later with a proposition:
If JuxtaHub covered the cost of hardware, Velaspan would offer the rest of the engagement gratis, with one twist: rather than use go-to names in enterprise wireless hardware, we’d tap Ubiquiti, a longtime industry disruptor with its eyes set on the enterprise market.
Ubiquiti has always impressed network engineers, at Velaspan and beyond, by punching above its weight. Many of us use Ubiquiti in our own homes.
The brand’s wide breadth of products goes well beyond wireless, which would let us address wider JuxtaHub needs. And because Velaspan would be managing JuxtaHub’s network moving forward, we could push design boundaries a bit, experimenting with Ubiquiti’s capabilities in unique ways. JuxtaHub, meanwhile, would get more than they asked for and bang for their hardware buck thanks to this market disruptor’s appealing price point.
JuxtaHub gave a resounding yes.
JUMPING IN
The project kicked off. Over the next few months, Velaspan designed, installed, and deployed JuxtaHub’s new full-scale, high-performance network infrastructure.
The result?
“Now we’re all spoiled whenever we start streaming!” Tyrone says of himself and fellow artists. “We’re getting ready to have 20 or so people all using VR headsets simultaneously. I think that’s the moment when this network’s capability will really shine.”
With the network up and running, Velaspan and JuxtaHub are now looking to take advantage of additional Ubiquiti products. Door access controls, security cameras, and other add-ons are in the works – testaments to the network’s flexibility. Access points are also being installed outside of the building, allowing JuxtaHub to host outdoor events including festivals.
“I can’t give enough high praise to the team at Velaspan for all they’ve done,” Tyrone says. “They’re playing a huge role in setting us up to bring our mission and vision to life in Emmaus and beyond.”
Velaspan is similarly thrilled.
“JuxtaHub is nearby, with a cool and important vision, and is a great team to work with, to boot,” says David Bond, Velaspan Partner. “We’re savoring this opportunity to help advance an organization that sees what we see: what’s possible when you combine art and technology.”
Whether you’re running a digitally enabled space like JuxtaHub or simply interested in what this kind of infrastructure makes possible, we’d love to connect. Reach out to start a conversation.
