How HPE Aruba Powers Disney’s Star Wars Attraction Network
Visitors to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios can translate alien text on their mobile phones, interact with droids through augmented reality and navigate a 14-acre themed environment without losing connectivity. Helping power these experiences are hundreds of wireless access points deployed by HPE Aruba Networking across one of Disney’s most technology-dense attractions.
The networking infrastructure handles millions of annual visitors whilst supporting attraction operations, mobile applications and environmental monitoring systems and enduring Florida’s humidity, thunderstorms and temperature variations between indoor and outdoor environments.
How HPE Aruba Networking delivers connectivity for Star Wars attraction
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance operates within Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which represents one of Disney’s largest single-themed park expansions. The attraction incorporates multiple elements designed to create immersive experiences for visitors.
“HPE Aruba Networking is committed to customer success and we take a very collaborative approach to delivering the solutions that our customers need,” says Madani Adjali, VP of Product Management for HPE Aruba Networking. “No matter the vision – whether it involves intergalactic adventure and thrilling attraction or not – we work with the customer to bring their vision to life.”
The networking infrastructure supports Disney’s Play Disney Parks mobile application, enabling features such as Aurebesh-to-English translation capabilities. Guests can use their mobile devices to translate the Star Wars language displayed throughout the attraction area, allowing participation in storyline elements.
“For Walt Disney World Resort, Disney wanted to give guests the ability to have an immersive experience within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, so we collaborated on a solution that delivers the universal connectivity and low latency that is needed to help Disney create this unique experience,” Madani says.
Disney Star Wars deployment addresses scale and environmental challenges
The Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge network deployment required addressing specific technical considerations related to scale and environmental factors. The 14-acre area requires comprehensive wireless coverage to support millions of annual visitors whilst maintaining operational connectivity for park systems.
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge covers 14 acres and uses hundreds of HPE Aruba wireless access points
- The deployment serves millions of annual visitors whilst supporting attraction operations
- Equipment must withstand Florida's humidity, thunderstorms and indoor-outdoor temperature variations
Florida’s climate presents particular challenges for networking equipment deployment. The combination of high humidity levels and frequent thunderstorms, alongside indoor air conditioning systems, requires equipment testing and selection to ensure reliable operation across varying environmental conditions.
“Anyone who has been to Florida in the summer, knows the kind of weather that this equipment has to be able to handle,” Madani says. “The combination of humidity and thunderstorms outside, with air conditioning and climate-controlled insides, means that equipment must be rigorously tested to stand up to the demands of the weather.”
The network architecture delivers multiple networks simultaneously, supporting both guest connectivity and operational requirements. This dual-purpose approach enables Disney to maintain attraction functionality whilst providing guest services through mobile applications and interactive elements.
HPE technology enables Disney augmented reality experiences
The HPE Aruba Networking infrastructure supports AR features integrated into the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge experience. These capabilities operate through the Play Disney Parks application, requiring high-speed connectivity and low latency to function effectively.
Interactive elements throughout the attraction area rely on network connectivity to deliver real-time responses to guest actions. The networking solution provides the bandwidth and reliability necessary for these features to operate consistently across the deployment area.
“Our networking technology has helped enable Disney's Augmented Reality experiences, Aurebesh-to-English translation, and other interactive elements of the Play Disney Parks app, through our seamless, reliable connectivity,” Adjali says.
“One of the things I love about the networking industry is how we deliver technology that directly impacts people’s lives,” Adjali says. “We are creating connectivity that lets people more easily travel the world, stay in touch with friends and family over long distances, and add new dimensions to everyday experiences, from homework to sporting events.”
We work with the customer to bring their vision to life.
The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge deployment demonstrates enterprise networking applications within entertainment environments, where infrastructure must support both operational systems and consumer-facing applications simultaneously. The scale of the deployment, combined with environmental challenges and performance requirements, illustrates enterprise networking considerations beyond traditional corporate environments.
“Probably my favorite thing that we are helping Disney deliver is the translation abilities,” Madani says. “With the Play Disney Parks app and the high-speed connectivity from HPE Aruba Networking, guests can translate Aurebesh, a Star Wars language, on their mobile device and truly participate in the conversation.”
