Cisco Builds Invisible Network in Rijksmuseum Visitors can access a wealth of information on smartphones and tablets via the museum network. Technology must not divert attention from the exhibited works
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Milk Maid, by Johannes Vermeer - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 24, 2014 Cisco has created a wireless network in the Rijksmuseum for both visitors and staff. This network plays a crucial role in the experience of the visitors, who are offered detailed information online which they can view on their own mobile devices. This technology is certainly attracting the crowds. Visitor numbers have more than doubled, a result far beyond expectations.
The aim of the extensive renovation of the Rijksmuseum building, completed last year, was to connect more effectively with the needs of the modern museum visitor: more comfort, better facilities, easier access. The building has been transformed in the spirit of the original design into modern premises with state-of-the-art security, climate control, and IT infrastructure. As ICT partner of the Rijksmuseum, Cisco was asked to share ideas on how to create a stable Wi-Fi infrastructure in a historical building and how to use ICT to enhance the customer experience. Following a European tender Cisco emerged as the best candidate to meet the demands of the Rijksmuseum.
The Rijksmuseum is one of the top 10 art and history museums in the world, by number of visitors. Based in the heart of Amsterdam, it is the national museum of the Netherlands and dates back to 1800. The Rijksmuseum exhibits predominantly Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages up until today. The museum houses top pieces from well-known 19th-century Dutch artists, including The Night Watch, by Rembrandt van Rijn, and The Milk Maid, by Johannes Vermeer, and is one of the top visitor attractions in the country. The museum was closed from 2003 until April 2013 for extensive refurbishment. The 10-year, 375 million (US$512 million) renovation was completed in 2013 and was aimed to update most aspects of the museum and at the same time help it to compete for visitors against other popular attractions.
Rob Hendriks, ICT Manager, Rijksmuseum: "We didnt want all that technology in the building to divert attention from the exhibited works, so it had to be totally out of sight. Around 150 wireless access points were deftly concealed under floors and behind ceilings. That was a big task, because the building dates from 1885 and was definitely not Wi-Fi-friendly, with all sorts of niches, alcoves, corners, stairs, corridors, and vaulted ceilings, not forgetting the concrete and steel floors that were added during the renovation. On top of that, between 10,000 and 15,000 visitors had to be able to access the network museum-wide every single day, also during peak times. Cisco managed to do all of that."
Michel Schaalje, CTO Cisco Netherlands: "The Rijksmuseum relies on technology in order to achieve a completely new dimension in the visitors experience. The museum is leading in leveraging the potential of the current networks. And this is just the beginning. Technological developments around the Internet of Everything connecting people, processes, data and things will offer unprecedented possibilities for bringing the visitor experience to an even higher level."
At the moment the Rijksmuseum is looking at extra functions that the network could offer. Hendriks: "We could use information from the network to pinpoint the locations of visitors in the building. We could then help them find their way and avoid congestion around top exhibits by suggesting an alternative route. We might find it useful to see how people navigate an exhibition: which points along the route are busiest, and which objects are the biggest crowd-pullers? That, in turn, could make us think of reorganizing the layout to improve the experience of the public."
The Rijksmuseum wants to share its collection of one million items with the entire world, and more and more objects of art and history can be downloaded. The museum website is intended for sharing information not only with art lovers outside the museum but with visitors inside the museum as well. Amongst other things, multimedia tours are available as apps. These depend heavily on the wireless network for content and enable visitors to delve deeper into the material at their leisure. The Cuypers Library, the biggest and oldest art history library in the Netherlands, is much loved by visitors, students and art historians who come here some armed with iPads, which the museum makes available to explore the collection.
Building Management
The network is also used for managing the building and regulating the LED lighting. The illumination of newly mounted artworks can be adjusted with an iPad or smartphone until it is exactly right.
The Rijksmuseum uses an open-standard Cisco Unified Access wireless and cabled network that provides support not only for the wireless devices of the visitors ("bring your own device" or "BYOD") but also IP telephony. It consists of 150 wireless access points (Cisco Aironet 3700 Series Access Points with CleanAir), a Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series switches, two Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls, and Cisco Unified Communications. The network was installed by Cisco partner Imtech, which also takes care of the network management.
For more information, please find a full case study here.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is provided by Cisc
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
Cisco Builds Invisible Network in Rijksmuseum Visitors can access a wealth of information on smartphones and tablets via the museum network. Technology must not divert attention from the exhibited works 
