CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE
How IP technology changes city lifestyles Apartments enter the digital age
City Harbour is a property development in the Cross-harbour area of the London Docklands close to South Quay and Canary Wharf. The multi-million pound site includes
seven blocks of luxury apartments situated just two minutes’ walk from the Docklands Light Railway with easy access to Canary Wharf, the City and Lewisham. The development was completed in 1997 and included, what was then, a high tech video entry phone system connecting each of the 12 apartments to the remotely opened front door in each block. The system allowed tenants to view and speak to a visitor before entry and provided both security and peace of mind. Over the intervening years, however,
the analogue video entry system has suffered several breakdowns while advances in technology has made the image quality less than acceptable to what is considered as high quality by modern standards.
Obsolete analogue Following another breakdown of the old analogue video system in July of 2012, Parc Properties, the management agency for the block began to investigate an alternative video entry phone system. A key requirement for the new system
has a limited number of connections, so Nimata developed its own SIP server appliance to interface with the T24 to manage up to a 1,000 connections from a single video entry unit. This also has the advantage of
allowing every apartment to contact any neighbour - as well as the porter -directly from the videophone without incurring any calling charges. With the project agreed, in August
was to offer better quality digital video with more reliability. In addition, the new system needed to be accessible by the porter to provide an additional level of security for the development. Parc Proprieties examined a number
of video entry systems from several suppliers. “Future proofing was also a key
requirement,” said James Ingles, property manager for Parc Properties, adding that the entry system needed to be in place for ten to fifteen years. Unlike many of the competing bids
for the project, Nimata, a specialist in access technologies, proposed a solution based on Mobotix technology that also combined additional value through a partnership with a high-speed broadband provider. The proposal offered Mobotix T24
video entry phone units at each door connected via an internal IP network to deliver bi-directional audio and colour high-resolution video to a Grandstream IP-based videophone within each apartment. From the videophone, tenants can
see and communicate with any visitors and open the front door remotely. In addition, by wiring each apartment with Ethernet connectivity, the project would also provide optional high-speed Internet connectivity to each tenant.
Adopting an IP-centric approach to modern living 18 NETCOMMS europe Volume IV Issue 3 2014
Advanced technology The Mobotix T24 units used in the project include a high-resolution digital camera, keypad and systems to interface with the door lock release mechanism. Each unit also has a built in SIP server to allow the camera to communicate with the videophone in each apartment. However, this basic SIP server only
of 2012, Nimata worked with external contractors to install the required CAT- 5E structured cabling throughout the blocks and into each apartment. Working with fibre optic broadband
provider Hyperoptic, the project also connected all 84 apartments with optional 1Gbps high speed Internet access. Tenants can now communicate with
and view visitors in high-resolution colour before releasing the main door. Via the videophone, tenants can also pan, tilt and zoom the camera to get a better view of the surrounding area.
Future proofed “We take the security of the building occupants very seriously and the Nimata video entry phone system has met our expectations around image quality and reliability,” said Ingles. “The system has been well received
by our residents and also the accessibility of high speed Internet is a major benefit for the whole development,” he added. The video entry phone system also
has a number of potential upgrades including allowing visitors to leave video messages for tenants who are not available, for example if a tenant is out and a package needs to be delivered. In the future, the system can be
upgraded to notify tenants and allow two-way communications with a visitor via mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. Based on the success at City Harbour,
Parc Properties is now considering working with Nimata to upgrade several other properties it has under management across London and the South East of England.
www.mobotix.com www.netcommseurope.com
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