Large Central City Campus, London, UK
The large central London campus is a 22-acre site and sits south of the river Thames. It is a vast and lively mixed-use environment with office, retail, and open spaces, along with private residential apartments. With world-class food, shopping, and entertainment, as well as some of the best London tourist attractions, the campus is a busy area year-round.
Situation
The previous spectrum/frequency license the client used was limited to indoor use only, for building security. These limitations quickly became a problem as there was no consistency of coverage across the whole precinct of buildings and outdoor spaces.
Because the security of residents, commercial tenants, and visitors is a priority, a robust and reliable communications solution was sought.
Due to a dense population and high activity in the city, there is a lack of spectrum in London for effective and efficient communications. Spectrum is so congested that normal VHF and UHF channels are often shared by three or four organizations, meaning that communications don’t always get through.
Response
Tait produces radio equipment in the Band III spectrum, (high-band VHF, 174-230MHz). Band III has plenty of spectrum available and is an excellent choice for anyone to have a communications solution with less limitations and more accessibility.
To take advantage of this, Tait designed and installed a DMR Tier 3 network in the Band III spectrum (200MHz). TP9300 portable radios were provided, and Tait GeoFencing software was programmed into the radio fleet at the campus.
The GeoFencing feature allows staff at campus to set custom radio behaviors based on location for worker safety and efficiency.
Real-time location information was integrated into the Crosswire Dispatcher software from Tait Partner Logic Wireless for enhanced situational awareness.
Outcomes
The different groups of users across this large campus can now communicate clearly on a system without congestion. Staff can make individual calls as well as group calls, and each different group has their own channel so people no longer hear chatter that isn't relevant to them. The system offers reliable coverage both indoors and outdoors.
Staff can create dynamic groups on the Tait radios to deal with emergency situations. They also have the ability to take control of the complete radio system thanks to the priority interrupt feature.
The control room has a real-time graphical display of every radio user. They can see locations thanks to GPS data and can receive a whole host of alarms such as Man Down, or when an emergency button is pressed.
Security staff use Tait GeoFencing to plot areas on a map and create invisible barriers. These GeoFences cause certain actions to happen automatically, such as sounding an alarm or activating Lone Worker mode. This function enhances worker safety, particularly when staff are in hazardous areas such as plant rooms or rooftops.
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