Zibi is a state-of-the-art redevelopment and sustainable community project that offers diverse living options, including condo towers, townhouses, and commercial and office spaces. It boasts distinctive waterfront plazas and open-air squares, further enriched by unmatched views of the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill, Chaudière Falls, and the skylines of downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. Its contemporary architectural aesthetic thoughtfully honors the locale's heritage, making it an exceptional place.
They approached us to design a fully integrated management system for IT services and to complete each phase of the project from beginning to end. They also collaborated with our software development team to design and configure mobile applications for users to access Smart Locks and gain entry to spaces in the building. Additionally, we provided consultation and training for clients to learn how to monitor and troubleshoot potential issues that may arise.
Challenges
As more people residing in apartments use mobile devices, the demand for robust wireless networks in multi-dwelling units rises. Technical requirements in multi-dwelling units pose a challenge because Wi-Fi signals between rooms and apartments can cause interference. Multiple wireless networks using the same channel or frequency cause tenants to compete for bandwidth. The competition for bandwidth results in a reduction in speed and reliability for both networks, and everyone's home Wi-Fi experience suffers.
The network needs to be private and secure to protect residents' and staff's personal data and information assets. Security breaches have become common occurrences, and home networks can be vulnerable to external threats and malicious actors. Just as with any residence, physical security requires locks that block intruders from the premises. Residents and staff need assurance that access to apartments, staff offices, the parking garage, and common rooms is allowed only to appropriate personnel.
Procuring, installing, and configuring the hardware, and implementing a mobile app for users to access the building are the major points of this project. It was completed within a strict 4-month deadline.
Solutions
DNSnetworks proposed enterprise features at consumer cost. The technical aspect of the solution involves virtualizing the building network into dozens of secure networks, one per apartment, allowing for both security and convenience. The infrastructure was installed on floors 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, placing wireless access points strategically throughout each floor to ensure optimal wireless coverage. Each floor was also equipped with a 24-port PoE cloud-managed network switch to power a 10Gbps backbone between each floor, with an edge router on the 4th floor.
This infrastructure employs a horizontal architecture that can utilize RRM (radio resource management) algorithms in required verticals; Wi-Fi signals travel horizontally via access points from the router on each floor, while the signal is sourced vertically from each 24-port PoE switch. Using this method mitigates the need to send potentially weakened wireless signals through opaque floors, while RRM algorithms organize the frequencies each Wi-Fi network uses, thus significantly reducing interference.
Residents and staff alike have worry-free access to the building in any situation due to bandwidth traffic-shaping policies that allocate bandwidth for critical services. Examples of critical services include accessing the management console for 24/7 monitoring, allowing staff to manipulate all locks throughout the building. Residents may also manipulate main entrance locks and their apartment locks, gaining access to spaces such as the parking garage without latency. In other words, everyone with the mobile app can access public amenity spaces and their private residence with ease.
Results
Security Optimization Wi-Fi is accessible throughout the building, while each tenant enjoys their own private network. WPA3 encryption is used with strong, unique passwords for each SSID to secure the network. WPA3 encryption is an improved standard for network security. A firewall is set up with an intrusion detection/prevention system that protects against external threats. Additionally, a guest network with limited access and bandwidth for visitors is available.
Scalability
This wireless network architecture supports core network switching, trunking, and routing on a “pay-as-you-grow” model. With an established management console and web application by our developers, administrators can easily add or remove tenants.
Resident Satisfaction
Wi-Fi is considered the #1 resident-desired amenity. People expect fast, reliable Wi-Fi as part of a connected community living experience. DNSnetworks' network services team and our IT HelpDesk are ideal partners in growing and improving Wi-Fi as a residential amenity with low-cost, high-quality Wi-Fi experiences.
Seamless Keyless Entry
& Access Control
Residents can now enjoy seamless entry and sophisticated access control for both their units and the building. With the convenience of a mobile application integrated with their Smart Lock systems, access has never been easier or more secure.