Nick Stevens

A children’s hospital is benefitting from enhanced new levels of security thanks to the installation of an IP video entry system from Comelit. The ViP system at Sheffield Children’s hospital has been integrated with the hospital’s existing unified Cisco infrastructure network. As part of a £40 million redevelopment, the advanced Comelit video entry and access control system has been installed in a new section of the hospital, which is home to a new outpatients’ department and three wards, featuring more single rooms with en-suite facilities for parents staying with their children. The new building also includes priority car parking, a main reception area, an iconic play tower and an inner courtyard play area. ViP Video Entry Solutions The entrances to the wards have been equipped with ViP Ikall and ViP vandal-resistant video entry panels, which allow staff to control the access of visitors. The entry panels transmit calls to ten Icona monitors at nurses’ stations, where staff can communicate with visitors and allow or deny access. If the nurses’ station is not staffed, the call is automatically routed to the paging system to alert staff. The Ikall panels enable audio and video communication with visitors via a built-in color camera and a two-way speaker. Sporting clean, attractive lines, the panels have LED backlighting and screen characters, offering optimum visibility for users and featuring touch-sensitive keypads. The panels can also be set up to include options such as numerical pushbuttons, digital name directory and proximity RF readers as part of a bespoke configuration to suit the needs of the installation. The Icona monitors have a 4.3-inch color screen and are equipped with sensitive touch technology, a hands-free function, audio ringtone (which can be selected from a range of polyphonic ringtones) and color/contrast adjustment. The full duplex audio monitor is fitted with an SD card slot. User-Friendly Systems Two Comelit help points – which connect to the new building’s reception area – have also been installed on the network to help visitors and others with general queries or calls for assistance. One is situated in the internal staircase, the other at the internal car park. Nick Stevens, Comelit’s Business Development Manager, Northeast said: “The most striking aspect of this installation is that it resides on the hospital’s existing unified network, rather than having the inconvenience of installing dedicated cabling. The hospital’s IT department was very positive about having our equipment on its network and the installation shows that our IP equipment is suitable for integration with enterprise level networks.” Having an IP-based system enhances the performance of video intercoms and is versatile and easy to install. It can be integrated with existing networks or installed using dedicated cabling. The system can accommodate multiple users (in theory, an unlimited number) with simultaneous audio and video conversations. There are no distance limitations and the Comelit ViP system allows for remote connection and diagnostics.

Visitors call residents using Comelit’s Ikall panels, which have been installed at entrance points around the building Welwyn Garden City, UK, 1st March 2016 Working with IT installers Abzorb Networks, Comelit has supplied its Ikall digital entrance panels and hands-free resident audio units to the Old Fire Station in Birmingham, a Grade II-listed former fire command base in the center of the city. The building is now a £35 million high-end student accommodation complex housing 463 students in a variety of apartments, studios and clusters. Visitors call residents using Comelit’s Ikall panels, which have been installed at entrance points around the building. The panels allow bespoke configuration and can have options such as numerical pushbuttons, a name directory, built-in access control and proximity readers. Video communication is via a wide-angle 1/4” miniature colour camera, although for this project, the installer opted for audio-only for their current design. Modular Additions As Site Evolves Improve Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO) Avoiding non-essential functions generates cost benefits that are passed on to the project developer and add to the life of the system since more components can be added to the Ikall panel as the site develops. When visitors call the panels, the students speak to them using Comelit’s Easycom audio units that feature a conversation privacy option, audio active indicator LED and volume adjustment for call tone and loudspeaker. Remote Configuration By Installer Abzorb Networks used Comelit’s ViP Manager software. The future-proof nature of such an installation means that upgrades involving SIP interfaces, CPS and home automation products (both Comelit’s and those of third parties) would all be possible for this project. Abzorb were able to carry out precise configuration while connected to the building’s Wi-Fi access points and future configuration changes will be achievable via the VIP software with no need to access the student apartments. Nick Stevens, Regional Business Development Manager North East at Comelit, said: “The structured cabling for this project was intricate due to the building’s Grade II-listed status, so the client wanted a future-proofed IP solution to integrate with the other services they were installing, such as CCTV, broadband and TV signal distribution.” Best Practice And Compliance Stevens continued: “Duty of care considerations mean the Old Fire Station is more of an intercom than a door entry solution. Best practice for the student accommodation sector requires that there should be no door unlocking facility from the Easycom unit (or similar) in the apartment. After audio contact with their visitor, the resident is required to go to the relevant entrance area and escort their guest into the building with the additional protection of CCTV coverage. Comelit understands these requirements and is winning business in the education sector as a result.” Eighty-Year-Old Building With Art Deco Interior The former Old Fire Station was built in 1935 and it has been decided to retain the 40-foot firemen’s pole, which is the longest in Europe. The property is at Lancaster Circus, opposite Aston University's main campus. It is also convenient for the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University and the Birmingham School of Acting. The developers, Watkin Jones Group, have used every viable inch of the existing building, including the drill tower, engine bays and a paneled library, which will retain its original function. Comelit enjoy great success in the student accommodation market; other recent installations in this sector include The Edge, a £15 million development in Leeds that is providing luxury boutique hotel- style accommodation to the city’s university students.

The Edge use Comelit’s Anthracite-coloured Ikall entrance panels on the exterior of the seven-storey building Working with building services engineers JH Shouksmith & Sons Ltd, Comelit has supplied an IP door entry system to The Edge, a £15 million development in Leeds that provides luxury boutique hotel-style accommodation to the city’s university students. Visitors to The Edge use Comelit’s Anthracite-coloured Ikall entrance panels on the exterior of the seven-story building to call residents in the 131 apartments. These panels, from Comelit’s ViP range, provide audio communication for door control, with LED backlighting and screen characters offering optimum visibility for users. Easy operation is facilitated by touch-sensitive keypads and a large color LCD display. The DDA-compliant panels are flush-mounted and constructed of stainless steel. Modular Design Offers Cost-Savings The modular design means panel components can be changed and upgraded as site needs evolve. This generates savings and reduces total cost of ownership (TCO). With rapid student turnaround, tenant information can be kept up-to-date by uploading names via the ViP Manager software over an Ethernet connection, thereby saving the property manager’s time. Aimed largely at international students and postgraduates, The Edge features a gym, cinema and games zone. Residents enjoy 100 Mb broadband, high-speed Wi-Fi, music streaming and the services of a 24-hour concierge. The apartments are characterized by poured-resin floors and sleek white lacquered furniture. Open Systems The Edge also employs Comelit’s multi-user SIP gateway to network the entrance panels with VoIP telephone handsets in the apartments via a VoIP PBX system. The Comelit gateway is SIP-compliant to enable telephone calls to be made via a SIP server. The Comelit gateway can communicate with up to 200 apartments and installers are able to carry out adjustments, maintenance and health checks remotely from a web browser. If required, the gateway can allow residents to communicate with visitors at an entrance panel when they are off-site, by using an app on their smartphone or tablet.  Amenity-Rich The Edge welcomed its first students at the start of the current academic year. It has been developed by Leeds-based Parklane Properties as part of the amenity-rich iconic brand that is set for nationwide rollout. Comelit worked with building services engineers, JH Shouksmith and Sons Ltd, which supplied a £1.2 million mechanical and electrical contract, including CCTV. Nick Stevens, Business Development Manager North East, Comelit UK, said: “Comelit is moving clients away from outdated closed technology and we have used our expertise with open protocols to link entrance panels to VoIP phones at The Edge. The Comelit response through the SIP gateway product was agile and flexible, allowing the contractor to deliver a multi-vendor solution that was best suited to site needs.”