Case Study: The Fitness Academy

The fitness academy is Athboy’s latest training facility, offering a personalised approach to fitness and helping members to improve in areas such as nutrition, cardiovascular and strength and conditioning. Established in 2017, the fitness academy contacted SenSys Technology for help with their CCTV, VoIP, Wi-Fi, network and security setup.

Some of the requirements included:

• A VOIP phone system which had the ability to use their extension on their Android/IOS phones remotely
• A high definition CCTV system to protect their premises after hours and also to provide high quality video in key areas such as the gym floor and reception
• An access control system which would allow members and staff access to the premises during specific hours and to allow staff to add new members when needed
• An intruder alarm system which could alert staff members of any break-ins directly to their Android/iOS phones and to a remote monitoring company
• A WIFI system to provide staff access to the local network but also to provide secure guest access to members and isolating them from the staff network
• A networked audio system to allow staff play audio over the network from a Spotify account
  Networking infrastructure to allow all these different services to be managed and to work seamlessly alongside each other

For the VOIP phone system, we proposed a software based PBX called 3CX which could be installed on their existing on-premise Windows server.

This saved on the cost of new hardware but also gave many features such as:

• The use of SIP trunks to reduce call costs and to eliminate line rental
• Windows/Android/iOS softphone which gives the ability to take your extension anywhere. Work from home as if you were in the office and transfer calls to other colleagues without having to dial an additional number
• Video conferencing to allow virtual meetings through a standard web browser

Critical to the security and safety of the site, we proposed an Avigilon IP CCTV security system which was paired with Avigilon’s 2 Megapixel internal domes and for the external cameras we used Avigilon’s 2 Megapixel bullet cameras with onboard self-learning video analytics. The cameras are recording to a highly redundant Intel server with redundant power supplies, backup operating system hard drives and failover storage drives.

The external cameras with Avigilon’s onboard self-learning video analytics are covering the perimeter of the building and report back to a 24/7 monitoring station when intruders are detected in the regions of interest. Through the use of Avigilon’s advanced video analytics, false alarms are virtually eliminated and detection levels are highly accurate when intruders enter the site. Intruders are then deterred through live audio announcements made via an external audio speaker system which is linked to Avigilon control centre.

Access to the building by staff and members is critical so we proposed and implemented a Paxton IP access control system and a Paxton door entry system. This included a number of door controllers in the building which were networked back to the on-premise server where the Paxton Net2 software was installed.

The net2 pro software gives the fitness academy the ability to:

• Enrol new members into the system by presenting fobs to the portable desktop reader
• View detailed reports on all members and staff and when they entered and exited the building and through which doors
• Restrict access to certain areas of the building for specific members and staff
• Fire alarm integration which automatically releases all doors in the event of a fire

The Paxton door entry system included a video intercom which was installed at the front reception and three Net2 entry monitors, located on the gym floor, reception and upstairs office. The video intercom calls through to each location when the front reception is unmanned and provides HD quality video to the monitor. Staff can then give access through a release button on the monitor. The intercom also has a built-in keypad to allow staff access to the building in the event of a lost key fob.

For the intruder alarm system, we proposed and installed a HKC hybrid system which allows the use of wired and wireless sensors and PIR’s.

The main requirements for the fitness academy was the ability to:

• Set the alarm through a mobile app remotely if a member of staff forgot to set it when they left the premises
• Remotely manage the alarm through the use of a virtual keypad
• Monitor the alarm and notify Gardaí and key holders in the event of a break in

The Fitness Academy is a place where network mobility is a must, with the use of tablets, smartphones and laptops, having internet access available through-out the building was a must. We proposed the use of a Sensys Technology own brand cloud managed WIFI system. With this system, we were able to provide high speed 802.11AC access points which are remotely managed from our secure cloud, giving us the ability to make changes to the system from a central dashboard anywhere in the world.

The requirements for this system were:

• Separate SSID’s for both staff and members/guests. The staff SSID to provide access to local resources such as printers, and shared drives and the guest SSID to allow members/guests to have internet access but to restrict them from having access to the local network. This was achieved by implementing client isolation policies on the access points
• Facebook integration with the guest SSID: When guests connect to the WIFI system, they are prompted to sign in through their Facebook accounts and ‘check in’ to gain access to the free WIFI. This promotes the fitness academy brand and allows other Facebook friends to discover the fitness academy in their Facebook timelines

With all state of the art gyms and fitness centres, a high-quality audio system is required to give extra motivation to members when the going gets tough. We proposed and installed a high-quality Yamaha sound system which was broken up into three different zones. The system was paired with in ceiling speakers in the changing rooms, reception and upstairs offices and on the gym floor we recommended six wall mounted audio speakers which were matched with a professional grade audio balancing switch.

The requirements for this system were:

• Play music through a Spotify premium account from any Android or iOS supported device
• Play different music in three different zones throughout the building. Including reception, the gym floor and the upstairs offices

For the networking infrastructure, we proposed a Meraki security appliance to tie all of the systems together. This allowed us to converge our entire network systems together and to separate network traffic from the IP CCTV, staff LAN and also gave us the ability to implement quality of service which ensures the VOIP phone system takes priority on the network due to network latency. By separating the network traffic and implementing VLAN’s on the network switches, this ensures network performance is running highly efficiently.

Some of the other features the Meraki security appliance gave us were:

• Client VPN so staff can securely access files when they are on the road or working from home
• Implement firewall policies to prevent access from the guest WIFI to the local staff network
• Receive notifications in the event of the broadband going down
• Restrict access to specific internet services such as adult content, file sharing, social media and gambling websites

To find out more about SenSys Technology solutions, please visit www.sensys.ie or contact us on 1800815683.