Essential Living is a London-based property developer and a recognised pioneer of the UK built-to-rent (BTR) sector, known for creating premium residential communities designed around modern lifestyles, shared spaces and high-quality amenities.
The Project
Curve IT first partnered with Essential Living in 2014 to help support the delivery of Vantage Point, one of its earliest developments. The scheme was also among the first of its kind in the UK, setting a new standard for long-term rental living with flexible tenancies, high-quality facilities and professional management.
The ambition was to create a fully connected living environment, where everything was included within the resident experience, from utilities, to internet and WiFi access, to shared amenities, such as lounges, gyms, roof terraces and co-working spaces.
Working together, Essential Living and Curve IT helped shape and deliver a new approach to connectivity that would underpin this vision and support the next generation of rental living for ‘edge-of-city’ sites around London.
The Challenge
When first developing the concept, there was no established blueprint for delivering building-wide connectivity at this scale.
Essential Living wanted their residents to be able to move freely throughout the building while staying securely connected to their own private network, like you would in a traditional home. This placed digital infrastructure at the heart of the living experience, with an emphasis on convenience, comfort and community.
At the same time, as the property portfolio expanded, further challenges emerged:
- Legacy infrastructure was approaching end-of-life
- Hardware and replacement costs were rising
- Multiple disconnected systems had been installed by different contractors.
With London renters seeking more than ‘just a place’ to live, Essential Living needed a solution that could deliver a consistent, high-quality, living experience across all sites, while remaining resilient, cost-effective, scalable, and simple to manage as the portfolio continued to grow.
The Curve IT Approach
From the earliest design stages, Curve IT worked in close partnership with Essential Living and collaborated with architects, contractors and operational teams to develop a connectivity strategy that could be fully integrated into the building design.
This early involvement helped streamline delivery, reduce unnecessary cost, and ensure the network was built to support the long-term performance of each building.
Building on this foundation, and learning from lessons in earlier projects, Curve IT refined and rolled out a “pan-network” model across the property portfolio. This included:
A seamless, building-wide resident experience
At the heart of the model is a simple idea: residents should be able to connect once and stay connected everywhere.
Each apartment is provided with its own secure private network and credentials, accessed through a single Wi-Fi name through the building. As residents move through their apartment and shared spaces, they remain connected to their own network without interruption.
This created a more natural “at home” experience, where connectivity is no longer confined to the boundaries of single apartments.
A cost-effective and resilient network design
A more cost-efficient model using existing structured cabling and new enterprise-grade Ruckus Networks infrastructure was also developed.
Legacy systems were replaced with more resilient, multi-router configurations tailored to the size and need of each Essential Living development. These systems share traffic load under normal conditions and automatically adapt in the event of a failure to maintain reliable connectivity for both residents and building operations.
This approach significantly reduced upfront and on-going hardware costs, while creating a consistent and highly reliable network model designed to support current demand and future growth.
One integrated building network
The separate standalone systems across each development were also replaced by a single unified building network.
This integrated approach supports resident connectivity alongside key operational technologies, including CCTV, BMS, access control, lift communications, VoIP and HVAC services, and corporate networks.
Secure network segmentation ensured each system can operate independently with controlled access, while also reducing equipment duplication, simplifying maintenance requirements and creating a more efficient platform for future smart-building technologies.
Simple tools for on-site teams
To support day-to-day operations, Curve IT developed a secure, custom ‘Internet Management System’ (IMS) for residential teams.
The branded platform enables staff to onboard residents, manage and update connectivity between tenancies and resolve common queries quickly, without the need for additional technical support.
The IMS was also designed with security in mind, ensuring resident data remains private and secure at all times, while providing building teams with the tools needed to deliver a professional and responsive service.
Where Connected Living Delivers Real Value
By combining a resident-focused approach with practical, cost-effective engineering, Curve IT has helped Essential Living create a premium digital living experience across its entire portfolio.
Olly Cavner, Operations Director at Essential Living, explains, “the pan-network model Curve IT developed has enabled us to provide a seamless and reliable connectivity experience across all our buildings, while also simplifying infrastructure and reducing long-term costs.”
Key outcomes include:
- Up to 75-80% savings on network hardware, with typical investment reduced from £20-30k to £6k per building.
- Over 500 apartments supported by a single, consistent connectivity model.
- High-speed internet access and complete WiFi coverage, allowing residentials to stay connected wherever they are.
- Immediate internet access at move-in, with no need for external ISP appointments, installations and potential service activation delays.
- Reduced infrastructure duplication and more simple operations through a single converged network.
- Lower long-term capital expenditure, driven by early-stage design input and efficient delivery.
- Inbuilt network scalability and flexibility, capable of supporting new technologies without the need for major network redesign.
Ongoing Support and Partnership
Almost 12 years on, the pan-model strategy continues to underpin all four Essential Living sites, supporting a total of 539 apartments across Vantage Point, Union Wharf, Dressage Court and Berkshire House.
As a long-term active partner, Curve IT has continued to work closely with the development and operation teams, providing on-going strategic support, technical guidance, monitoring and upgrades. Olly goes on to explain, “As our portfolio has grown and technology has evolved, Curve IT has worked alongside our teams to refine, upgrade and future-proof our systems, ensuring they remain resilient, scalable and aligned with changing expectations.”
“This long-standing partnership has given us confidence that our digital infrastructure will continue to support both our residents and our operations effectively” Olly adds. “Curve IT is not just a supplier, but a trusted advisor who plays a key role in helping us maintain and enhance the quality of our living experience.”
Conclusion
Since partnering in 2014, Essential Living and Curve IT have worked hand-in-hand to define and refine a new standard for connected BTR developments.
What began as a “first-of-its kind” connectivity concept has evolved into an extensive, solution that underpins Essential Living’s residential portfolio.
By combining a clear vision of modern rental living, with practical delivery, technical insight and long-term partnership, Curve IT and Essential Living have created a digital infrastructure that supports premium residential living experiences, streamlines operational development, provides long-term adaptability.
The result is a portfolio of digitally comprehensive environments that enhance everyday life for residents while optimising current and future building performance.
Curve IT partners with developers, landlords, and architects to design and deliver tailored network strategies that enhance user experience, simplify building and business operations, and future-proof property portfolios.
