The shared network, which was developed by Brighton based connectivity specialist Curve IT, has been deployed across four new developments in Islington, Bethnal Green, Greenwich and Maidenhead and is set to include a fifth Essential Living site in Swiss Cottage, which is currently under construction.

The project will enable Essential Living to deliver multiple services to both tenants renting its properties and to back-office staff managing those properties, via a single network installation.

The converged network solution will be used to provide reliable, superfast broadband access to residents while also supporting operational requirements including CCTV, door entry, access and alarm systems, and a shared building management system.

Work is also already underway to deliver electricity, water and heating metering across the network.

Curve IT delivered the network via a point-to-point connection, installing antennas and receivers on the buildings to achieve robust and reliable line of sight connections from property to property. By working with Essential Living early in the build-to-rent project stage, Curve IT was also able to save the firm from going out to separate mechanical and electrical (M&E) and cabling contractors for each of the properties.

From high-performance WiFi into individual flats, to alarm and CCTV systems, all are run from a single fibre and copper network, divided up into virtual subnetworks, or VLANs. This eliminates unnecessary duplication within and between the properties, and provides an efficient foundation for an array of smart building systems.

Essential Living focuses on delivering premium apartments in sought-after locations, with 24-hour on-site teams and exercise rooms. Delivering high-quality connectivity to residents, and ensuring seamless and effective back-office systems is essential to maintain this premium brand. Additionally, deploying a converged solution across all five sites can enable the seamless development of further services, such as Personal Area Networks which travel with tenants throughout buildings, as well as building-specific apps, in the future.

Ian Merrick at Essential Living said: “We pride ourselves on offering an excellent standard of living to our tenants, and really understanding their desire to be connected, both in terms of location and technology.

“Curve IT understood that from the outset, and proposed a cost-effective and highly scalable solution. It makes absolute sense for us to run all our connected functions, for tenants and staff alike, off the same converged network, and Curve IT has made that happen.”

Simon O’Hare at Curve IT added: “Build-to-rent firms have so much to gain from converged networks. They save a huge amount of money and complexity right from the beginning, by avoiding the need to deal with multiple contractors or unnecessary duplication. Then, they provide an outstanding platform for deplopying a wide array of smart building functions and  innovative tenant experiences – at precisely the rate that suits the operator.”

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