Internet for Serviced Apartments

The Requirements

This project aimed to deliver a robust and efficient internet solution for tenants and property management in a series of serviced apartments on the south coast. The primary goal was to provide secure and reliable internet to each apartment, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity and safeguarding tenant data. Tenant network segregation was a critical requirement, enabling isolated access for each unit to maintain privacy and prevent unauthorized access or bandwidth interference. The solution also needed to be scalable, allowing for future expansions, whether by adding more apartments or upgrading network capacity. Finally, simplicity was key, ensuring the system was easy for non-technical staff to manage and maintain.

Challenges

A limited yet reasonable budget required a cost-effective approach without sacrificing quality or reliability. Uncertainty regarding compatibility with the router supplied by the existing ISP added to the complexity of the project. Additionally, the serviced apartments were located at a considerable distance, making site visits both time-consuming and cost-inefficient. These challenges demanded meticulous planning, rigorous testing, and streamlined coordination to minimize the need for onsite deployment and troubleshooting, ensuring a seamless implementation.

The Solution

To address the requirements and challenges, a tailored network solution was implemented. A Netgate 1537 firewall appliance was deployed as the primary control point, managing internet traffic, VLAN segmentation for tenant network segregation, and DHCP for automatic network configuration in each unit. Network switches were also pre-configured and tested for seamless compatibility with the VLAN setup.

All components were rigorously tested in our lab before shipment and provided to the customer with a detailed network diagram and deployment documentation. This ensured an easy, plug-and-play installation, reducing setup time and on-site technical demands. The team worked closely with the client during deployment to integrate the solution with the existing ISP infrastructure, ensuring full compatibility. The result was a secure, reliable, and scalable internet solution, providing seamless connectivity for the serviced apartments’ tenants.