For the security department, they have the commitment to their students and staff to keep these campuses safe, while this complex university site which combines historic and modern buildings presented widespread communications problems under the existing analog communication system. They need to invest in advanced technology that can better support them in daily security work.
Customer Demands
Different from a lot of universities, which are isolated and got everything in one place, the Leeds Met has two separate campuses: City centre & Headingley, which have a lot of sky-high buildings and low buildings, underground car parks and a lot of areas that have got other things in between.
Under the old analog communication system, the security officers encountered a lot of black spots during patrolling and there was even no signal in the underground parking. If anything had happened to the staff down there, they would have been unable to radio for help. All these limitations made it urgent to replace this ageing system with a modern multi-site digital radio network to serve the whole range of university premises.
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Solutions
Hytera’s DMR solution with PD78X portable radios and RD98X repeaters was supplied by Nationwide Radio Supplies - the only one of the ten bidders to offer a Hytera-based proposal. The winning solution employed three interconnected repeaters placed in the city centre and at the two Headingley locations along with portable radios used by security staff and porters.
The network of these three IP-linked digital repeaters provides full two-way radio coverage and the security officers can monitor both of Leeds Met’s campuses in their control room at Headingley, maintaining contact by radio with patrols on foot and in vehicles.
Benefits of Hytera Solution.bmp)
Full Coverage
Through three digital repeaters, Leeds Met’s new system provides outdoor and in-building coverage serving the whole university premises; even the underground car park is covered, where you don’t get any mobile phone reception down there.
Pseudo-Trunking
Hytera’s two time-slots have effectively doubled the capacity of the system. It became very practicable for staff in some special events like July’s graduation day, which generated extra radio traffic as staff managed the large influx of visitors. Besides the channel for day-to-day operations, the security staff has another events channel to work smoothly.
IP Multi-site Connect
RD98X supports network interconnect via the IP port of repeater to form a private radio network. The staff can just put in the IP address and password from the other to introduce it into the system without having to reprogram everything.
Two-year Warranty
Besides the flexibility for future expansion the system provided, Hytera offers a two-year warranty on the hand portables. The first year is just a direct exchange and the second year is repair or replace, which really helps the security staff’ on their daily work.
Voice from Customer
“Leeds Met wanted to invest in something that fitted our needs, to give them the equipment to do
their job. And we do feel at the moment that we do have it.”
“We have got an events channel which we use for security when we are doing events, so it’s not in
the
way of the day-to-day operations. And it worked absolutely smoothly.”
---Sandi Domingos-Shipley, senior administrative officer for security at Leeds Met