Ukrainian product company, MacPaw, has upgraded the security of its office space with the use of Ajax System’s wireless capabilities.
MacPaw’s office is a 3,350 m² space with numerous meeting rooms, a terrace, gym, room for relaxation, an amphitheatre area for presentations, two cats, and said to be one of the largest displays of rare Apple equipment in the world.
As the office space developed and grew, more security equipment from various manufacturers was integrated into the building, as well as self-developed solutions. Eventually, one part of the space was protected by its old wired system, and the other was controlled by the very first Ajax wireless detectors connected to the wired alarm system via the ocBridge integration module.
The technical heritage included devices of different generations and capabilities such as:
The variety of technologies had to be expanded with an anti-flood system and then integrated with an app that every team member could have on their iPhone.
MacPaw made the decision to integrate the outdated wired detectors into the Ajax system. The first step was to replace the outdated control panel with Hub 2 Plus. The company also decided to gradually switch to Ajax security equipment. Hub 2 Plus supports 200 devices and users – its photo verification and constant software updates are designed to make the hub “futureproof”. Hub 2 Plus has four independent communication channels and the security system is always online due to the Ajax Cloud server, which opens up ‘vast software integration opportunities’.
The Ajax wireless detectors that were installed previously were also added to Hub 2 Plus. Installers and the MacPaw security team were then able to view complete information about the devices: signal level, battery level, and temperature. These new features mean the security team can now remotely change the sensitivity level or deactivate the detector.
The second step was to connect third-party wired alarm systems to Ajax via the MultiTransmitter integration module. The module has 18 wired zones for connecting devices and tampers that support four contact types. Three MultiTransmitter modules were required for the part of the MacPaw office with the third-party wired detectors installed. More than 50 wired detectors overall were integrated with Ajax.
MacPaw’s office has long narrow rooms and non-standard interior solutions made of various materials. In addition, there are many devices generating electromagnetic fields in the office, all of which affects the radio signal. Two ReX radio signal range extenders were consequently installed, being designed to ensure stable communication between the Ajax detectors and the hub. Due to the office layout, the range was not as crucial as the radio signal strength.
As the entire MacPaw security system is connected to the Ajax control panel, this opens the potential for further security system development and closer integration with the MacPaw smart office.
The third step was to build a flooding prevention system. After updating the security system, the LeaksProtect was added as a wireless leak detector that is ‘active 24/7’. Relay was also added to the system — in the case of a water leak, the relay sends a signal to the smart office system that sends a command to shut the water off. This linkage is designed to create an office anti-flood system. In the app, the admin of the system will see ‘exactly’ where the water leak occurred as the event log shows the time when LeaksProtect has triggered and the room.
With MacPaw’s smart office system, every team member can now access its app, the company explains. Other features of the app are its controls over the level of light, doors opening, roller shutters and also allows meeting rooms to be booked.
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