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  About Manchester Hall

  Manchester Hall is a large-scale hospitality venue in the heart of Manchester, with capacity for over 3,500 guests. It hosts events, conferences and weddings, offering a choice of restaurants and guest bedrooms over five floors. Speedy and reliable Wi-Fi networks are critical for such a large number of business and leisure users, along with Manchester Hall's staff and management operations.

  Manchester Hall has a long-standing relationship with LIV Unified Comms, a full circle technology firm based in Manchester. LIV maintains technology services for the entire building, from networking to telecoms, IT and audio-visual services.

• Importance of Wi-Fi in Hospitality

  When guests first enter a hotel or event space, whether they're there for business or pleasure, the first thing many of them do is switch on their Wi-Fi. It's a key service in the hospitality industry and makes an impression on event bookers from the first time they visit. Manchester Hall office staff also rely on the network.

   

• Replacing Legacy Equipment

  Manchester Hall's seven-year-old Wi-Fi and networking was due for an upgrade. LIV recommended replacing all the legacy Wi-Fi and networking equipment, to provide the fast speeds and secure, easy access that guests and the Manchester Hall team need.

  LIV's Ben Ganley advised Manchester Hall that upgrading the full infrastructure and moving away from the existing licensing regime would offer much better value.

   
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  Comprehensive Coverage and Management

  LIV installed Omada controller and access points throughout Manchester Hall and configured them using the Omada platform, providing separate networks for staff and guests. They continue to monitor, support and maintain the network and access points remotely. TP-Link's technical team provided information to help LIV design the best solution, including the right number of access points to cover the entire venue seamlessly.

• Remote Network Management

  Sam Connolly from LIV explains, "If we need to solve a problem, we can do so easily from the platform. That part of our service to our customers is very important, especially for a venue like Manchester Hall that relies heavily on the network and needs fast resolution if anything goes wrong. The Omada platform allows us to proactively resolve any issues before the customer even notices. We can take control of the network in the Cloud from anywhere, if we need to."

   

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  Seamless Installation Process

  Installing the TP-Link equipment was straightforward - the access points were easy to mount and configure. LIV provided a TP-Link ER8411 simultaneous multi-wan VPN broadband router, an OC300 hardware controller, a JetStream 52-Port Gigabit L2+ managed switch with 48 PoE+ Ports and 20 EAP670 ceiling mount Wi-Fi 6 access points.

• Cost Effective Solution

  With remote access via the Omada platform, Richie Bagnall, Manchester Hall’s Operations Director, is able to relax, knowing that the team at LIV Unified Coms can fully support and maintain the network and he can guarantee maximum uptime to guests and staff. "They take everything out of my hands and just deal with it. Everything works, so I don't have to worry about it." There's also a significant cost saving: the total amount for the end-to-end TP-Link solution was around half the cost of re-licensing Manchester Hall's legacy Wi-Fi.

   

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  Reliable, high-capacity broadband
  for every guest to enjoy

  The new double network has capacity for a total of 9,000 users - many more than the maximum peak season site occupancy. Woodlands’s administration and management office has a secure, separate network with its own VLAN and SSID, connecting CCTV and office systems, printers and wireless card machines.

• Cost-Effective Solutions and Post Sales Support

  "There’s no subscription to TP-Link, unlike with other Wi-Fi equipment providers, and the monthly Starlink charge is affordable for an independent business," says Joe. "As a reseller, I like the fact that TP-Link isn’t available direct to consumers, because it means we can specify and order the equipment and get it right first time. The TP-Link support is great too - it’s easy to speak to someone directly if anything goes wrong or we need technical advice."

   

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  A Success Story

  For Manchester Hall, there's nothing to report - because the network performs consistently well and doesn't create any issues. It does exactly what this busy hospitality venue needs and expects from a leading technology supplier and a top-class IT support partner. "Since we installed the network, there has been very little if any contact with our technical support desk. We monitor the network constantly and there are no issues. The feedback from our customers at Manchester Hall has been great," adds Ben Ganley. "We would absolutely recommend TP-Link Omada to others in our sector - their service is probably the best we've ever had from a vendor or manufacturer."

Check out the full case study video