Woodlands Caravan Park | TP-Link United Kingdom

Company +
Implementation
Partner

Woodlands campsite and caravan park, nestled near Aberystwyth, offers a serene escape amidst the picturesque landscapes of mid Wales. Despite its charm, the area suffers from limited access to reliable internet connectivity, hindering both guests and proprietors alike.

Dyfed CCTV, our trusted partner, implemented our Omada and Aginet solution.
Challenge

Woodlands struggled with limited copper internet cabling into the central part of their campsite, and mainly into their offices. This meant there was, poor Wi-Fi coverage and slow speeds across the site. Previously installed 4G dongles were also failing due to high network demands from guests across the property.
Solution

Deploying TP-Link’s indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi 6 solution, Woodlands Caravan Park now have uninterrupted internet connectivity throughout the premises and in each property, offering guests a seamless online experience at a competitive price point. Leveraging the the Omada platform, the management team are now able to swiftly identify problems capabilities, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency.
Result

The campsite now experiences seamless connectivity across its premises. All managed effortlessly through the Omada platform, they have eliminated the need for on-site engineer visits. The robust post-sales support provided by TP-Link has proven invaluable, enabling resellers to access assistance immediately and ensure smooth operation Customer satisfaction has increased too.

We were at a loss to know how to get Wi-Fi to our guests when the latest fibre broadband plan supplier dropped out. Joe's advice to use Starlink and TP-Link has transformed the guest experience - it’s a brilliantly convenient way to get internet in our remote area. All the products work together well, providing access in every corner. The access points are robust and discreet which is a bonus on our beautiful park.

Georgina Hewitt, Joint Managing Director, Woodlands Caravan Park

Background

The Woodlands campsite and caravan park is a well-established, family-run caravan park near Aberystwyth, set amidst some of the most beautiful scenery in mid Wales. The small village of Devils Bridge is an ideal base for touring, walking, cycling, mountain biking, birdwatching, fishing or just relaxing and taking in the fresh air. The downside of the peace and tranquillity in this rural haven is a lack of fibre broadband and reliable mobile datanetwork coverage.

Joe Yeomans of Dyfed CCTV has a trusted relationship with Woodlands’s proprietors, Vicky Chism and Georgina Hewitt. He says, "We are security installers, but our skilled engineers also provide networking solutions for non-standard projects that are complex or tricky."
Remote Site and No Broadband access

Providing Wi-Fi for guests on the campsite is more and more important. Although people want to switch off on holiday, they don’t want to be completely disconnected from information sources and entertainment.

Woodlands originally used a BT copper connection for internet access. This meant they could only offer Wi-Fi in the central campsite area and head offices. It was slow and couldn’t cope with high volumes of users logging in. Giving guests 4G dongles didn’t work either, high demand for connectivity, mixed with the poor network coverage, led to a frustrating guest experience.

Omada Total Cloud Managed Network

Navigating Connectivity Challenges

Poor internet connectivity was dragging the park’s customer review ratings down - fixing the problem quickly became a top priority for management. When a plan to install fibre broadband in the local area fell through, Georgina and Vicky asked Joe to recommend other options for their site. Joe says, "It’s a large, multi-level caravan and campsite, and we needed to provide access for guests staying in any area. Initially I had recommended a Starlink satellite Wi-Fi connection as a temporary option. When the fibre project was cancelled, we realised this would need to be a more permanent solution."
Sitewide Starlink Installation

Starlink is an affordable, high-speed, low-latency satellite internet service, powered by SpaceX technology. Joe uses it frequently with clients in the area and relies on it to run his own business. "The latency of the service is really low so it’s a much better and faster user experience than previous technologies".
Deploying Omada Wi-Fi 6 Solution with Starlink

Joe’s team installed two Starlink hubs at Woodlands to cover the entire site and to make sure the different ground levels received coverage. "We needed a way of boosting it round the large site," he explains. "After evaluating a few solutions, I recommended TP-Link. We had installed their equipment before and found it very effective. We decided to try the latest Wi-Fi 6 kit for this more challenging project. We used wireless links to connect to Starlink and robust TP-Link outdoor and indoor access points to boost it around the site."

TP-Link offer free professional network site surveys

Maximise your business wi-fi coverage
and performance

Learn More

Easy Management platform

"Because it’s such a large area, we have created two separate networks, which we monitor and support remotely using the Omada platform. TP-Link’s equipment is very reliable, but with Omada, when we identified an issue with another supplier’s wireless link, we were able to pinpoint the problem and get out to fix it quickly."
Efficient and Easy installation

It took Joe›s team less than two weeks to do the full installation and set-up, deploying and testing the network before the start of the holiday season. "We mapped the access point locations ourselves, working with the lines of sight and power supply points available," Joe adds. Aginet Mesh units in heritage buildings on the site avoided costly cabling and damage to internal features helping the ease of installation.
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."

100% centralised cloud management of the whole network from different sites - all controlled from a single interface anywhere, anytime.

Streamlined Management and Future-Proofing

Woodlands Caravan Park team has delegated monitoring and maintenance of the network to Joe’s team. "It’s a good remote tool that’s easy to use." Joe says. "And we can show the customer the Wi-Fi usage, so they can see that the new network has been a good investment. If fibre broadband does come to Devils Bridge any time soon, the TP-Link network will be able to connect and distribute it on site, so there will be no need for more equipment."