Walsall Housing Group
With growing demand for Sky Q services from their tenants, and the existing I.R.S in place unable to meet that demand, Walsall Housing Group required a Communal TV upgrade programme to deliver a practical solution, at a competitive cost.
Sky Q Upgrade
The Client
WALSALL HOUSING GROUP (W.H.G)
Location: Walsall
Year: 2020
Type: Residential
SIze: 6,298 properties
W.H.G Property's list comprises of 599 blocks ranging from 4 to 100 flats, covering different styles of build from low-rise 2 storey blocks up to 18 storey high rise blocks, all with different types of existing I.R.S (Integrated Reception System) in place and all in various states of repair & maintenance.
With the growing demand for the Sky Q subscription from their tenants, and the existing I.R.S in place unable to meet that demand, W.H.G required a Communal TV upgrade programme to deliver a practical solution at the lowest cost. The decision to fully survey all blocks at the beginning of the upgrade programme was deemed the sensible course of action to take.
Existing Communal T.V Systems
With different blocks with various designs of system in place, SCCI had to design a system upgrade to the above specification. Blocks were then broken down into 2 categories.
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Type A - Single feed to flat systems, previously maintained on lease, covering 4,534 Properties.
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Type B- Duel feed to flat systems, able to deliver Sky+ recording, Maintained by W.H.G, covering 1,764 properties.
Type A Solution
The Type A blocks had not been maintained to a high standard under the lease. The original equipment was installed about 20 years ago. Dishes and external cabinets had passed their shelf-life, many in poor condition. The original aerials (U.H.F and F.M), bracketry and poles were generally in good condition. We agreed with W.H.G that the existing bracketry, poles and aerials would stay in place, if there were any issues with them, then they would be replaced.
SCCI added a DAB aerial and replaced all old dishes for new 80cm dishes and Quattro LNB’s. Any faulty cables found from the aerial or dish to the cabinet were also replaced. The old Cabinets and I.R.S equipment were removed, new cabinets installed, and Sky Q D.S.C.R equipment installed inside, the systems fully earthed and the existing single feeds from the flats reconnected. Full Test completed. The tenants in these upgraded blocks then had the capability to receive: freeview, FM, DAB, freesat (including recording with a S.C.R (Single Cable Router), SKY, SKY+HD (via S.C.R smart splitter) Sky Q services.
Type B Solution
With the Type B blocks, these properties were already receiving freeview, FM, DAB, freesat, freesat recording, SKY and SKY+HD. These systems were also generally a lot newer and maintained to a higher standard. The solution was to install separate Sky Q D.S.C.R equipment at the existing I.R.S location. When the tenant in one of these properties requested Sky Q, the Sky engineer only has to trace the SAT 2 cable from the flat’s TV outlet socket, back to the equipment and move that cable onto the new Sky Q D.S.C.R equipment. The Sky Q box then had to be setup appropriately for communal connection and the tenant could then receive all the Sky Q services. Any faults or issues with reception were corrected with the Sky Q upgrade in these blocks and all were tested.
Conclusion
The W.H.G Sky Q upgrade programme started on the 6th January 2020 and took 9 months to complete. Engineers and staff worked through the Covid-19 Pandemic, using all social distancing and P.P.E requirements to meet the governments demands.
We would like to take this opportunity on behalf of all working within neighborhood services, contracts and the wider business to say thank you, to you and your team. You have maintained service throughout this contract, during this difficult time of this unforeseen pandemic. As a team you have responded in a manner that makes us proud to work with such an organisation as yours.Donna Brown, Contract and Stewardship Manager, Walsall Housing Group
Get in touch
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