Collective Infrastructure Technology, Inc. - Staten Island, NY

DuraFon PRO - Complete Coverage in Mid-Rise & High-Rise Buildings

DuraFon Takes Manhattan: Collective Infrastructure Technology, Inc. (CIT) specializes in telecommunications infrastructure: voice, data, videos, surveillance, and networks. They also furnish and install Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems and ancillary voice products like the EnGenius DuraFon. The majority of their projects are geared toward high-end residential and commercial buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and central New Jersey.

The Need: Fail-Proof Coverage for Staff in Multi-Story Buildings – Top to Bottom

Thanks to TV and the movies, even those of us who have never actually been to New York City are familiar with multi-story buildings in the Big Apple. Many have an intercom at the exterior door so guests can be buzzed in, whether the structure is an aged walk-up apartment or a dignified Brownstone.

For the well-heeled, upscale mid-rise and high-rise buildings usually have a full staff including doormen, concierge, a maintenance crew, and a resident manager to oversee all day-to-day operations. Reliable communication between these staff members is the key to a team’s success and resident satisfaction.

While two-way radio usage between building staff members is a standard practice, it is far from ideal. Radio communication frequently fails because most buildings are peppered with “dead spots.” Such equipment failures are not only inefficient, but they can also be dangerous to both staff and residents. Chris Marino, CEO at Collective Infrastructure Technology, Inc., knows all too well the importance of effective and consistent communications throughout multi-dwelling residential and commercial properties.

In one particular high-end residential property in Manhattan, the building engineer was inspecting an issue on the mezzanine level – the area just below the roofline – when he suddenly became overwhelmed by noxious fumes. Although he had a radio, the area was a radio “dead spot” where he had no radio connectivity to call for assistance. The fumes caused him to pass out. He remained there unconscious until, fortunately, a co-worker came to check on him. Otherwise, this incident could have turned out very badly.

Reliable communications allow staff members to share their locations and communicate issues immediately. Therefore, CIT was thrilled to find a company with products that worked exceptionally well for their residential and commercial clients: EnGenius.

“It’s literally my first and only choice when it comes to these applications (deployments). To date, I don’t think there’s a better technology I’ve come across that rivals a radio application – a traditional Motorola or Kenwood-type radio. Furthermore, there’s no need to put head ends on every few floors. This is a huge savings to the property owners.”

Chris Marino

CEO at Collective Infrastructure Technology, Inc.

The Solution: DuraFon Pro

Marino said he could never have imagined how effective the DuraFon product would be in a multi-dwelling high-rise building, but he was willing to give it a try. The first building he tried using a DuraFon solution in was The Mayfair at 610 Park Avenue, NYC. Originally built in 1925 as a 15-story, 270-room hotel, the Mayfair was later converted to 70 luxury condominiums.

The radios that the building staff and the building manager were using were not very effective within this structure. There were many dead spots, so they had nothing to lose by opting to install the DuraFon System. Installation was “… very simple for me. It’s easy to pair and register the DuraFon handsets to the base unit. We interconnected the DuraFon base unit directly to existing analog lines or to analog extensions off of the building’s existing PBX,” stated Mr. Marino.

“The building manager and I tested the handsets everywhere: the rooftop, stairwells, passenger and service elevators and the basement (where most building management offices and maintenance workshops are located),” said Marino. They had complete coverage in the entire 15-story building – and beyond! Coverage even extended outside the building onto the surrounding street. “To walk out the front door of the building onto the street and still have a good signal – that was pretty amazing,” he said.

Similarly, CIT and DuraFon provided the Kent Building in Brooklyn with exceptional long-range coverage. The Kent began as a warehouse and was built along the Brooklyn waterfront in 1915. The six-story building consists of a whopping 425,000 square feet and was declared a federal landmark before it was converted into 340 loft-style apartments. Staff members include a doorman and a valet, and the sales office staff can communicate from anywhere on the property, thanks to the DuraFon PRO. One base station and two handsets were deployed.

Mr. Marino was impressed again. “Being able to communicate throughout such a large building environment, including elevators, as well as outside the front of the building, is fantastic. The sales staff often escort prospective clients throughout the building while speaking with a real estate brokers or other interested parties and can remain connected via their DuraFon handset. I think this was the most impressive aspect of the DuraFon system during the walk around testing that we performed,” said Marino.

The Result: “Phenomenal” Coverage & Additional Business Opportunities

Now a huge fan of the DuraFon PRO System, Marino refers to its coverage capability as “phenomenal.”

Not only does the DuraFon provide companies like Collective Infrastructure Technology, Inc. with long-range and reliable coverage, it also offers additional revenue potential in the form of a product and service solution – one that is desperately needed in densely-packed urban environments like New York City, where mid-rise and high-rise buildings are the norm and not the exception.

“Traditional, existing radio systems become antiquated. They (building management) continue to spend thousands of dollars on replacement components and batteries to try and maintain their systems. However, the infrastructure of these buildings just does not lend itself to quality connectivity, which makes for a bad situation – especially if you’ve got a high-end building,” explained Marino.

DuraFon is a proven success and can help your business to increase both profits and client satisfaction. Add the DuraFon PRO Long-Range Cordless Phone System to your product lineup today! Learn more about how the DuraFon PRO can help boost your business!

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