The Gilded Balloon is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue at Teviot Row House on the Edinburgh Universtity Campus in the centre of Edinburgh.
WiFi & VoIP
After supplying a VoIP phone system at the Gilded Balloon’s administrative offices at Greenside Place in the centre of Edinburgh, Premitel were asked to provide the network infrastructure and a VoIP phone system at Teviot Row House for the duration of the 2016 Fringe.
It was a requirement that we were not allowed to use any of the existing Edinburgh University network infrastructure at Teviot Row House and we had to remove all our equipment and cabling at the end of the Fringe.
Temporary Network Infrastructure
In addition to installing temporary internal and external cabling, we had to design, install, configure and manage a network comprising the following:
- 4 x temporary ADSL Annex M internet connections
- 1 x multi-WAN intelligent load-sharing Mikrotik router
- 10 x VLAN capable POE network switches
- 9 x centrally controlled wireless access points
- 16 x VoIP phones
The network design and configuration had to support the following different applications and manage their different prioritries and demands on network resources and internet access:
- Box-Office
- Production
- Press
- Guest WiFi
- VoIP phones
- Shared resources such as printers and servers
The network traffic associated with each application was placed in its own Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) using the smart network switches and the router.
Traffic Management
The router was then able to manage internet traffic according to the priorities set by the Gilded Balloon.
For example, Box Office internet connectivity had highest priority as ticket sales were key to the financial success of the venue. Guest WiFi had the lowest priority.
At the end of the Fringe all the cabling and network equipment was disconnected and removed for use in the following year.
Benefits of Hosted VoIP
One point to note is that most of the VoIP phones installed at Teviot Row House were those used normally at the Gilded Balloon’s administrative offices throughout the year.
One of the key advantages of VoIP is that it enabled the staff to simply unplug their phones at their usual desk and take these to their temporary desks at Teviot Row House.
Their internal extension numbers and external phone numbers moved with the phones with little or no disruption to the handling of phone calls.
This was also very cost-effective as it avoided the need for expensive call diversions as was the case in previous years.
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Click on the contact button to the left (or use our contact form) if you wish to find out more about your internet connectivity, WiFi or phone options or discuss any other telecommunications or internet issue.
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About Us
Premitel are an established telecommunications & internet solutions provider serving primarily Edinburgh, the Lothians & Scottish Borders, although we have a few clients throughout the UK and overseas.
Our customers are typically businesses, although that includes the increasing number of home workers.
We specialise in:
- high quality VoIP solutions and services;
- boosting & extending WiFi;
- better & faster internet;
- cordless phone systems; and
- expense reduction.
Our advice is free for relatively straightforward requirements. For more complex projects, we offer a free initial no-obligation consultation.
Premitel in partnership with First City Communications also offer telephone & internet installation & support services for business & residential customers.
