EVOTEC engineers recently worked on a security project to install internal and external IP CCTV cameras and upgrade the intruder alarm at The Radnor Arms, Nunton. Our trainee engineer Ian provides an inside view of what happened.

“The main challenge was in running cables from loft to loft. Access to the lofts was a little unusual, but it made the days interesting!

I worked both solo and as part of a team on this project, and I loved being able to try new things on my own but also have the support of the team if questions arose. It felt great when my colleague said they were impressed with my work! We also all enjoyed meeting the pub’s resident dog, who was very welcoming – especially to one of our engineers who, to our amusement, they really took a shine to.”

For the CCTV, all eight cameras were hardwired back to the main recorder’s PoE switch to the agreed location in the office on the 1st floor. This was installed within its own dedicated lockable CCTV cabinet, using newly installed CAT5 cabling, fitted with care to hide the cables within the fabric of the building or within PVC tubing where feasible. All external cabling was done in PVC tubes unless it was underground, which used galvanised tubing.

The entire intruder alarm has been upgraded with new Orisec equipment, including wired and extra wireless sensors. The system is now easy to control via a keypad and an app, and it has remote signalling to the Alarm Receiving Centre for notification of authorities and contacting keyholders. All required alarm cabling and wiring has been done in premium alarm cable or within the trunking with fireproof cable supports to comply with current wiring regulations.

Such security improvements are great for the lovely local pub following its recent refurbishment.

Intruder alarms are a tried-and-true method of protection for a business, and we take pride in assessing properties and tailoring the security solutions to their unique requirements.   EVOTEC Fire & Security Engineer Dylan recently dived into an ongoing project at Wallop Storage, Test Valley Tree Services, near Stockbridge. It is a complicated alarm system that incorporates secure container units and external perimeter detection with individual setting capabilities, meaning that an app gives multi-level access rights to various users: for gates, containers, and private house - all in one large storage site.

Dylan provides an insight into how it is progressing:

The aim of the project is to link a number of intruder alarms back to one main panel, allowing the customer to operate the whole site from one keypad or on their app.  This will make managing their alarms a lot easier.

The main challenges I’m solving are the cable runs, tracking cables and mounting to steel – and it is great to know my customer is happy with my work so far.  It’s also an unusual site in that it allows the public to walk directly across the centre of it.  It can sometimes give you a scare, while working and listening to music, when a person appears from behind a container!

When projects are ongoing, it’s all about communicating well along the way.  My customers are happy with what I’ve achieved and they look forward to seeing it all finished. 

From testing smoke detectors to using a mesh radio Wi-Fi network and 600 metres of underground cabling to create super clever structures, team EVOTEC passionately does what it takes to protect people and premises. 

Browse the gallery below to view our work in progress photos.

Access Controls are important systems in securing a premises.  Such systems allow you to decide who enters your premises and when, whether via a user operation (such as answering an audio or video call) or automatically (using a wide range of reading devices locally at an entrance, or connected via a central control unit).  

No matter the requirements, our team has the knowledge and the equipment to uplevel your security – and recently we did just that at Avon Valley College.

A team of three EVOTEC engineers, over 4-5 days, set to work on creating better access control for the college.  Our engineer Dan provides an inside view of the project...

The main issues to solve were that the door frames were not strong enough, and there was a need for the constant access of staff and students.  

Our EVOTEC team worked really well together and we made each other’s days better. Every bit of progress always felt good and the job was satisfying to finish.  We received only positive feedback from the college staff about the results of the project.  

When we get to share our passion for fire safety, we are a happy team, because it’s a serious subject that truly saves lives. It’s not just the installation of fire equipment we excel in, but also providing training for our customers in fire safety.

EVOTEC recently started work on a long-term project, to take over the maintenance of schools' fire fighting equipment across multiple locations in Wiltshire and Dorset.  The aim is not simply to install and manage the equipment, but also to give presentations to educate about fire safety.  Our PFE Engineer Lee provides an inside view of this exciting project...

The main challenge is to ensure the premises is compliant to BS 5306. There has been lots of equipment to locate and upgrade, and some fire extinguishers were not necessarily in the expected places... but we soon tracked them down! 

The best part? It’s great to work with an organisation that is excited about the project, and to hear their feedback that they would like us to take over their other systems now too. It feels good knowing I’ll be making their premises as safe as possible.  I really enjoy sharing advice and helping my customers to feel safe in their spaces.

In our field of expertise, some projects are singular, one-off jobs, and others are on-going – and no project is ever the same!

When Godolphin School in Salisbury, Wiltshire, needed a fire and security systems' take-over for maintenance, our Administrative Director Vaida became the “eye-in-the-sky” and provided an inside view of the project...

The aim of the project was to take over the existing fire safety and electronic security systems for maintenance and monitoring, with ongoing compliance checks, to assess compliance with the current standards and recommend improvements.

It was unusual to work on a site of this size and with such historical significance – and the variety of fire and security needs were therefore broad.  Consisting of 17 buildings, with live-in staff and students, Godolphin School had certain restrictions to carrying out testing and remedial works, and the uniqueness of the systems in situ – and varied set up – proved a nice challenge even to our experts!

The whole team was involved in this project, and I came in at the very beginning by preparing various employee vetting documentation.  I will also jump back in later on too with recurring invoicing and submission of the service reports.

It is always great to know that our involvement will help improve the standards of the fire safety and security systems. Scheduled routine maintenance will ensure optimum performance of the systems and minimise false alarms and call-outs, helping the school to save funds and protect its people and property. 

This project is still on-going: the first set of documentation was sent in May, the take-over started in July and continues, with monthly visits planned for the rest of the year.  It is a pleasure for our team to be a part of this project, for such an inspiring and prestigious site at the heart of Salisbury.

Our work takes us to lots of different businesses across Wiltshire, and getting to use our skills to create safer spaces for our community is something we relish.   Recently our team went to work on installing an intruder alarm and CCTV system for Yorkshire Building Society (YBS), located in the heart of Salisbury City Centre.  Our Alarm Engineer Adam was part of the team working on the project and provides his experience...

I’ve been working with EVOTEC for just over 3 months now, and I learned a lot working with the team on this project. The main problems we needed to solve were programming the CSL module and resolving an issue with some door contacts.  We also needed to run a lot of cable through the suspended ceilings above, which presented some challenges. Problem solving together to find the solutions was very satisfying.

It was my first time installing a grade 3 alarm system and I really enjoyed learning about all the elements needed.  It was great to hear the happy feedback from our clients at the end, who were impressed with how clean and easy to use everything was.

To effectively control access to the school premises - for safeguarding, visit tracking and health and safety reasons - automatic electric gates were installed at the school, and EVOTEC installed a reliable vandal-proof Paxton Net2 access control system to run with it.  

In addition to standard access control features, it has an ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology camera linked to the Paxton system.  This means the school staff, school buses and approved visitors’ vehicles can gain easy access in and out, and all others will use a newly installed video intercom system to contact the school office. 

The whole setup has been linked to the main building using a Wi-Fi bridge, to save on costs of running cables without affecting the quality of system’s performance.  

Installing this forward-thinking technology was a big change for the school.  The shift from previously having free access to now having fully controlled access is an important improvement that requires staff’s adjustment, and our technicians are always happy to support clients all the way. 

As part of the final commissioning and hand-over process we provided the school with full training, explaining how to set up the databases, how to update and manage them later, how to access them on a daily basis by multiple users, and how to automate and simplify access during the busiest periods (like the school drop off and pick up times).

This recent installation is a good example to demonstrate how electronic security products provide new solutions for the educational sector that are simple to manage and maintain the security of the site, staff and pupils.