Last year, the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, Florida, rescued more than 5,200 orphaned, injured and sick animals, providing a safe haven for recovery and eventual release into their natural habitats. The effort requires a dedicated workforce, plenty of funding and community involvement, as well as effective communication to coordinate staff and volunteers, manage animal care, and ensure smooth operation of frequent educational programs and events offered to the public. No ordinary phone system would do. The sanctuary needed a robust, reliable, custom-designed communications network to ensure optimal efficiency and safety.
With funds raised through charity events and donors, the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary was able to move to a larger parcel of land and invest in a professionally installed, enterprise-grade networking system during the planning of the facility.
“It was clear during our initial discussions that minimizing downtime and service calls across the 19-acre facility was a top priority,” says John Marrero of Front Row Theater, the ADI/ Snap One Partner hired to analyze and recommend the right network for the project. “When you’re working with wild animals and the public, any glitch in communication can pose a significant risk.” For this reason, and after careful analysis of the property and the client’s specific needs, Marrero recommended the Access Networks Core Network from Snap One, now part of ADI, known for its advanced and robust networking solutions.
Through a combination of high-speed, high-bandwidth wireless and hardwired connectivity, the Core Network enables seamless communication between the many buildings within the sanctuary. Employees can quickly access information at the welcome center, conduct educational presentations in the small animal house, connect with off-site veterinarians in the animal hospital, complete transactions in the gift shop, and of course, communicate with each other.
Each structure is equipped with at least one Access Networks wireless access point for seamless Wi-Fi coverage inside the building. Roughly 6,000 linear feet of fiber optic cable connect the local Wi-Fi networks. More than 16,000 linear feet of low-voltage cabling link other devices, including surveillance cameras, point of sale tablets, computers, and more to the Core Network. Per the request of the sanctuary staff, Wi-Fi connectivity is limited to inside the buildings. “This eliminates potential distractions when staff members are outside working with the animals,” says Marrero.
Given the size and complexity of the project, along with specific requirements like advanced remote management and proactive monitoring, a Core Network was the indisputable networking choice. And even though it was Front Row Theater’s first in-the-field experience with Core Networks, “it all came together without a hitch,” Marrero says. He attributes the ease of implementation to Access Networks’ internal team of IT experts. “We provided them with blueprints of the property and buildings, the client requirements and intended network usage, and Access Networks quickly designed and configured a complete system, along with a heat map indicating recommended placement of access points and other equipment.”
Thorough and detailed, the documentation helped Front Row Theater tackle this maiden project confidently and within the budget and timeline. If the integrators needed additional support, the Access Networks team was standing by and never more than a phone call away. This assurance of quality and performance was critical to the clients, who didn’t want to be burdened with updating a system soon after it was installed.”
Access Networks’ extended service and support is also a huge benefit to the sanctuary staff. Without a full-time IT person, having an outside source on speed dial to handle networking issues was vital. The scalability of Core Networks was another compelling feature. “Although nothing is planned for the near future, we can add products to the network without any concern over bandwidth limitations,” Marrero says.
With this critical network foundation in place, the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary can focus on the mission at hand: wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education.
For hi-resolution images of the installation, please see here.
About Snap One, Now Part of ADI
As a leading manufacturer and distributor of smart living technology, Snap One empowers its network of professional integrators to deliver entertainment, connectivity, control, and security solutions to residential and commercial end customers worldwide. Snap One distributes an expansive portfolio of proprietary and third-party products through its intuitive online portal and local branch network, blending the benefits of e-commerce with the convenience of same-day pickup.
In 2024, Snap One became part of ADI, a leading global distributor of security, AV and low voltage products. Together, the combined business offers access to a broader portfolio, enhanced distribution network and geographic footprint, and combined digital and e-commerce capabilities for an improved omnichannel shopping experience for customers.
Additional information about Snap One can be found at snapone.com. Additional information about ADI can be found at adiglobal.com.
