Modern communication in a listed castle
Chillon Castle in Veytaux is famous for its unique location on the rocky island of île de Chillon on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva, separated from the mainland by a 10-metre-wide moat. The castle attracts numerous visitors every year and is one of the most frequently visited historical buildings in Switzerland. Its fascinating architecture and picturesque location on the lake, with an imposing mountain backdrop, have made the monument one of the most popular scenic images in western Switzerland since the 18th century.
The castle we see today is the result of centuries of construction work and historical developments. Excavations on site prove that the rocky island was already inhabited in the Bronze Age – a place with a long history. Today, the monument is used in a variety of ways, including guided tours, events for groups of different sizes, permanent and special exhibitions, gastronomic services, etc.
Company profile
The private Chillon Castle Foundation was established in 2002. Its mandate includes the administration, maintenance and restoration of the historic monument.
Chillon Castle is one of Switzerland's and the world's most important monuments. It is a cultural and architectural treasure of international interest and a major tourist attraction. All activities, events and services provided in and around the monument respect its core values, placing tradition, prestige and quality centre stage. They also serve to conserve the building without interfering with its structure and help generate the financial resources needed to fulfil the foundation's mission. Chillon Castle inspires, entertains and arouses curiosity. It fulfils its role as a historical monument and ensures its continued existence.
Company situation/initial position
During the peak season, the castle employs over 75 people in administration, reception, sales, castle tours, cultural mediation, museography, administration and finance. Many of the employees need to be contactable by mobile phone at all times in order to serve the daily business. Until now, this was not guaranteed: the existing Mitel telephone system was getting on in years, and there were frequent failures and disruptions to day-to-day business because the DECT network was unable to cover the entire castle area.
It was therefore imperative for the management to find a solution that would provide modern telecommunications throughout the entire castle grounds. Voice-over IP (VoIP) was to be used as the technical standard for an integrated solution incorporating a network and WLAN. After comparing numerous offers and solutions, the company Mojolan was awarded the contract because it offered a comprehensive VoIP-based solution.
Technical situation at Chillon Castle
The major challenge was to modernise the telecommunications infrastructure in the listed castle without making any visual changes or carrying out major construction work. For this reason, the existing connections, which still use analogue 2-wire cabling (very old technology in which power, audio and optional video signals are transmitted over two cables), had to be used. This form of cabling had to be retained. Likewise, no new installations were allowed to be set up and no additional pipes or cables were allowed to be laid. Furthermore, the existing positions of the DECT base stations also had to be adopted for reasons of listed building protection.
Solution
The service provider onix, which was commissioned with the conversion, decided on a cloud-based telephone system from 3CX, which combines a telephone system and internet connectivity in a single installation. Since the existing 2-wire cabling could not be replaced by modern 8-wire LAN cabling, the first step was to use 2-wire adapters from Renforce. This means that even buildings without structured network cabling can be equipped with modern high-speed networks for data communication. For its telecommunications infrastructure, the chateau relies on a 3CX PBX in combination with the N870 IP Pro DECT multi-cell system from Gigaset. The system's individual DECT base stations are supplied with power via Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), eliminating the need to install new 230-volt outlets or lines.
The N870 multi-cell system now ensures seamless accessibility throughout the entire castle grounds and is characterised by its particularly easy administration and high interoperability. Across the entire campus, 19 N870 base stations have been installed, each of which can handle up to ten calls per base station in the selected configuration – more than twice as many as in the previous system. This means that all 75 employees at the castle can be reached – whether at their fixed workplace or moving around the premises.
The virtualised 3CX telephone system used also offers all the advantages of cloud-based telephony. That means that service and maintenance work on the hardware, as with traditional telephone systems, is a thing of the past. The old gateways have been replaced by SIP trunks, in which the telephone line is established via an IP connection, thus increasing the reliability of the connection.
Alongside a few desktop phones, Chillon Castle relies on Gigaset Mobilteile SL800H PRO handsets as end devices. They offer HD audio quality and a slim, premium design, as well as being resistant to disinfectants – a crucial criterion, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. ‘The Gigaset N870 multi-cell system and the SL800H PRO handsets are exactly what we need,’ explains Evelyne Perrin, assistant to the management and responsible for the administration of Chillon Castle. ’The DECT system offers more calls per antenna than its predecessor – and the range is also significantly better. We also finally have no more interference.’
‘Everyone knows Gigaset – the company's solutions are intuitive for everyone to understand and at the same time at the highest technical level,’ comments Marc-André Mojon, manager of the local Gigaset partner Mojolan Sàrl, who was brought in by onix to install the Gigaset equipment. ‘Our customers love the handsets and the design. To date, we have only received positive feedback from customers for whom we install Gigaset systems. Feel, security, performance and the constantly available service – these are all aspects that speak in favour of ‘Made in Germany’ telecommunications for our next projects.’
