These case studies show the kind of thinking Cheshire Smart Homes brings to complex homes: careful discovery, discreet infrastructure, accountable support and a refusal to specify technology before the property is understood.
Drawing upon experience gained delivering technology projects across both luxury residential properties and complex commercial environments as part of the wider Altus Group.
The examples below are anonymised and fact-limited. They do not publish private metrics, client names or project photography. Where imagery is needed, an owner-approved photography placeholder is logged rather than replaced with stock.
Residential
Grade II Listed London Residence
A circa 1725 early-Georgian former rectory of around 30,000 sq ft, with ten bedrooms, a ballroom and 2.5 acres of walled grounds.
Challenge
The property needed a private high-performance network across the house, outbuildings and gardens without visible infrastructure. Historic masonry and Georgian plasterwork could not be disturbed, and cable routes were limited to pre-approved voids. The brief also required enterprise-grade cyber security without adding daily management burden for the homeowner.
Approach
The wider Altus Group project team designed the network around the building rather than forcing the building around the network. Ruckus access points were concealed within architectural features and service voids. Cable routes followed approved pathways, and cyber security was specified as a managed layer with continuous monitoring, threat detection and response.
Technology
Ruckus private networking, concealed access point design, managed cyber security monitoring, threat detection and managed response.
Outcome
The project was completed on schedule with no impact to the historic fabric. The house, outbuildings and gardens gained reliable connectivity and enterprise-standard security without a visible equipment burden.
Client benefits
The client gained a supportable private network, cyber security aligned to the value and profile of the property, and a design that respected the building before any technology decision was made.
Lessons learned
Listed homes reward early technology planning. The most important decisions are often cable routes, equipment location and support responsibility, not the device choices seen at the end.
Residential
Grade II* Listed Country House, Somerset
A mid-1500s, three-storey country house of around 8,800 sq ft, with solid brick walls up to 1.6 metres thick.
Challenge
The property had no working internet and failing DECT phones. The owner needed 100 percent phone and Wi-Fi coverage with no visible cabling, compliance with English Heritage expectations, and delivery inside a two-week deadline.
Approach
The team designed an enterprise Wi-Fi and VOIP solution around the physical limits of the house. Cable routes were kept discreet, coverage was planned room by room, and the existing phone number was preserved so the technology change did not disrupt the client's daily routines.
Technology
Enterprise Wi-Fi, VOIP telephony, discreet cable routing and listed-building aware infrastructure planning.
Outcome
The work was delivered in 6 days against a two-week brief. The property achieved 100 percent phone and Wi-Fi coverage while preserving the architecture and existing phone number. The final approach was also lower cost than quotes supplied by national providers.
Client benefits
The client moved from unreliable communications to a practical, fully covered home network and phone system without compromising the building.
Lessons learned
Older construction does not prevent strong coverage, but it does make survey, cable discipline and measured access point placement essential.
Residential
Landmark Listed Apartment Residence, London
A Grade II listed inter-war building from 1927 to 1929 by Sir Frank Baines, formerly a corporate headquarters and later converted to private apartments.
Challenge
Residents were experiencing poor Wi-Fi and unreliable working from home. Thick historic construction restricted signal movement, and visible cabling was not acceptable. The apartments needed modern hybrid-working performance and smart-home expectations within a listed fabric.
Approach
The project began with an RF coverage survey rather than a shopping list. Ruckus enterprise access points were positioned for roaming performance, cable routing was kept discreet and compliant, and SONOS distributed audio was integrated where it supported the living experience.
Technology
RF survey, Ruckus enterprise access points, roaming optimisation, discreet cable routing and SONOS distributed audio.
Outcome
The apartment achieved reliable Wi-Fi, stable remote working, smooth roaming and invisible infrastructure.
Client benefits
The client gained a home that supports work, media and day-to-day control without making the listed building feel technically overloaded.
Lessons learned
In apartments and listed conversions, the design needs to respect neighbours, shared fabric, service routes and the way people move between rooms.
Residential
Pre-1900 Listed Residence, Switzerland
A six-storey residence of around 3,300 sq ft with nine-inch concrete walls, clay foundations and exterior-cabling restrictions.
Challenge
The project needed automation, security and connectivity integrated through design-stage problem solving. The client wanted one accountable partner rather than separate technology decisions pulling in different directions.
Approach
The wider Altus Group team coordinated one specification across automation, security and connectivity. The focus was not on isolated products, but on how the residence would be controlled, supported and upgraded over time.
Technology
Crestron automation, Hikvision security, Control4 control and Cisco connectivity.
Outcome
The client received one specification, one accountable team, one support path and a unified operating standard.
Client benefits
The technology became easier to own because accountability was designed into the project from the start.
Lessons learned
Complex homes need a single operating model. Without that, even good technology can become difficult to support.
Complex commercial environment
Remote Alpine Estate, France
A remote estate in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, where mainstream providers would not deliver the required connectivity.
Challenge
Local telecoms providers declined the site. The brief required a 4km point-to-point radio bridge, multi-layer failover, concealed cable routing, a 4-hour support SLA and one accountable infrastructure partner.
Approach
The wider Altus Group team treated the estate as an infrastructure problem rather than a domestic connectivity job. The design combined point-to-point radio, resilient networking and service planning so the support model was as important as the equipment.
Technology
Cisco connectivity, Ruckus networking, point-to-point radio bridge and multi-layer failover.
Outcome
The estate received reliable connectivity in a location mainstream providers would not serve, with one specification, one delivery team and one support path.
Client benefits
The client gained a reliable infrastructure route for a remote property and a clear support standard for ongoing operation.
Lessons learned
Remote and high-value properties often need engineered resilience. Line availability, failover and support response have to be designed before the user experience can be trusted.