With nearly 78,000 experts and professionals in healthcare, support, and care for the most vulnerable, emeis operates in around twenty countries and covers five areas of expertise: psychiatric clinics, medical care and rehabilitation clinics, nursing homes, home care and support services, and assisted living residences. As the group aims to put innovation at the service of care, it has entrusted Wifirst with the operation, supervision, and maintenance of WiFi across more than 350 facilities in France.
// THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WIFI SATISFACTION
By enlisting Wifirst's unique expertise in network design, emeis aims to elevate the standard of its WiFi service, thereby improving the daily lives of dependent individuals while optimising working conditions for professionals.
A leap in quality for carers, patients, and residents
Residents in emeis facilities are typically elderly and/or have conditions requiring specialist care. Internet access provides them with a vital link to the outside world. While technology is becoming increasingly intuitive and user-friendly, receiving photos or videos, using apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, or Skype, or even accessing online entertainment and information platforms can be difficult without a reliable internet connection.
At the same time, the WiFi network must deliver sufficient bandwidth throughout the entire facility, particularly to facilitate the integration of tools chosen by professionals for improved care. Two key benefits of a "connected facility" for care staff stand out:
- Reducing workload: Deploying technologies to automate low-value tasks and the widespread use of tablets for administrative management promote mobility and save time, which can then be dedicated to building relationships with residents.
- Facilitating access and information sharing: Mobile solutions enable the real-time collection and consultation of resident data at their bedside. Beyond significant time savings, this ensures the reliability of recorded information, such as residents' vital signs.
The WiFi network thus forms the backbone of projects aimed at harnessing technology to benefit elderly dependent individuals and the professionals who support them.
Choosing unique expertise in network supervision and maintenance
The key to our solution lies in the advice we provide to our clients throughout the network's lifespan. This naturally begins with the on-site audit, the quality of which determines the success of the deployment project and the long-term quality of service.
Wifirst has invested €1.5 million in creating and developing its new web and mobile audit and integration platform. Furthermore, AUDIN goes far beyond simply auditing WiFi coverage. The platform enables the inventory and location of all active and passive equipment that make up a complete network infrastructure. The result: time savings at all levels and an unprecedented level of quality thanks to the modelling, control, and management system integrated into the platform.
Wifirst's expertise doesn't stop there: we've incorporated artificial intelligence-based modules into all our supervision tools to anticipate and rectify malfunctions. Our Wifirst Centre, available in both web and mobile versions, allows for unparalleled network management:
- Supervision of all active equipment, regardless of brand.
- One-click access to advanced usage statistics per SSID.
- Access to essential documents (audit reports, as-built documentation, etc.).
- Dynamic positioning of all equipment on an enriched floor plan.
This model is what truly enables us to optimise network performance in the long term.
// THE GOAL OF NETWORK STANDARDISATION
In this project, Wifirst is managing an existing estate with diverse technology. emeis's IT department, determined to ensure high-quality WiFi access for everyone, has also entrusted Wifirst with the task of continuing deployments and optimising current infrastructure using the latest technologies based on Aruba access point models. Marine Portail, Account Manager, and Guillaume Louarn, Lead Auditor, share their experiences on the specific aspects of the project.
The importance of understanding the existing infrastructure
[Marine] To achieve the ultimate goal of user satisfaction, a thorough understanding of the existing infrastructure is crucial. Our advanced data collection and analysis capabilities provide us with a better insight into network usage. This includes information on user behaviour, connected devices, peak usage times, and high-activity areas. For example, we've observed that there was previously a logic of 100% coverage in corridors but a lack of connection in rooms. However, with digital care pathways, the need to cover bedrooms is very real. This is one of the optimisations we're working on.
The specifics of a (re)deployment audit
- Installation of our main equipment, the Wifirst gateway, to migrate the client's WiFi equipment onto Wifirst's IT system, enabling us to manage its maintenance.
- Site coverage survey to inventory existing access points and identify WiFi dead spots.
- In the event of dead spots, we conduct a coverage audit and propose an optimised solution to the client.
Indeed, WiFi is a precise and complex science! Simply piling up WiFi access points doesn't guarantee optimal coverage. A lack of access points creates "dead spots" without WiFi coverage, while an excess causes interference and makes the connection unstable. The challenge, therefore, is to accurately define the density and distribution of access points.
A collaborative project
[Marine] What's particularly pleasing about this project is the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with a client who fully understands their role in the project's success. To gather all the essential plans and prerequisites for the redeployments, we've been able to rely on the complete availability of the IT department. Similarly, the team will also act as ambassadors within each facility to identify their network issues and ensure a good understanding of the stakes for all stakeholders. This approach allows us to save time for the auditors and optimise the efficiency of our collaboration, with the ultimate goal of modernising and transforming the group's over 350 facilities within five years.
"We are well aware of the strategic issues around connectivity. Today, we're entrusting the management of our WiFi networks to a recognised expert to provide our caregivers, patients and residents with a service that matches our group's commitment."
Cedric Thomas-Elkin
Information Systems Director - Emeis
