Crestron keeps things simple for Sun Yat-sen University
Published: ASIA
CHINA: Since its founding in 1924, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, has prided itself in offering top-quality education to Chinese students, and is now one of the top universities in the country. Most recently, the university has been the beneficiary of a Crestron centralised control system.
The university has never shied away from new technological advances. Having embraced the digital age boldly with keen investments in A/V technology to improve the learning experience, both the teachers and students rely on the equipment to further their educational programme.
With the amount of equipment growing organically, the university was concerned that it had to turn its staff and students into equipment experts. A lack of expertise was only part of the problem though; the university was also concerned about system failures and overall security. Without an overarching management system, it had to waste precious resources and time to ensure all equipment was well maintained.
What it needed was a single management platform that would raise efficiency and simplify A/V management. The solution was designed using five Crestron products: AV2, C2ENET-1, Mobile Pro, DIN-8SW8 and GLS-OIR-C-1500.
The AV2 offered an economical dual-bus control system that features numerous built-in control ports, an optional three-slot expansion card cage, and optional ethernet. Ethernet was then enabled by C2ENET-1, a single port 10/100BaseT Ethernet card that has allowed users to perform remote diagnostics and programming as well providing Ethernet Intersystem Communications (EIC) over LAN, WAN or Internet via the control systems built-in web server and e-Control 2 capabilities.
Non-dimmable lighting and fans were controlled using the DIN-8SW8, an 8-channel lighting control module, while the ceiling mounted GLS-OIR-C-1500 passive infrared occupancy sensor detected whether rooms are occupied to increase energy savings.
The new system installed is capable of managing video conferencing, projection displays, sound systems and lighting. Additionally, maintenance is a lot simpler and effective, as the introduction of a common platform has removed the need to manage various products, and the simple user interfaces takes almost no training for the teachers and students to use effectively.
‘The adoption of Crestron’s centralised control system in Sun Yat-sen University has solved the stability and security problems of the existing infrastructure,’ said Wang Guo-xiong, the university’s officer. ‘It simplifies our system management and enhances our service quality.’
With the manufacturer’s Mobile Pro platform, users are now able to enhance their environment or adjust the A/V setting directly from mobile devices. This removes the need for unsightly wires. Additionally, the multi-mode setting feature for meeting rooms allows teachers and students to carry out their tasks whilst wasting less time and effort trying to optimise their environment.
While commenting on the finished installation, Mr Wang was equally impressed with Crestron’s professionalism and its ability to deliver on its promises. ‘We have been using the system for one year, and it has been functioning very well without any incidences of system failure,’ he said. ‘Its extreme stability has exceeded our expectations. It proves that Crestron is the leading expert in advancing and promoting smart technologies in school campus’.
‘With Crestron’s equipment, Sun Yat-sen University can maximise our resource utilisation, simplify the control process, enhance work efficiency and shorten the time necessary for system training,’ he concluded.