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Luxury access

Access control and luxury make a fine par at golf and lifestyle residential development.

Regarded as a premier golf and lifestyle residential development in southern Africa, Zimbali Coastal Resort was launched in 1995. The resort has been extended over the last 12 years and with the launch of the new Zimbali Lakes Resort and Fairmont Zimbali Hotel precinct, the property now covers 1400 hectares of pristinely restored coastal vegetation and by 2015 over 2500 homes will have been built on the estate. In view of the prestigious reputation of Zimbali and the calibre of its residents, the control of access to the estate is of paramount importance.

Impro solution

The original access control solution installed at Zimbali was the now redundant Link Scan system, also designed and manufactured by Impro Technologies. The system needed to be upgraded to support the proposed future development and to link the various control points across the estate through fibre-optic reticulation in order to increase system stability and decrease the possibility of lightning and surge damage.

One integral aspect of the system had to be the ability to maintain a high level of security at all times, with extensive reporting and real-time audit trail information available for security management. One challenge faced by the team was the implementation of the new solution and the maintenance of security and access control during the change over period.

Prior to the change over, the resort’s databases had to be cleaned up and converted, with a full overhaul and editing of access rights for residents, visitors, contractors and staff. The IXP400i system lends itself to further expansion and it is expected that the system will eventually handle a capacity of up to 35 000 tag holders with 140 access points across the estate. These access points include the two main entrances to the estate, the visitor information centre and restricted boom access points to certain residential areas within the resort. The IXP400i was also required to interface with the existing CCTV system, ensuring that all access control activity could be linked to visuals.

The Impro installation at Zimbali Coastal Resort on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast is a prime example of how access control and management of residents, visitors, contractors and staff can occur at an up market residential estate without affecting negatively on the daily operations of the estate or the lifestyle of the residents.

System parameters

Number of tag holders: 35 000

Doors: 300

Number of access points: 45

EC Controllers: 36

Integration with: CCTV

Installer: Enforce Security – Glen Allen.

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