“Smart Living-as-a-Service” innovator is transforming the multifamily connectivity paradigm with Aruba ESP, Central and UXI

To complete its transformative new business model for supplying Smart Living-as-a-Service (SLaaS) in multifamily housing, Homebase needed a wired and wireless networking partner.

“We set out to create the industry’s first hubless smart building solution to help apartment owners and managers automate their facilities while delivering connectivity-as-a-service to residents,” explains Blake Miller, Founder and CEO of the Kansas City, Missouri, company. “To achieve our goals we needed to provide always-on internet, which required a comprehensive wired and wireless solution capable of integrating with our mobile-phone-as-a-gateway, app-based approach.”

技术 +专业知识使阿鲁巴成为合适的合作伙伴

Dedicated to making the Internet a fifth utility for multifamily communities, Homebase is rapidly partnering with apartment owners to assemble a portfolio of smart apartment complexes scattered across North America. To do so, the company not only required a cloud-managed, reliable, secure and scalable wired and wireless networking solution, but also intuitive tools that empowered business users to resolve networking issues in real time.

After evaluating leading options, Homebase decided to partner with Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. “In addition to providing a robust set of APIs for integrating with our customer-facing app and Wi-Fi access points with built-in Bluetooth and Zigbee for IoT connectivity, we were impressed with the many innovations in the pipeline,” Miller says.

“Perhaps most importantly, the Aruba team immediately grasped our vision and helped us determine which technologies were required to make it happen,” he adds. “By demonstrating that kind of enthusiasm for our business, even before we selected Aruba, we knew the partnership was right.”

Aruba ESP能力上级SLAAS体验

对于由Aruba Edge Services平台（ESP）提供动力的网络，Homebase选择了Aruba的indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi 6 access points (APs)along with远程访问点（RAPS）,2930F Switch Series和3810 Switch Series。

The Homebase infrastructure also includes阿鲁巴Central, for AI-enabled cloud-based network management built on a cloud-native microservices architecture, and阿鲁巴User Experience Insight (UXI) sensors，以从用户的角度不断监视和测试网络。

“Our deployment model provides every apartment in a building with Wi-Fi as an amenity,” says Miller. “In addition, we cover indoor and outdoor common areas to help streamline facilities management significantly. This strategy of creating a single network also gives property managers secure connectivity for their staff.”

Wi-Fi作为居民的实用性；提高所有者的盈利能力

Unlike the current paradigm, where a resident moves in and then contacts an ISP for connectivity, Homebase-powered buildings supply Wi-Fi the moment a person enters their new home – just like turning on the lights or getting a drink of water.

Using the Homebase app, residents can access everything in their home, ranging from locks to appliances. “One of our buildings, ‘Flashcube’ in Kansas City, even offers a connected wine dispenser that automatically adds purchases to a resident’s account,” Miller says.

New residents are granted access to a premium tier of Wi-Fi for a select amount of time, which enables them to test out the Homebase solution, and then are prompted by the app to select a subscription plan.

“Using data generated by Central, we determined a substantial percentage of residents opt for the premium subscription tier once their trial period ends, others choose a lower tier and only few opt-out,” says RaeAnn Lovall, Chief People Officer for Homebase. “We can also use the data we gather to help owners maximize tier pricing.”

新的收入，提高效率，自动维护和降低风险

From a building owner perspective, the SLaaS model not only supplies a considerable new revenue stream but also enhances efficiencies with the Homebase app. This includes anywhere, anytime management of physical access controls and security cameras in common areas and community spaces, such as gyms, pools and movie facilities.

“Having a single, robust network with all of these capabilities saves property owners money while also ensuring they have one less vendor to worry about,” Miller says.

此外,基地中应用流线和汽车mates maintenance, saving an average of 20 minutes per ticket. “For example, after a unit’s smart thermostat runs for a certain number of hours the app can notify management the HVAC filter needs changing, automatically order the part for direct shipment to the appropriate unit and notify the resident,” says Miller.

这种维护自动化也可以降低风险并降低相关的保险成本。米勒说：“如果物联网管道传感器检测到与水有关的问题，则通过该应用程序及时通知可以消除灾难性事件。”

Saving 120 minutes per unit turn during move out/move in

根据Lovall的说法，建筑所有者和经理在搬迁/移动期间尤其欣赏该应用程序，这有助于他们平均节省120分钟的时间。

“When multiple units are turning over simultaneously, using a few taps to remove a former occupant and onboard a new one reduces costs and boosts efficiency compared to the traditional manual process,” she says.

Lovall说：“总的来说，我们不仅在简化建筑物的控制，而且还可以在没有增加管理人员的情况下实现更多单元的管理。”

速度和敏捷性的云管理密钥

从销售到故障排除，对房屋的好处也很多。“使用Aruba的可靠和安全基础架构，我们可以在为业主开发新的业务模型时依靠其网络专业知识。” Miller说。

Although Homebase uses a standardized building deployment, it’s not one-size-fits-all as their networking solution supplies flexibility in situations where a resident requires more coverage. “Central’s cloud-based management enables quickly configuring and installing an RAP to extend the network as needed,” Lovall says.

Network management is also simplified. “Central’s intuitive dashboard enables a single business user to support multiple buildings,” says Lovall. “We can easily adjust configurations such as bandwidth and device limits to effectively manage performance across buildings with hundreds of users, each of whom has multiple devices.”

故障排除也是简化的。客户成功总监保罗·舒尔茨（Paul Schultz）说：“当我们收到居民或建筑所有者的支持票时，我们可以在短短几分钟内就可以解决它。”“这有助于我们提供卓越的客户服务。”

Scaling the Deployment for Superior Experiences and Performance

As it continues to grow and introduce new SLaaS offerings to the multifamily industry, Homebase looks forward to leveraging existing and emerging Aruba solutions.

近期,公司打算部署用户体验I sensors for further optimizing and troubleshooting its Wi-Fi infrastructure. “Having a centralized view of user and device experiences is critically important to keeping customer satisfaction high and our overhead low,” Miller says.

Another project is deploying Aruba AirPass to facilitate seamless device handoffs from 5G cellular networks to Wi-Fi. “We’re actively working with 5G and considering how we can deploy AirPass for smoothing transitions.”

迅速创新以继续改变多户家庭行业

On the horizon are evaluations of Aruba’s AOS-CX switching line, for more AI-infused network visibility, performance and automation, as well as leveraging Aruba’s Location Services capabilities in combination with the Bluetooth and Zigbee built into Aruba APs.

“Among other things, this technology lends itself to the smart building digital twin approach,” says Miller. “We could offer location services upgrades to building owners for asset tracking and monitoring third-party vendors working in their buildings. And as new technologies, such as floor and window cleaning robots, become more prevalent, our wired and wireless infrastructure will enable adding them quickly.”

“In short,” he continues, “our Aruba network becomes a platform for smart building innovation, rather than tying us down with obsolete and one-trick-pony hubs. We can innovate rapidly as we continue transforming multifamily dwellings into smart spaces that can keep pace with the evolving ways people live and work in their homes.”