Project Overview
Housed in a restored former Art Deco cinema in Dalston, EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) reopened in 2018 as a multi-space live music and arts venue. The building now operates across three primary event spaces, alongside community areas including a basement recording studio for local young people.
We were involved from the early redevelopment stages, designing and supporting the venue’s core network infrastructure as the space evolved from historic cinema into a modern, high-capacity cultural venue.
The Challenge
Live venues are uniquely demanding environments:
- High user density during events
- Staff, production and ticketing systems running concurrently
- Artist requirements and technical back-of-house connectivity
- Community spaces and creative studios operating independently
- Public Wi-Fi expectations
All of this sits inside a heritage building, with thick walls, basement spaces and layered layouts that present RF challenges.
The original deployment combined:
- Ruckus Networks wireless infrastructure
- Barracuda Networks firewall/security
- Mixed switching hardware
As the venue expanded and operational needs evolved, the system required consolidation and modernisation.
Our Approach
1️⃣ Infrastructure Evolution (Not Rip & Replace)
Rather than a disruptive overhaul, we worked in partnership with the venue team to gradually migrate the environment toward a unified managed platform built around Ubiquiti Inc. UniFi.
Some Ruckus hardware remains in specific high-density areas where it continues to perform well, but the wider estate has transitioned toward:
- UniFi managed gateways
- Managed PoE switching
- Centralised controller architecture
- Unified monitoring and remote support
This phased approach ensured:
- Zero operational downtime
- Budget alignment with expansion
- Continued coverage during redevelopment phases
2️⃣ Leased Line Backbone
The venue operates on a dedicated business leased line, supplied by our long-term partners at Amvia.
This provides:
- Symmetrical high-speed connectivity
- Stability for ticketing and POS systems
- Artist and production network requirements
- Public Wi-Fi backhaul
- Remote management capability
3️⃣ Community & Basement Studio Expansion
As EartH expanded its facilities — including creative and youth-focused spaces — we extended:
- Structured cabling
- Switching capacity
- Wireless coverage into basement studio areas
- Segmented VLANs for production, staff, public and community use
The result is a flexible, scalable infrastructure capable of supporting both:
- Major live events
- Daytime creative and educational use
The Result
The network has grown alongside the venue.
- High-density event performance maintained
- Secure segmentation between operational networks
- Simplified remote monitoring and support
- Incremental hardware modernisation without disruption
- Stable connectivity across three event spaces plus community facilities
Most importantly, the system supports not just a nightclub, but a cultural institution with deep roots in Hackney’s creative history.
Why This Project Matters
EartH represents more than a venue — it’s a restoration of a historic cinema into a modern cultural landmark.
We’re proud to have supported its digital backbone from early redevelopment stages through continued expansion — ensuring that technology quietly enables performances, community projects, and creative expression without ever becoming the problem.