A major fire destroyed the facility of a long-standing manufacturing client and forced the business to rethink where and how it would operate.
The first priority was getting staff working again. The next was building practical IT and communications for a new manufacturing site that had no conventional fixed-line internet connection.
The final setup used replacement business computers, dedicated Starlink connectivity, UniFi networking and a new business phone system that Rabbit MSP could support remotely.
The challenge
Immediately after the fire, staff moved to working from home while the directors worked through the future of the business.
Rabbit MSP supplied and configured replacement desktops and laptops with the applications, security settings and user access staff needed to resume administrative work.
That solved the immediate problem, but the longer-term challenge arrived when the client established a new manufacturing operation at an off-grid location with a portable office.
There was no normal fixed-line internet service available at the site.
A temporary arrangement shared Starlink from a nearby property through a wireless bridge. It provided basic connectivity, but the business was sharing capacity with residential users, had limited control over the connection and had to troubleshoot equipment spread across two premises.
The existing Telstra-hosted mobile softphone setup was also causing usability and reliability problems for office staff.
Building a standalone connection
We recommended giving the business its own Starlink service rather than continuing to depend on the neighbouring connection.
The dedicated service included local-priority data and a public IP address. A UniFi Dream Router 7 was installed to manage the office network and provide WiFi across the portable building.
A wireless-first design made sense here. The office computers, multifunction printer and phones could all connect without adding extensive cabling to a temporary structure.
The UniFi setup also gave Rabbit MSP remote visibility into the site, including internet availability, connected devices, WiFi quality and general device health.
For a geographically isolated location, that matters. Many common network problems can now be investigated without immediately sending someone to site.
Replacing the phone system
The business also needed a phone setup that was easier for staff to use and manage.
Rabbit MSP implemented UniFi Talk with three UniFi Touch phones and a SIP service configured for the new site.
The phone system now supports normal business functions such as call groups, queues, routing, business hours and voicemail, while being centrally managed through the same UniFi environment.
It also removed the business’s dependence on the previous Telstra mobile softphone arrangement.
The new SIP service is expected to reduce ongoing telecommunications costs, although the main improvement was giving the client a phone platform it could control and support as part of the wider office setup.
The outcome
The client moved from an improvised shared internet connection and unreliable softphones to a standalone office environment designed around the new site.
The completed setup provides:
- dedicated Starlink business connectivity
- a business-controlled public IP address
- modern WiFi for office computers, printing and phones
- remote network monitoring and troubleshooting
- three centrally managed business phones
- call routing, queues, voicemail and business-hours handling
- less dependence on equipment at a neighbouring property
What started as emergency recovery after a fire became a complete rebuild of the client’s day-to-day IT and communications around a very different workplace.
The site is off-grid, but it no longer has to feel disconnected from normal business systems.
Rabbit MSP helps small businesses with business networking and WiFi, business hardware supply and support and broader small business IT support in Dandenong and Melbourne’s south-east.