Client: Plymouth Community Homes
Location: Cecil Street, Plymouth
System Installed: CAME Entrotec APEX Door Entry with CAME KMS SimpleKey Web
Upgrade From: CAME Entrotec Elite door entry
Client Background
Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) is Plymouth’s largest social housing provider, managing over 16,000 homes across the city. With a strong focus on safety, reliability and long-term value, PCH has been a long-standing user of CAME Entrotec systems for more than 20 years.
Their estates team value the proven technology of CAME Entrotec alongside the ease of maintenance, and the trust of a supplier who understands the realities of managing busy residential buildings within the social housing sector.
The Challenge
For many years, a CAME Entrotec Elite door entry system had been installed in the flats at Cecil Street. It was a familiar, reliable, and trusted solution. After 20 years of valued service however, the time had finally come to update to a system that brought new technology, tools and advantages to the property. The team at PCH did however have an understandable caution about moving away from the known and trusted even within the CAME Entrotec portfolio.
At Cecil Street, the challenge wasn’t dissatisfaction with the existing solution, but rather:
- Replacing an ageing Elite system with a future-ready platform
- Reassuring stakeholders that a newer system would be at least as reliable and easy to maintain
- Introducing modern access control features without increasing disruption or cost
- Providing a solution with long-term availability and manufacturer support
PCH needed confidence that upgrading would bring genuine benefits, not just change for the sake of it.
The Solution
After detailed consultation and careful specification, PCH chose to upgrade to the CAME Entrotec APEX door entry system, fully integrated with CAME KMS SimpleKey Web.
System Overview
- Three residential blocks
- Two entrances per block
- One APEX panel per block
- 12 flats served per panel
Existing Entrotec handsets retained
By reusing the existing handsets, disruption to residents was kept to an absolute minimum and overall project costs were reduced, a key consideration for a live social housing environment. Backward compatibility is a cornerstone of CAME Entrotec to ensure housing providers can be confident that installed equipment has a longevity well beyond many suppliers standard offerings.
Why APEX?
Although initially cautious about moving away from the trusted Elite system, PCH quickly recognised the advantages of APEX once the platform was fully explained:
- Modern, robust panel design with long-term product availability
- Improved performance and resilience compared to legacy systems
- A clear upgrade path aligned with future access control requirements
- Designed and manufactured in the UK, something PCH places real value on
The reassurance that APEX is a long-term platform rather than a short-term replacement, was a decisive factor.
The Role of SimpleKey Web
A major driver for the upgrade was the full integration with CAME KMS SimpleKey Web.
At Cecil Street:
- The system was deployed with new SK4 credentials
- All access control is now managed centrally via the cloud
- Credentials can be added, removed or updated without site visits
- Site Secure Access Control, delivery safe, inclusive, enforceable resident access
For PCH, the benefits were immediately clear:
- Reduced administrative time managing keys and fobs
- Improved security through better control and auditability
- A scalable solution that can be rolled out across other sites
- A platform that supports modern housing management practices
SimpleKey Web transformed the door entry system from a standalone asset into a managed, connected access control solution.
Installation & Maintenance Benefits
Beyond the technology itself, several practical advantages stood out to Plymouth Community Homes:
- Pre-programmed systems supplied ready for installation, reducing on-site time
- Familiar Entrotec architecture, making the system easy to fault-find
- Straightforward component replacement, minimising downtime
- Continued consistency with systems already used across their housing stock
These factors helped reassure the team that moving to APEX would not complicate maintenance, rather potentially, it would simplify it over time.
The Outcome
The Cecil Street upgrade successfully delivered:
- A smooth transition from Elite to APEX
- Enhanced access control through SimpleKey Web integration
- Minimal disruption to residents
- A future-proof solution aligned with PCH’s long-term asset strategy
What began as a cautious upgrade quickly became a clear example of how modernising access control can deliver tangible operational benefits without sacrificing reliability.
Roger Hewitt at Plymouth Community Homes shared how CAME Entrotec have been valuable longstanding partners saying; “We have partnered with CAME Entrotec/KMS for over a decade and consistently received exceptional support across all aspects of access control. Their customer service—from delivery through to technical assistance—has always been outstanding, and we’ve built strong, trusted working relationships… Calum, our Business Development Manager has been responsive, knowledgeable and customer friendly; a credit to CAME… The accessories we’ve used have proven to be reliable and robust, giving us complete confidence in continuing to use their products in the future.”
Why This Matters to Other Housing Providers
This project is a strong example for housing associations and local authorities who:
- Are still using legacy door entry systems
- Are hesitant to move away from familiar platforms
- Want modern access control without unnecessary cost or disruption
- Value UK manufacturing, long-term support, and ease of maintenance
The combination of CAME Entrotec APEX and CAME KMS SimpleKey Web proves that upgrading doesn’t mean starting again; it means building on what already works.
Conclusion
For Plymouth Community Homes, the Cecil Street project demonstrated that upgrading from Elite to APEX was not just a replacement, but a strategic improvement. With cloud-based access control, UK-manufactured hardware, and a platform designed for longevity, CAME delivered a solution that met both current needs and future ambitions.
