UniFi Powers Smart Upgrade at TOWD Auto Service Shop

Introduction

China’s premium auto customization and care market is booming. Shops need visible, traceable, and secure digital services to build trust.

Founded in 2014, TOWD Shanghai Tongde focuses on BMW customization and has become a high‑end service shop—the first HUNTER‑certified chassis diagnostic and tuning center in East China. Before the revamp, a patchwork of consumer‑grade gear caused dropouts under load; cameras were scattered and unaesthetic, making unified management and incident traceability difficult.

Business / Organizational Requirements (1–3 Core Needs)

• End-to-end coverage & traceability across zones (mod bay/clean room/staff/customer areas) to avoid handoff disputes.
• Low‑touch operations: intuitive management without a dedicated IT team; remote visibility and fast troubleshooting.

Unified control & brand aesthetics: consistent look aligned with décor; showcase‑ready equipment.

Why UniFi? — How It Addresses the Needs

• License‑free unified platform: Network / Protect / Access / Drive / Play under one controller, with predictable long‑term TCO.
• Edge AI + local sovereignty: AI Key and ENVR keep detections and video on‑prem, boosting privacy and reliability.
• Showroom‑grade design: hardware meant to be seen, blending with décor to double as brand presentation.

UniFi Network — Core / Aggregation / Wi‑Fi

Enterprise switching and PoE backbone with precisely placed APs for high‑density clients and IoT stability.

Key gear:

USW Pro Aggregation, USW Pro/Pro Max PoE,E7/E7 Audience, USP RPS Pro, USP PDU Pro; dual EFG in shadow mode for redundancy.

Challenge & Fix:

Heterogeneous legacy stack and RF noise; VLAN segmentation and aggregated uplinks keep peaks stable. Details: 3 APs cover the store, sustaining 310 IoT + 85 endpoints with low latency and high reliability.

UniFi Protect — AI Security & Chain‑of‑Custody

18 cameras cover critical bays and passages; G6 PTZ enables license plate recognition (LPR) with preset jumps.

Key gear:

ENVR, AI 360, AI Dome / G5 Dome, G5/G6 PTZ, UP Viewport, UP Sense, SuperLink Gateway, etc.

Challenge & Fix:

Handover disputes/night operations; LPR + Access integration enables unattended drop‑off/pick‑up with full evidentiary trails.

Details:

3 AI Key units perform on‑prem edge inference, analyzing up to 1,000 smart events/hour, with NL search and frame‑level replay.

UniFi Access — Entry Control & CX

UA Pro/Readers/Intercom at the entrance for NFC, facial/QR (as enabled), and intercom.

Challenge & Fix:

After‑hours handoffs and guidance; AI Horn Speaker delivers audible prompts for safety and wayfinding.

Details:

LPR‑triggered access policies let owners enter/exit and complete handoffs without staff.

Customer Lounge — Entertainment, Music, Gaming, Video & Privacy

The lounge uses E7 high‑density Wi‑Fi for low‑latency access; UPL AMP delivers quality background music and event audio; AI Theta Pro provides privacy‑aware visual assurance with a discreet form factor and configurable policies focused on entrances/shared spaces.

Customer Value:

Guests enjoy video streaming, cloud/local gaming, and music while waiting; clear privacy signage and framing controls balance comfort and assurance.

Ops View:

Lounge runs on a separate guest SSID and VLAN‑isolated from production/office networks; policies and bandwidth are centrally managed in UniFi.

Operational Visibility & Aesthetics

Hardware is display‑ready; the low‑voltage rack sits under the stairs behind glass as part of the interior design.

Challenge & Fix:

Typical racks are noisy and messy; UniFi’s AR port mapping enables fast, phone‑based troubleshooting—functional and beautiful.

Plus:

Livestreaming links support real‑time customer comms and remote verification.

Looking Ahead

• Add SuperLink and next‑gen cameras to extend coverage to edge cases and special environments.
• Deeper Access/Protect automation with business workflows (work orders, inventory, handover).
• Standardize on UniFi to replicate at new locations or franchise partners.