Heritage & Visitor Attractions

A-Lovely-Planet-Mary-Rose-Museum-©-Gareth-Gardner

Case Studies

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Project Overview

Client: National Museum of the Royal Navy / Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Locations: HMS Victory, Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard)

Sector: Heritage, Culture & Visitor Attractions

Scope: Public Wi-Fi, Staff & Operations Connectivity, Secure Wireless, CCTV & Security Integration

Core Objective: Deliver modern, reliable connectivity within nationally significant heritage environments — without impacting the fabric, appearance, or integrity of historic assets.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is home to some of the most important naval heritage sites in the world, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. From interactive museum experiences to live events, education programmes, and day-to-day operations, digital connectivity has become essential — even in environments built centuries before electricity existed.

Cyber Ware was engaged to deliver secure, future-ready wireless infrastructure that would support visitor experience, operational teams, and security systems, while respecting the strict constraints of listed and protected historic environments.

The Challange

Delivering connectivity in heritage environments presents a unique set of challenges:

Protected structures where drilling, surface mounting, and visible cabling are heavily restricted

Thick timber, steel hulls, stone, and iron that severely impact wireless propagation

Visitor-facing expectations for fast, seamless Wi-Fi in museums and attractions

Operational and safety-critical use by staff working in confined and hard-to-reach areas

Temporary events and exhibitions requiring flexible, scalable connectivity

Security requirements including CCTV, monitoring, and restricted access zones

In locations such as HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Museum, connectivity was needed not just for guests — but increasingly for staff, conservation teams, engineers, and safety-critical operations, including work deep within ship hulls and enclosed spaces.

The solution needed to be robust, discreet, auditable, and adaptable, while remaining invisible to the visitor experience.

Our Approach

Cyber Ware approached the project with a heritage-first mindset, combining technical expertise with sensitivity to the environment.

Detailed Site Surveys & Planning

We carried out comprehensive wireless and spectrum surveys to understand how signals behaved within complex structures such as wooden decks, steel frames, and enclosed hull spaces. This ensured access points were placed for performance — not convenience.

Discreet, Non-Intrusive Deployment

Access points and cabling routes were carefully selected to remain hidden from public view, preserving the visual integrity of historic spaces while still delivering reliable coverage.

Operational Resilience

The network was designed to support both everyday visitor demand and specialist operational activity — including work in confined spaces and areas traditionally considered “unconnectable”.

Multi-Network Design

Separate, securely segmented networks were deployed for:

Visitors and guests
Museum and dockyard staff
Operational and safety systems
Security and CCTV infrastructure

Security & compliance

This ensured performance, security, and compliance across all use cases.

Managed Service & Ongoing Support

Cyber Ware provides ongoing monitoring, support, and optimisation to ensure performance remains consistent as environments, exhibitions, and visitor behaviour evolve.

The Outcome

The project has transformed how connectivity supports heritage environments across Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Visitors now benefit from reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi that enhances their experience — enabling interactive exhibits, digital content, guided tours, and event engagement without disruption.

Behind the scenes, staff and operational teams rely on the same infrastructure to support communications, safety systems, CCTV, and day-to-day operations, even in some of the most challenging physical environments imaginable.

Key outcomes include:

Seamless visitor connectivity across museums, dockyard spaces, and historic vessels

Secure staff and operational networks supporting conservation, engineering, and safety-critical work

Improved security coverage through integrated wireless CCTV connectivity

Support for modern events and exhibitions, including corporate hospitality and live experiences

Preservation of historic integrity, with no visual or structural compromise

A future-ready platform, capable of supporting new digital experiences as expectations evolve

Cyber Ware enabled the dockyard to deliver 21st-century visitor experiences within 18th- and 16th-century environments — proving that heritage and technology can coexist without compromise.

Solution Architecture (at a glance)

Working within a protected heritage environment demands a different approach to connectivity. The solution was designed to deliver modern digital services without compromising historic structures or aesthetics.

Non-intrusive wireless design

Overcome thick stone, timber, and iron without visible or invasive installation

Reliable coverage in hard-to-reach spaces

Including ship interiors and enclosed compartments

Secure network separation:

For visitors, staff, operations, and security systems

Resilient performance

During peak visitor periods and temporary events

Integrated CCTV and monitoring

delivered discreetly over the same infrastructure

Centralised management

Minimise physical intervention on site

The result is a robust, secure network that respects the past while enabling the future.

From Heritage to the Future

At Cyber Ware, we understand that heritage sites don’t just preserve history — they bring it to life.

By combining sensitive design, technical expertise, and ongoing operational support, we help heritage organisations deliver memorable, engaging, and secure experiences for generations to come.