Bad Wi-Fi is usually a design problem rather than a signal problem. Thick walls, a router hidden in a cupboard and one access point trying to cover a whole property will beat any amount of expensive equipment. We plan the network around the building and the people in it, install it, and stay on to sort out faults later.
Working out what the building needs
We start by walking the property. Where do people actually sit, which rooms have to be covered, where does the fibre or LTE come in, and what is the building made of. Coastal properties come with their own problems, including salt air on outdoor equipment and long runs between outbuildings. Getting this right first is cheaper than adding boosters afterwards.
Cabling, switches and routers
Cable where you can, wireless where you must. We run and terminate network cabling, install switches and routers, and label the whole lot so a fault can be traced in minutes instead of an afternoon. Neat cabling is not vanity. It is the difference between a quick repair and an expensive one.
Wi-Fi that reaches the whole property
For larger homes, guesthouses, workshops and offices spread over more than one building, we use multiple access points on a single network so devices move around without dropping. Cameras, card machines, printers and smart TVs all get looked at, because they are usually what falls over first.
Guest and staff networks kept apart
If visitors use your Wi-Fi, they should not be sharing a network with the computer that holds your bookings and banking. We separate guest access from the business network, set sensible limits on it, and make the password easy to hand out without opening anything up.
Fault-finding and ongoing support
Networks drift. An internet line degrades, a switch port dies, someone plugs a cable into the wrong socket. We diagnose the intermittent faults that are hardest to pin down, deal with your internet provider when the problem sits on their side, and expand the network as you add people or equipment.
Common questions
Why does the Wi-Fi drop in one part of the building?
Almost always because one access point is being asked to cover more building than it can reach. Thick walls, a router hidden in a cupboard behind a cabinet, and distance from the room where people actually sit will beat any amount of expensive equipment. Adding a booster sometimes helps and sometimes makes it worse by creating a second weak network. We measure the coverage you have now, find the dead spots and fix the layout rather than guessing.
Can you get Wi-Fi to an outbuilding or workshop?
Yes. Cable where you can, wireless where you must. A cable run to the outbuilding with its own access point at the far end is more reliable than trying to push signal through two sets of walls and open ground. On coastal properties we specify equipment that can take salt air, because outdoor gear that was fine inland corrodes here. The distance and what sits between the buildings decide the method.
Should guests be on the same Wi-Fi as the office computer?
No. Guests should be on a separate network from the machine that holds your bookings and your banking. It is not about trusting people, it is that you have no idea what is on a visitor's laptop or cellphone. We set up a guest network with its own password that is easy to hand out, put sensible limits on it, and keep it walled off from the business side.
Will you deal with my internet provider when the fault is theirs?
Yes. Part of fault-finding is proving where the problem sits, and once we can show the line is the issue rather than your equipment, we take it up with the provider on your behalf. That is usually faster than a business owner repeating the same story to a call centre. You stay the account holder, so we may need you to authorise us, and we will tell you what to say if the provider insists on speaking to you directly.