ARE CABLES NECESSARY?
We often get asked if cables are necessary in the age of ‘wireless everything’.
The truth is – cables are more necessary than ever. The internet service provider (ISP) supplied hardware is fine for a smaller house (less than 1100 sqf depending on what it’s constructed from). Wi-Fi is too high frequency to be able to travel through lots of walls and floors effectively, so to have great Wi-Fi throughout your home you need several transmitters wired back to a central point. This is exactly how Wi-Fi is provided in hotels and offices… we use the same strategy for our client’s homes.
Older homes like bungalows while not generally large in size they will suffer from WiFi penetration issues because for the density of the wall coverings (Lath & Plaster) Multi story properties, L shape or H shaped homes will suffer from WiFI dead spots and buffering issues (speed) because of the physical shape, and sometimes the sheer size of the house.
Homes constructed with lots of steel, glass and concrete and brick (most modern homes) will also suffer from WiFi penetration issues because of the actual materials used are not conducive to good WiFi penetration. Stucco homes will also suffer from penetration issues to outside areas do the density and stucco wire mesh used.
Lastly your neighbors can also have a big effect on your WiFi, especially true in modern high density developments of apartments and condos, which can often suffer from WiFi saturation due to each property being so close to each other causing speed issues and range reduction.
A cabled internet connection is still 10 x faster than the fastest wireless connection, so where possible we try and cable all video and audio streaming devices. This helps reduce the dreaded buffering wheel from appearing when you are trying to watch your favorite Netflix show or Movie.
You could try using off the shelf plugin WiFi extenders but these generally come at the expense of speed and reliability, they also need to be setup correctly so that your devices know they are there, and automatically connect to the closest transmitter when you are in range.
The average home in 2019 has more ‘connected devices’ per square foot than a typical office. Many of the homes we look after have literally hundreds of connected devices and the router provided by your ISP simply isn’t up to the job.
A modern smart home uses the home network and WiFi as its foundation; all your smart devices wired and wireless use your home network to communicate.
It’s also no use installing outdoor speakers in the garden if you don’t have great WiFi outside as you won’t be able to control the volume from your phone or change your music playlist from your outdoor entertainment area.
All of our systems include state of the art remote diagnostic capabilities and features like remote reboot to minimize the need for on-site service.
Please get in touch to discuss your WiFi challengers or concerns.