Home Network Design
Home network design is more important now than ever. Especially when you consider just how many San Diego homeowners are working from home. With the increase in users and connected devices, your internet speed may be notably slower. In many cases, when this happens, it means things like square footage, building materials, and the amount of devices connecting to the network have not been considered. All of which can degrade your WiFi signal and your WiFi speed. Getting the most out of your home network requires an investment in better network equipment, and planning. Because having a fast reliable home network is important, now is a great time to consider building one you can count on. Whether you’re designing a new wireless network or replacing an existing one, this insight on the design process and what you should consider will help you build a home network that you can rely on.
Network Requirements
A basic home network can be built fairly quickly. However, these days, most home networks are not basic. Especially when you consider the amount of connected devices, and activities happening in a home like streaming movies or music and sometimes, both. As a result, most people are now getting slower than expected speeds out of their home network. This happens when you do not account for things like square footage, building materials, expected speed of the network and the location of the network equipment.
Other things like common sources of Wi-Fi interference (see examples below), the number of wireless devices that need to connect and what types of activities happen throughout the day also need to be considered. With that in mind, during a home network design your primary goal is to determine the device capacity, throughput, and coverage goals of your network.
When you do, you’ll know exactly what type of network equipment you need, and you’ll also know where to place your wireless access points to ensure even coverage throughout your home. With that in mind, we offer more insight on things that must be taken into consideration.
How Building Materials Affect Wi-Fi Signal
Most common building materials reduce Wi-Fi signal strength:
3dB loss = 1/2 of original strength
6dB loss = 1/4 of original strength
10dB loss = 1/9 of original strength
How Wi-Fi Channels Impact Performance vs Reliability | 2.4 GHz | 5 GHz |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Distance | Travels farther | Less range |
| Speed | Slower | Much Faster |
| Interference | Very high | Low |
| Barriers | Less signal loss | More signal loss |
Why Does This Matter?
For a fast Internet throughout your home, you need even coverage. So, it’s important to understand how building materials and distance from your network equipment can cause your home to work against your wireless network. Obstacles that might block or degrade your Wi-Fi signal like metal studs, reflective glass and brick walls, all need to be considered when building your home network. This will help you plan the amount of wireless access points you’ll need to add for even coverage.
The reality is, the wireless spectrum is a very busy place. Especially if you live in a city like San Diego. In fact, something as simple as being on the same channel as everyone else in your neighborhood can have a negative impact on network performance. To avoid issues like interference, channel planning is one of the most important steps during the network design and configuration process. That’s because every neighboring network is fighting to access the same wireless channels.
San Diego Home WiFi Network Installation
You’re already paying your internet provider for a fast connection. So, it only makes sense to have network equipment that can deliver it. Our San Diego home network installation services are comprehensive in that we will come out free of charge to assess your current home network. Once we do, we will evaluate the solutions that are right for your needs and budget. And, we’ll get you up and running quickly! Contact us at (760) 505-7461 to book your appointment and ask about same day service.
