Cabling, switches, wireless
Wi-Fi that reaches the back of the building.
Most business Wi-Fi problems are not Wi-Fi problems — they are one consumer router trying to cover a building it was never designed for. Proper cabling, proper access points, and a network that stops being the thing everyone blames.
What it costs
Cat6 drops from $225 each, terminated, tested and labelled. Design, configuration and install work at $185/hour. Larger builds quoted fixed-price after a site walk.
The single router problem
A great many small businesses run on the router the internet provider left behind, possibly with a range extender bought in frustration. It works at the front desk and fails everywhere else, and the failure mode is not “no signal” — it is a device holding on to one bar, retransmitting constantly, and dragging the whole channel down for everyone.
Extenders make this worse rather than better. They halve throughput and add a second network your devices cling to long after they should have handed over. The fix is wired access points placed deliberately, sharing one network name, with devices handed between them cleanly.
Cabling is the part that lasts
Access points, switches and firewalls all get replaced every few years. The cable in the walls does not — put in Cat6 properly and it will outlive several generations of everything plugged into it.
Drops are $225 each in typical commercial construction, terminated at both ends, tested and labelled. Labelled matters more than it sounds: an unlabelled patch panel turns every future ten-minute job into an hour of tracing.
Separating what should be separate
Guest Wi-Fi belongs on its own network with no route to your file server. So do the security cameras, the smart thermostat, the door controller and the point-of-sale terminal — devices that are rarely patched and are the standard way into a small business network.
This is VLAN work, it is not expensive when done at install time, and it is the difference between a compromised camera being an annoyance and being an incident. It is also increasingly what a cyber-insurance questionnaire is asking about.
What a job usually looks like
A site walk first — building materials matter enormously, and a plan drawn from a floorplan alone is a guess. Brick, foil-backed insulation and metal racking all change where access points need to go.
Then cabling, a managed switch with PoE so the access points do not need power outlets in the ceiling, a business firewall, and access points placed for coverage rather than convenience. We label everything, document it, and leave you the documentation — including passwords, which are yours and not a retention mechanism.
Fixing rather than replacing
Not every call needs a rebuild. Frequently the existing kit is fine and the problem is configuration: overlapping channels, an extender that should be removed, a switch running at 100Mbps because of one bad cable, or DHCP handing out addresses from two devices at once.
We would rather charge you an hour to fix that than sell you hardware you did not need.
FAQ
Questions we get asked
Why is our Wi-Fi fine in one room and useless in the next?
Usually one router trying to cover a building, and often a wall it cannot get through — brick, plaster with metal lath, or foil-backed insulation are all effectively opaque. The answer is a wired access point on the far side, not a stronger router.
Do Wi-Fi extenders work?
Poorly, and they usually make things worse. They roughly halve throughput and create a second network your devices refuse to leave. A wired access point costs a bit more and solves it properly.
How much does network cabling cost?
About $225 per drop in typical commercial office construction, terminated, tested and labelled. Downtown, two things move that number: plenum-rated cable is required in most return-air ceilings, and some buildings mandate union electricians for anything in the walls. We check both before quoting rather than after.
Do we need a separate guest network?
Yes. It is straightforward to set up, costs nothing extra at install time, and stops a visitor's laptop — or your own security cameras — being able to reach your file server. Insurers increasingly ask about it.
Can you work with the router our internet provider gave us?
Often, yes, especially for a small office. For anything with VLANs, VPN access or serious throughput you will want a business firewall instead, and we will explain what it buys you rather than just quoting for one.
Do you do cameras and door access too?
We do the network side — the cabling, PoE switching and segmentation that IP cameras and access control run on — and we work alongside your security installer. We do not sell camera systems.
Ready when you are.
Ring us and describe the problem in plain English. We will tell you what it costs before anyone drives anywhere.