May 30 2021
Wireless technology is reaching further and further into all aspects of our daily lives. That means depending on the situation you will need to figure out what it will take to provide you with the right WiFi infrastructure. Whether you are looking to outfit a large home, commercial warehouse, or office building, you will need to have a plan in place.
This post is designed to help provide valuable information about putting together a plan that will allow you to set up a good working infrastructure. This will allow all of the users that will be relying on having a good WiFi signal within your building or large size home.
6 Important Things to Keep in Mind When Setting Up Large WiFi Infrastructure
Plan your Cabling Carefully in Advance
While commercial-grade WiFi equipment is on the expensive side, a high-quality Cat5 or Cat6 cabling system will definitely set you back a lot of money. This is especially true if you are talking about a large commercial office building, large warehouse, or large residential home. You might also take into consideration future expansion into areas of the structure that may not be in use. This will help to cut down on issues later down the line.
Use a Site Survey to Ensure the Proper Equipment Placement
Knowing exactly how much coverage your will need is very important when it comes to purchasing the correct WiFi equipment. For a large-scale project, you would be wise to bring in a professional to complete a site survey of the build(s). The survey will test all of the equipment to determine where the coverage is optimal and where all of the equipment and wiring need to go.
Choose the WiFi Infrastructure Equipment Very Carefully
Since commercial-grade WiFi equipment is expensive, you want to be sure that you are selecting the best equipment for the price and determining if you are able to deliver the best system that you can for all of the users. Be sure to do a lot of research before you decide to go with specific pieces of equipment.
Selected a Quality Management System
The second part of a good WiFi infrastructure system is the controller behind the scenes. Having a controller that unifies all of the many pieces into one cohesive system will deliver the most optimum results for your business and all of the users. There are two distinct methods for controlling the WiFi system; physical and a cloud-based platform. Depending on the hardware that you select, the company will usually have its own cloud-based controller to make everything simple. However, if you decide to go with the physical type controller then you will have more configurations to accomplish.
Use the Best Configuration to Get the Most Out of Your Equipment
Deciding on what configuration is best to provide your users with the best possible experience. The signal coverage will likely be the most important aspect of the configuration depending on how many different work areas and different environments.
Consider a Wireless Bridge to Connect to Areas that are Too Far Apart to Run Ethernet, but Too Expensive to Run a Fiber Line
Last, but certainly not least, how to connect areas that are separated by a large space. This could mean two different buildings that could be across a parking lot or much further away. The WiFi bridge uses a line of sight technology to connect two points that are separated by a distance that is greater than 330 feet (maximum distance for Ethernet cabling). While fiber cabling would be a viable option, the cost would likely be cost-prohibitive.
