Wireless Network Installation Walkthrough
We recently had the opportunity to work on a residential property and provide a professional WiFi installation. Although we usually provide commercial WiFi services, one of our long-term managed service provider partners requested our help with a personal project for one of their clients. During the planning phase of this project, we completed a site walk-through to examine network cabling paths and access point mounting locations. Once that was completed, we were confident we could provide a professional low-voltage installation for this homeowner.
The scope of work for this project included the installation of four brand-new wireless access points on the outside of the client’s home. To reach the finish line of installing these access points, a new Cat 6 cable needed to be run from a network switch through a conduit or crawl space to the final mounting location of the wireless access points. The Cat 6 cable then needed to be properly dressed and terminated on both ends. Finally, the access points could be mounted to the wall. The locations for the access points are the front yard, driveway, garage/basketball court area, and pool to ensure comprehensive coverage. View our video below for a complete walkthrough of this project!
The Importance of a Wireless Design For Residential and Commercial Spaces
The wireless access points selected by the client to provide WiFi coverage are EnGenius access points, specifically the ECW270 model. The client also determined the locations of the access points and designed the wireless network. Designing a wireless network can be highly detailed, with many of these details depending on the client’s requirements. For this project, the wireless network engineer had to consider factors such as coverage area, capacity planning, frequency bands, channel allocation, and many other elements to implement the WiFi best design practices.
The chosen access points are outdoor-rated and have omnidirectional dipole antennas that alternate between 2.4 and 5 GHz. The beam pattern for these antennas works well when the access point is mounted on a wall, providing better coverage. In contrast, access points designed for ceiling mounting will not provide adequate wireless coverage if mounted on a wall, a common mistake seen done by many wireless network installation companies. Furthermore, a lack of overall wireless design can result in poor network connectivity, failing to meet the requirements outlined by the client.
Starting the Low-voltage Installation for Wireless Access Points
In order for these wireless access points to function, network infrastructure is needed to connect them to the network. Since we were given the mounting locations for each access point, we decided the first step would be to rough in the cables. Roughing in the cables involves running the Cat 6 cable without completely dressing it, or making it neat. This approach may seem wasteful at first glance, but it ensures that we have enough slack on the cable to accommodate any changes throughout the installation.
Once the access point installation is near completion and we have accurately determined how much cable is needed, we will dress the cable on both ends—the IDF and access point sides. This method ensures that we don’t have to rerun another cable if the initial cable length is insufficient. It also allows for a service loop and keeps our network installation as neat as possible.
Installing Wireless Access Points for the Driveway and Garage
The first cable run, starting at 1:37 in the video, will connect to the driveway access point. There is already an existing conduit for the security camera, so the security camera and the new AP will share that conduit. We always bring security keys to our job sites, allowing us to open the camera box and feed our cable for the access points through the security camera junction box. From the conduit, the cable enters the attic above the barn. This attic has plenty of crawl space, making it easy for us to run the cable through. The existing low-voltage cables were not properly managed, a common issue in residential properties. The client didn’t mind the current setup, so we added our cable to the same path and kept it as neat as possible. On the other side of the attic, the cable emerges into a storage room we refer to as the barn IDF (Intermediate Distribution Frame). In the barn IDF, there is a network cabinet mounted on the wall with a switch inside that provides network connectivity for the devices around the barn area.
The next access point, starting at 2:23 in the video, also had a cable run that made its way back to the barn IDF. This WiFi installation is meant to provide network connectivity to the garage and basketball court area. This run was straightforward and we positioned the access point exactly where the client wanted it.
Finishing up the Wireless Installation for this Residential Property
The installation for the yard access point, starting at 3:03 in the video, was the most unique among the four. Since there is no network cabinet or IDF nearby, the two existing cameras that cover the yard are directly connected to the network, most likely to the MDF (Main Distribution Frame). To run a new cable from the yard to the MDF for the access point would have been challenging. Instead, we wanted to leverage the existing runs to the MDF that feed the cameras, by pulling one of those ethernet cables back to the box in the yard.
Within the box, we installed a network switch, we plugged that ethernet cable feeding the previously feeding cameras into the switch and that became uplink. An uplink is a connection that connects a network device one step closer to the core of the network, also known as going upstream. Now the network switch essentially acts as a repeater, allowing the security cameras and new access point the ability to plug right into that switch rather than running a new cable back to the MDF. This approach saved us a considerable amount of time and effort in getting the yard access point operational.
Finally, the last access point we installed was near the pool area, this was a simple Cat 6 run because of the established conduit path, which ran directly from the access point to a switch. The access point will provide enough wireless coverage for typical Wi-Fi usage throughout the entire pool area.
Why Wireless Installers are the Key to Great Wifi Coverage
Having a wireless installer who understands the engineering behind WiFi network design makes the installation process significantly more efficient. As certified network engineers turned low-voltage installers, we excel in communicating with IT teams, network engineers, and IT project managers. It’s a breath of fresh air for IT professionals when they can communicate seamlessly with our team, as we are always on the same wavelength during the installation.
An experienced WiFi installer recognizes that the location of access points plays a crucial role in the effectiveness and optimization of a wireless network. Making last-minute changes to the installation locations of access points can have a detrimental impact on the performance of a network.
We were pleased to provide a professional installation for our client, who appreciated our work so much that they offered us additional projects at their residence. If you’d like to learn more about how we can assist with your next commercial wireless installation or network infrastructure project, please reach out to us at.
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