Networking & Wi-Fi Mesh

Wi-Fi that holds up on the call that matters.

Cat6 / Cat6A structured cabling, ceiling-mount access points with hardwired backhaul, switch closets with cable management, UPS for power events. UniFi, Eero, Orbi — installed the way each platform actually deserves.

Request a Walk-Through (650) 550-0719
Modern Wi-Fi router with antennas

What This Is

Wired backbone, Wi-Fi where it makes sense.

Every "the Wi-Fi is bad" call we get is one of three things: AP placed inside the wrong wall, mesh node wireless-backhauled across too much drywall, or 5 GHz radio fighting microwave-oven and baby-monitor noise. Real fix is structured cabling — pull Cat6A to the AP locations, hardwire-backhaul each AP, and let Wi-Fi do what it is actually good at (mobile devices, not 4K Plex streams).

Bay Area homes are unusually dense with smart-home devices, security cameras, video-call workstations, and PoE cameras — Wi-Fi-only architectures buckle under that load fast. We design wired-first, with mesh wireless for the gaps. Cat6A for new pulls, Cat6 for retrofits where 1 Gbps is the realistic ceiling.

Patch panel and structured cabling in a network rack

Terminated patch panel — the part the homeowner never sees.

Scope

What is included in a networking install.

Cabling, access points, switch closet, router, UPS and segmentation — single accountable contractor.

Cat6 / Cat6A Drops

Plenum or riser-rated cable pulled through wall, ceiling, attic and crawlspace. Outlet locations per use case map. Both ends terminated and tested with a cable certifier.

Access Point Placement

Site survey with Wi-Fi analyzer first. Ceiling-mount or wall-mount APs per Wi-Fi heatmap. Hardwired backhaul wherever practical.

Switch & Patch Panel

PoE-capable switch sized to drops + cameras + APs (typical: 16 or 24 port). 12-24 port patch panel. Cable management, port labels, switch port labels.

Router / Gateway

UniFi Dream Machine Pro, Eero Pro 6E / Max 7, Netgear Orbi Pro, or pfSense / OPNsense for self-hosted firewall. ISP modem coordination.

UPS + Power Resilience

CyberPower / APC UPS sized for 30-60 min of router + switch + NVR runtime. Outlet wiring at the rack, not relying on extension cords.

VLAN & Guest Segmentation

Optional but recommended for IoT-heavy households: separate VLAN for cameras / smart-home devices, isolated guest network, firewall rules between zones.

Structured cabling and patch cords organized in a rack

Equipment We Install

UniFi, Eero, Orbi — honestly compared.

UniFi for households that want dashboards and VLAN segmentation; Eero / Orbi for households that want phone-only setup. We will deploy whichever your priorities match — and tell you when the "easy" choice is the wrong one for the building.

UniFi Dream Machine Pro

Router + controller + 8-port switch in 1U

UniFi U6 / U7 Pro Access Points

Ceiling-mount, Wi-Fi 6 / 6E / 7

Eero Pro 6E / Eero Max 7

Tri-band / quad-band mesh, easy setup

Netgear Orbi RBKE963 / RBE973

Tri-band / quad-band high-power mesh

UniFi USW Pro 24 PoE

24-port managed PoE+ switch for racks

CyberPower / APC UPS 1500VA

Sine-wave UPS for sensitive electronics

FAQ

Networking questions, straight answers.

Cat6 supports 1 Gbps to 100 m and 10 Gbps to about 55 m. Cat6A supports 10 Gbps to the full 100 m, has thicker conductor + better shielding, and handles PoE+ / PoE++ heat better. For new construction or major remodels we always pull Cat6A — the cable cost premium is small versus the labor of pulling new cable later. For short retrofit drops where current need is 1 Gbps, Cat6 is fine.

Hardwired backhaul wins. Wireless mesh systems (Eero, Orbi, UniFi APs without backhaul) split available Wi-Fi airtime between client traffic and the link to the gateway — practical throughput in the satellite nodes is typically 30-50% of the main node. Hardwired Ethernet from each AP back to a central switch gives every AP a full gigabit (or 2.5/10 Gig on newer hardware) of clean uplink. Single-story / small homes: wireless mesh is fine. Multi-story or 2500+ sq ft: hardwired backhaul is the right call.

A useful rule of thumb in residential is one AP per 1,500-2,000 sq ft of finished space, plus one for outdoor zones. Layout matters more than count — a single AP centered in a single-story 2,400 sq ft home often works; a 2,400 sq ft two-story with a master suite at the far corner of the second floor probably needs two. We site-survey with a Wi-Fi analyzer before committing.

Eero (Amazon-owned since 2019) is the easiest — phone-only setup, no controller, automatic updates. Right for households that want zero ongoing administration. Orbi (Netgear) is similar but with stronger raw performance in some models. UniFi (Ubiquiti) requires a controller — Cloud Key Gen2 Plus or self-hosted UniFi Network Application — and gives you VLAN-per-device-type, guest network segmentation, per-client speed metrics, and a much more powerful firewall. Right for households with IoT-segmentation needs or homeowners who like dashboards. We install all three.

Yes. Streaming TVs, gaming consoles, NAS / file servers, work-from-home video calls, and PoE cameras all benefit from wired. Wi-Fi is the right answer for phones, tablets and laptops; wired is the right answer for everything that sits in one spot. We typically drop Cat6A to every TV, every desk, the AP locations, the printer / NAS, and the doorbell / camera positions.

A networking closet, structured-wiring panel, or open shelf in a utility room — depending on the home. A typical Bay Area residential rack contains an ISP modem / ONT, a router (UniFi Dream Machine, Eero Pro, etc.), a PoE switch (8 / 16 / 24 ports), a UPS for power resiliency, and a 12-24-port patch panel terminating the in-wall runs. We design the panel layout, label every port, and document the network for the homeowner.

Ready to fix the Wi-Fi?

Site survey + scope visit.

$200 on-site walk-through with Wi-Fi analyzer. Drop count, AP placement, switch sizing, fixed quote within 5 business days — applied to project total if you proceed.

Request a Walk-Through (650) 550-0719
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