Wi-Fi and Wired Networking
Wi-Fi is an important tool in our day-to-day lives, but work-from-home makes it an essential service. But how does one get great Wi-Fi?
The Wi-Fi equipment provided by your cable company will generally work well in an area up to about 1,500 square feet ("sf"). This can be easily expanded to around 2,500sf with inexpensive "do-it-yourself" products such as Netgear's Orbi, Google's Mesh, EERO, and others. While these devices work over short distances, they are often disappointing in terms of speed, range and reliability.
For spaces over 2,500sf, a professionally-installed system is required. The challenge has been finding a reputable company with the right expertise that AV companies don't generally have.
Cagenio is owned and operated by an electrical engineer with decades of experience in networking and corporate IT. We are so confident in the products we sell and the service we provide, that we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If, for any reason at all, you are not satisfied with the quality of our work or the products we use, we will take them back and give you a 100% refund. (FYI - nobody has ever taken us up on this offer!)
The Wi-Fi equipment provided by your cable company will generally work well in an area up to about 1,500 square feet ("sf"). This can be easily expanded to around 2,500sf with inexpensive "do-it-yourself" products such as Netgear's Orbi, Google's Mesh, EERO, and others. While these devices work over short distances, they are often disappointing in terms of speed, range and reliability.
For spaces over 2,500sf, a professionally-installed system is required. The challenge has been finding a reputable company with the right expertise that AV companies don't generally have.
Cagenio is owned and operated by an electrical engineer with decades of experience in networking and corporate IT. We are so confident in the products we sell and the service we provide, that we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If, for any reason at all, you are not satisfied with the quality of our work or the products we use, we will take them back and give you a 100% refund. (FYI - nobody has ever taken us up on this offer!)
What does it cost?
The quick answer is that it depends on the size of you home and whether it is wired for Ethernet. Assuming that you have Ethernet wiring, a system that covers a typical 2,500sf to 4,000sf home will cost around $6,500. Coverage for homes in the 5,000sf to 6,000sf range will cost around $8,000. For detailed estimates based on the size of your home, please visit this page.
If you don't have existing Ethernet wiring, there are two options available:
1) Have an electrician run Ethernet cables. This is the best solution in terms of quality/reliability/longevity. The pricing for equipment and installation is the same as for homes with Ethernet, but with the additional wiring expense. We can provide an electrician to do the work. For budgetary purposes, running Ethernet throughout a typical home could cost $1,000 to $2,500, but it is highly dependent on the construction and finish.
2) Leverage existing Coax (cable tv) cables in the home and use "MoCA" adapters that convert Ethernet to Coax and back again. This solution allows us to use existing cables to run a wired network, and then convert to wireless from there. This approach is slightly less expensive than running new wiring, but requires several parts that can be visually unappealing (so they are best suited for places with cabinets or other furniture that can hide them). A system that covers a typical 2,500sf to 4,000sf home (lacking Ethernet wiring) will cost around $7,300. Coverage for homes in the 5,000sf to 6,000sf range will cost around $8,700. Please visit this page for sample estimates using MoCA adapters.
The quick answer is that it depends on the size of you home and whether it is wired for Ethernet. Assuming that you have Ethernet wiring, a system that covers a typical 2,500sf to 4,000sf home will cost around $6,500. Coverage for homes in the 5,000sf to 6,000sf range will cost around $8,000. For detailed estimates based on the size of your home, please visit this page.
If you don't have existing Ethernet wiring, there are two options available:
1) Have an electrician run Ethernet cables. This is the best solution in terms of quality/reliability/longevity. The pricing for equipment and installation is the same as for homes with Ethernet, but with the additional wiring expense. We can provide an electrician to do the work. For budgetary purposes, running Ethernet throughout a typical home could cost $1,000 to $2,500, but it is highly dependent on the construction and finish.
2) Leverage existing Coax (cable tv) cables in the home and use "MoCA" adapters that convert Ethernet to Coax and back again. This solution allows us to use existing cables to run a wired network, and then convert to wireless from there. This approach is slightly less expensive than running new wiring, but requires several parts that can be visually unappealing (so they are best suited for places with cabinets or other furniture that can hide them). A system that covers a typical 2,500sf to 4,000sf home (lacking Ethernet wiring) will cost around $7,300. Coverage for homes in the 5,000sf to 6,000sf range will cost around $8,700. Please visit this page for sample estimates using MoCA adapters.
What makes great Wi-Fi?
All home networks start with the Cable Modem provided by your cable company. This device provides your link to the internet and is connected to a Router. But great Wi-Fi requires the following components:
All home networks start with the Cable Modem provided by your cable company. This device provides your link to the internet and is connected to a Router. But great Wi-Fi requires the following components:
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Router - This device acts as the gatekeeper and gateway between your home network and the internet at large. These are typically small boxes with at least 2 Ethernet jacks (or "ports"); one is for the "WAN" or "Wide Area Network" and the other for the "LAN" or "Local Area Network". The Cable Modem connects to the WAN port on the router and the LAN port connects to the Ethernet Switch.
Controller - This is the "brain" that manages the components, configuration and operation of a network. Only professionally installed systems need Controllers. |
Ubiquiti Dream Machine SE
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Ethernet Switch - This device allows wired devices in your home to connect to each other. These are typically small boxes with lots of ports. Small switches have 4 to 8 ports. Large ones can have 48 ports. PoE switches provide "Power over Ethernet" and are used to provide electricity to network devices around your house, especially Access Points. |
Ubiquiti 16-Port PoE Switch
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Access Points - These are the 2-way radios that provide the signal used by your wireless devices. In homes with modern construction, each Access Point provides coverage for about 1,000sf to 1,200sf. In homes built before the 1940's the coverage is about 800sf due to the construction materials used. Professionally installed systems allow for multiple Access Points to cover very large areas, inside and out. These devices will be needed throughout your home and several shapes and sizes are available.
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Ubiquiti U7 Access Point
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Ethernet Wiring - this is needed to connect the various Access Points to the Ethernet switch. Ethernet wiring is also known as "Category" or "Cat" cable. Previously, data networks used "Cat5" cable. Current installations should use Cat6 at a minimum.
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Ethernet Cables
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Please Note: Cagenio does not sell anything online and the shopping cart does not function. Most products, Control4 in particular, must be installed and configured by Cagenio.
Cagenio is proud to be an Authorized Dealer of Ubiquiti Networks.
