Business Wi-Fi

How Can I Keep My Home Office Wi-Fi Secure?

A couple of years ago, the most you did with your Wi-Fi might have been a Netflix binge, a bit of online shopping and perhaps some gaming. But now, a big percentage of the workforce are working from at least part of the time.

With the pandemic brought the rise of hybrid working and all of a sudden, people needed strong, reliable Wi-Fi at home so they could continue to work throughout lockdowns. But what about security?

Just as you wouldn’t want your card details stolen online, your boss probably doesn’t want confidential information at risk on your home network. They won’t want their devices flooded with spyware and malware either!

So what can you do to keep your home Wi-Fi network secure so you can continue working from home?

Here are some top tips to help keep those hackers, scammers and cybercriminals at bay, and protect your network and all the devices connected to it.

How to keep your home Wi-Fi network secure

1. Re-name your home Wi-Fi network

Your wireless router will automatically broadcast your default SSID (service set identifier) in the list of available wireless networks close by. It is usually listed by the manufacturer or service provider’s name e.g. Sky. This gives hackers a headstart when it comes to breaking into your network, so it’s always a good idea to re-name it. Make sure you choose a name that doesn’t give away any personal info, such as your surname or house number.

2. Choose a strong, unique password for your wireless network

Did you know that hackers can make educated guesses when it comes to default passwords, especially if they know the name of the manufacturer of your router? Scary right. Make sure you change the default password to something strong and less easy to guess. You want it to be at least 20 characters long, and include letters, numbers and symbols. The more difficult you make the password, the trickier it is for hackers to get into your network.

3. Enable network encryption

Most routers come with a feature called encryption, but they tend to come with this turned off. You can help to secure your home WI-Fi network by turning this feature on in settings. You should turn this on as soon as your router has been installed by your broadband provider. The most recent and effective encryption currently available is ‘WPA2’.

4. Don’t broadcast your network name – Turn this feature off

We touched on this above when we talked about changing the default name. You can go a step further and not broadcast your wireless network publicly at all. When a person looks up available local networks on their device, your network won’t be visible if you disable name broadcasting. This means that your Wi-Fi is invisible to anyone who doesn’t know how to go looking for it. There’s not many reasons why you would need to publicly display your home wireless network, unless you want to be sharing it with your friends and neighbours!

5. Keep up with the latest software updates

As with any firmware, software can have vulnerabilities. Thankfully, these are usually swiftly rectified and shared via updates by the manufacturer. By staying up to date with software for your router you can make sure that it has the highest level of security. Hence helping to prevent hackers getting access to your home Wi-Fi network.

6. How good is your firewall?

If you want to protect your computer or other device from malware, viruses and other cyber attacks then you need a firewall. You’ll find that most wireless routers come with a firewall built in – But do make sure that this function isn’t turned off. No firewall on your router? You’ll want to make sure that you download a decent firewall onto your system to act as a guard to anyone attempting to access your wireless network with ill intent.

7. Use VPNs to access your network

A virtual private network is a really effective way of keeping your online communications private and secure. You can use your devices on your home Wi-Fi network and connect to a VPN which then checks your credentials and links with another server. Once both sides are authenticated, all your internet communication becomes encrypted – Which means no outside prying eyes can see or access what you’re up to.

How secure is your home Wi-Fi network?

It is so important to keep your home wireless network secure – Perhaps now more than every before with the amount of employees working from home.

You should know exactly how secure your home Wi-Fi network is, and the steps you can take to ensure it is as secure as you can possibly make it.

You should be aware of all the devices that connect to your home network and ensure that they all have reliable security software installed. That way all of the devices across your home Wi-Fi network will be protected from viruses and spyware, and thus protecting any sensitive information you may be sharing for work.

by admin26th September 2022

Business Wi-Fi Hampshire Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 6E

What’s the Difference Between Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6E?

Put very simply, Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of the Wi-Fi 6 standard. It basically acts as a fast lane for compatible devices applications and devices which leads to faster wireless speeds and lower latency.

But there’s more to it than that!

One main thing to note is that Wi-Fi 6 is backward compatible (meaning it works with previous Wi-Fi standards) whereas Wi-Fi 6E does not offer this. But this is part of the reason how it creates that fast lane.

Because Wi-Fi 6E is only compatible with Wi-Fi 6E devices, there tends to be lower levels of congestion and interference within the 6 GHz band, hence helping to optimise performance. Wi-Fi 6E devices are becoming more prevalent.

When did we start using the 6 GHz frequency band?

Back in July 2020, Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, made access to 500MHz of radio spectrum frequency in the new 6GHz band available for home Wi-Fi networks.

This significantly boosted the speed of any indoor home wireless networks exempt from licences via the new Wi-Fi 6 / 6E standard.

The 6GHz band is a higher frequency than the others, which means it has a lower level of coverage than the 5GHz band due to weaker signal. However, the extra spectrum allows more space for data which means faster speeds.

The lower coverage means a more secure connection for homes due to less congestion and competition with other local Wi-Fi signals.

Do we need new infrastructure for Wi-Fi 6E?

As we mentioned above, Wi-Fi 6E is not backward compatible like Wi-Fi 6, so this means that if you want to utilise this Wi-Fi fast lane, you need the relevant devices. So this means that yes, you will need new Wi-Fi infrastructure to use Wi-Fi 6E.

To support this Wi-Fi standard extension, you’ll need your IT team to look at your current wireless infrastructure and identify what will need to be updated. Think routers, switches, access points and other hardware – Then you can take full advantage of the higher speeds of Wi-Fi 6E.

It’s worth noting that when you do upgrade your infrastructure in order to support Wi-Fi 6E, you don’t necessarily need to abandon your existing Wi-Fi 6 devices and applications. You can still use these on the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz frequency bands.

The upgraded devices that can use the 6GHz spectrum will likely help to reduce congestion on these other frequency bands – Providing a better user experience for devices connecting to both 2.5 GHz and 5GHz as well as the Wi-Fi 6E devices on the 6GHz band.

What are the biggest benefits of Wi-Fi 6E?

Strong, reliable Wi-Fi has become business critical. Businesses cannot function without a good Wi-Fi network – A network that needs to adequately serve an entire workforce.

In today’s day and age, this means a workforce with some employees in the office, some working remotely and a mix of both. This hybrid workforce will have a variety of devices and apps that support this way of working. Relying on excellent Wi-Fi!

It’s a data driven world, so your business needs to make sure that the wireless network is secure, reliable, flexible and as fast as possible. Here are the benefits of Wi-Fi 6E that will most help with these business critical Wi-Fi elements.

Wi-Fi 6E and Speed

The 6GHz band allows data to be transmitted rapidly via Wi-Fi 6E devices like smartphones, laptops and wearable devices. THe other great thing is that because it’s not backward compatible, there are none of those slow legacy devices trying to compete for bandwidth.

These advantages with speed mean that streaming high resolution video, teleconferencing and even online gaming make Wi-Fi 6E an ideal choice. It’s perfect for these types of bandwidth-intensive applications. Real world examples are AR/VR and transferring large data files such as MRI images within healthcare.

Wi-Fi 6E and Security

Most businesses and organisations require a secure network. It is mandatory for all Wi-Fi 6E devices to have WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3) as specified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. THey ust also not have backward compatibility with WPA2. This increase in security helps to increase the confidence of your network users when moving to the 6GHz frequency band – Especially for those must-trusted connections,

OWE (Opportunisitc Wireless Encryption Specification) is also an option for Wi-Fi 6E. Using OWE means that the communication between a pair of endpoints is protected. The Support for Wi-Fi Enhanced Open certification is given for the 6GHz band, based on the OWE.

What Industries Can Benefit Most from Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6E really has the ability to transform any and most industries. The ones that are likely to benefit the most with the most transformative impact include the following sectors:

How Can Wi-Fi 6E Benefit the Healthcare Industry?

We touched on how Wi-Fi 6E could support the transfer of large data files like MRI images. It also helps providers to connect more life-saving devices with fewer data delays and slowdowns. The higher speeds and lack of congestion means higher quality connections with fewer dropouts, making it impactful for telehealth appointments.

How Can Wi-Fi 6E Benefit the Retail Industry?

No one likes to be stuck at the point of sale waiting for the card machine to connect and take the payment. Wi-Fi 6E can help to ensure these connections are faster – Not only reducing customer frustration, but also shortening queues. The better the experience for the customer, the better the image of the brand, leading to regular custom and increased sales.

How Can Wi-Fi 6E Benefit the Education Industry?

Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen how much educational institutions have relied on technology to continue and enhance teaching. Primary Schools up to Universities have immersed themselves in virtual learning which has been carried on even when students have been welcomed back to classrooms. Wi-Fi 6E supports high throughput and concurrent data transmission which makes it ideal for a learning environment.

Let’s not forget that more and more students are using devices and tech as a part of their daily school lessons. Newer devices that can take advantage of the 6GHz band and Wi-Fi 6E benefits, whilst older devices can still access the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands. This results in lighter traffic all round, enhancing wireless connectivity and performance and thus the learning experience.

How Can Wi-Fi 6E Benefit the Manufacturing and Warehouse Industry?

IoT devices and sensors are becoming more and more prevalent in the manufacturing and warehouse industries. An organisation in this sector should seriously consider using Wi-Fi 6E enabled devices so they can take full advantage of this almost interference-free band.

The brilliant thing about this is that you can split your network into two. Employees working in the office checking emails and using the internet for day to day admin can continue to use the 5GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. This leaves the Wi-Fi 6E devices on your manufacturing floor or warehouse free to run efficiently uninterrupted.

This makes Wi-Fi 6E ideal for this industry, helping to meet service level expectations with improved reliability and lower latency.

Wi-Fi 6E Benefits for All

These industries are only a few select ones that are likely to see a huge positive impact from using Wi-Fi 6E. But most businesses and organisations could see improvements in their network by upgrading to this Wi-Fi standard extension.

In conclusion, various industries and businesses in general can benefit from Wi-Fi 6E with the main advantages being:

Higher network speeds
Stronger security
Access to up to 2.5 times more spectrum
A better voice and video experience

Are you considering updating your wireless infrastructure to support Wi-Fi 6E? Why not give the experts a call! Here at Geekabit our Wi-Fi engineers can help support you and your business Wi-Fi network with professional and expert advice and installation.

by admin12th September 2022

4G 4G LTE 4G Mobile Broadband 4G survey 4G Wi-Fi 5G 5G survey Broadband Business Wi-Fi FTTP Hampshire Router Village Hall Wi-Fi Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi and Connectivity Options for Village Halls

Did you know that village halls in need of a bit of updating and renovation can apply for a share of a £3m fund, all in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?

This follows the tradition of village hall investments for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and King George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935.

125 lucky village hall recipients will have a share of the £3m fund, which can be put towards renovations and building improvements including Wi-Fi.

You might well be hosting or celebrating in your local village hall for this weekend’s Jubilee celebrations! Village halls are often the heart of communities, bringing people together. It’s vital these hubs stay well connected with strong, reliable Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi for Village Halls – A Quick Guide

If you’re a part of the committee that looks after your local village hall, then you’ll know that there is an ever-increasing need for these community buildings to offer broadband and Wi-Fi access to their users.

Not only will this support a wide range of community activities and events, it will also enhance the facilities you can offer as a venue to those who hire your space.

So what do you need to consider to improve digital connectivity for your communities and businesses by making sure your village hall is well connected?

Get a Broadband Connection

Before even thinking about Wi-Fi or broadband, you need to make sure you have a telephone landline. The only exception is if you are able to get cable or fibre access to the hall. You can read more about FTTP in one of our previous blogs here. Make sure that you have a business contract rather than residential, as it will be for public use.

To get a new telephone line, order one through BT.com. After that’s done, you can upgrade to broadband. Always make sure you check with the ISP that you are able to make your internet connection available to the public before placing your order.

If you want to get broadband without a landline, you would need to be able to have a cable, full fibre or mobile broadband connection. More on that later!

Not got an official postal address? Some village halls don’t actually have an official post office address which can cause problems with some ISP’s as they may insist that you have one in order to place an order. If you find this is the case, you can contact the Post Office and request an official address here.

Some ISP’s will accept what’s known as an ‘unserved’ building but they may ask to do an initial survey before they confirm your order.

How much will it cost to install Wi-Fi in a village hall?

You will need to incur some costs to get Wi-Fi successfully set up in your village hall. Bear in mind the following likely outgoings:

Installation and connection costs for a new telephone line (plus VAT) and broadband connection (if required)
Line rental for the telephone line (ongoing costs)
Data usage charges from broadband / Wi-Fi use (ongoing costs)
Any work required to install the Wi-Fi router in a secure location, plus additional devices that may be needed to boost Wi-Fi signal

You can help keep costs to a minimum by shopping around for the best contract available on price comparison websites. Remember you need a business contract, not a residential one! Make sure you balance out the costs with data usage limits and of course, reliability.

Remember though, making improvements with the Wi-Fi in your village hall is investing in its successful future. It’s vital that these community hubs are well connected for their users. And even better if you can get the costs covered by securing part of the £3m Jubilee fund!

Security

We cannot express enough how important it is to make sure that your Wi-Fi is secure. You should manage and filter the access to your Wi-Fi signal.

If you were to allow unmanaged access to your Wi-Fi, people may use your broadband connection for illegal purposes. By providing the Wi-Fi for this, you could be liable.

Luckily for you, it’s super easy to manage your Wi-Fi security – And definitely not something that should put you off setting up a Wi-Fi connection in your village hall.

To minimise the risk of inappropriate use, you should:

Install your router in a secure place where only authorised users are able to physically access it. Don’t let people connect to your router via Ethernet cable as they could make changes.
Routers usually display the passwords you need in order to manage and access your Wi-Fi connection. If you think it’s possible for unauthorised users to access this information, then consider changing the User ID and admin password (instructions on how to do this should be in your router user guide).
Regularly change your Wi-Fi access password for users. This means that only current users will be able to use your Wi-Fi connection, rather than someone who isn’t authorised or is re-using a password they’ve previously been issued with.
Always ensure that the parental control setting is switched on. This prevents access to any unsuitable websites on your Wi-Fi connection. You can use your router manual to set appropriate firewall settings to set the level of restriction required.

The router in our village hall doesn’t reach the whole building

If you already have a router installed in your village hall, but it’s not reaching far enough and you’re struggling with black spots or slower Wi-Fi in certain places then you may need to extend your Wi-Fi coverage.

This is particularly relevant if you have a large village hall building – The signal just may not be strong enough to reach everywhere it needs to from one router.

We mentioned above that it’s important for the router to be in a secure area so unauthorised people cannot access it. This could mean that it’s been placed in a less than ideal location for signal strength and connectivity. It’s vital to balance the two!

Ideally, you will be able to place the router in a central location, but if that is not the case then you may need to install other devices to extend the signal to other locations within your village hall building. You could potentially use a powerline adapter or a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal strength and get wider Wi-Fi coverage in the building.

Mobile Broadband for Rural Village Halls

You and your users might not be in London, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t expect the same Wi-Fi connection that you get in urban areas – Despite being in more rural ones.

Unfortunately there are many parts of the countryside that are suffering from a broadband deficit – Indeed, there seems to be a connectivity imbalance across the countryside, with many village halls struggling.

Over the past year particularly, we’ve installed countless numbers of external 4G antennas and routers in rural areas, effectively replacing the broadband through the telephone cable using a data SIM card.

You can read more about our 4G Mobile Broadband solutions in a previous blog of ours here.

If you are wary about whether Mobile Broadband could work in your more rural village hall, then our Cellular Survey could be just what you need. We can map the availability of cellular and data coverage within a building and report the details of phone coverage for 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G. We can measure the cellular connectivity, data upload and download speeds and the occurrence of dropped and failed calls for all the main mobile network operators. You can read more about this here.

Want to know more about how Geekabit could help get your village hall connected?

For further information about securing a strong Wi-Fi connection in your village hall, please email our Wi-Fi experts at info@geekabit.co.uk and someone will be in touch as soon as possible.

We work out of London, Hampshire and Cardiff, covering community buildings, businesses and larger residential properties.

by admin29th May 2022

Broadband Business Wi-Fi FTTP Leased Line Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Advice Wi-Fi Design Wi-Fi Installation Wireless Network

Which is best for my business – FTTP or a Leased Line?

Let’s face it – These days, business flow depends on connectivity.

With remote working now more prevalent than ever before, there is a significant business need for straightforward online collaboration. Not to mention business critical operations and organisational efficiency.

For a successful business, you need a reliable, strong connection that doesn’t buffer or drop out during vital video calls and digital team meetings.

What’s the point in having top of the range tech and dedicated employees if you don’t have the broadband speed to keep up with their communications or computers?

There is nothing less motivating than slow internet – Lagging video, audio that’s out of sync, calls that drop out, pages that load slowly. It makes us feel frustrated just thinking about it!

And whilst it might not sound like much – That 30 seconds of delay here and there throughout the day could actually add up to a lot of lost productivity across an organisation in just one week.

So what’s the solution? For any small business, it’s really down to two options – FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) or a leased line. But which one is best for your business?

What is FTTP and how does it work?

As we said above, FTTP is Fibre to the Premises. It means an internet connection that is designed for small businesses and consumer use.

FTTP works by sending data over a fibre optic cable from the exchange to the user’s premises. FTTP relies on already existing broadband infrastructure, which means that users share the bandwidth. This could lead to slower connection speeds and unreliability during peak times.

An FTTP service is asymmetrical, meaning that the upload and download speeds are not the same.

What is a leased line and how does it work?

A leased line, or fibre leased line, is a dedicated fibre optic service. It has a fixed bandwidth and is provided directly to the premises. Unlike FTTP, a leased line connects directly to the public internet. This means there is no shared infrastructure – thus the data’s journey is very different.

Due to leased lines being dedicated, it won’t be affected at peak times because the bandwidth is reserved exclusively for that user. A leased line also uploads data at the same time as it downloads – Useful for sending large files or if you use VoIP telephones throughout the business.

How do FTTP and Leased Line compare?

Let’s take a look at how FTTP and Leased Line compare to each other in terms of use and functionality. Depending on how these fit with your business, you should hopefully be able to identify which would work better for you and your business operations.

Speed and Bandwidth for FTTP vs Leased Line

Using an FTTp service, your highest download speed will be in the range of 300mbps and 1Gbps. Remember, in this scenario you share the infrastructure with other users, which means that during busy periods your bandwidth is likely to be compromised. Generally speaking you are looking at about 32 customers on an FTTP service.

On a Leased Line, all of the bandwidth is there for you to use. The connection speeds on a Leased Line could be up to 10Gbps, with the same upload and download speeds. This is particularly useful for high-demand users, who could struggle on an asymmetrical FTTP.

Traffic on a FTTP vs Leased Line

FTTP services can have a monthly data transfer quote which means it would be important for you to stay on top of your data usage.

A leased line has availability 24/7 all year round, which means you have unlimited data transfers.

Price of FTTP vs Leased Line

There is a significant difference in price when it comes to FTTP and Leased Line.

The cheaper option is FTTP. This is because it’s a shared service, and more specifically aimed at residential properties and small businesses. You would likely be looking between £30 and £60 per month, which of course depends on the provider and the speed of the broadband you choose. For a new FTTP installation, it would take about 10-15 days.

For Leased Lines, you would be looking at a cost of about £150 per month for lower bandwidths. Not only is it up to 5 times the cost of some FTTP, you may also incur additional charges (construction charges) which can push the price up more. Installation wise you would be looking at about 60-90 days to get things set up.

Service Level Agreements for FTTP vs Leased Lines

Whichever service you go for, you will have an SLA. The SLA for a Leased Line will be more thorough – For example, any fault on the line that needs fixing will be repaired within 5 hours. In comparison, a fault on FTTP could take 2 days to fix.

An SLA will also lay out the speed of a Leased Line, which you can then be compensated for if it is consistently slower. This isn’t something you can do with FTTP.

A Leased Line also comes with 24/7 support, whereas support for a FTTP line will be within business hours.

Reliability of FTTP vs Leased Lines

As we mentioned above, when using an FTTP line, you could notice an adverse chane in connection during peak times. Leased Lines will never experience this problem (unless there is a fault) so you are less likely to have the connection drop out. This means that a Leased Line is the more reliable connection of the two.

Availability

Leased Lines are available throughout the UK, but of course their accessibility depends on whether you can afford the cost.

Whilst FTTP is a cheaper option, it is only available to approximately 94% of the UK.

Contracts

Contract options for these lines are as follows:

FTTP – 12 months, 18 months or 24 months,
Leased Line – 12 months, 36 months, or 60 months

It’s worth noting that if you choose a 12 month Leased Line contract, you’ll be paying more each month to spread the installation cost.

So Which One is Best – Leased Line or FTTP?

If you own a small business, run a charity or are a residential consumer, then FTTP will likely meet your needs.

Generally speaking, if you are one of these types of consumer then you won’t be needing service 24/7 all year round. You are also less likely to be transferring huge amounts of data too. And it’s the cheaper option!

For larger businesses and organisations that rely more on a reliable connection, then a dedicated Leased Line service with a thorough SLA could be the better choice. You will then have peace of mind that your broadband is sturdy, and should something go wrong with it you’re backed up by a speedy resolution. Keeping disruption to your organisation to a minimum!

Get In Touch

If you are feeling unsure about what could be the best internet service for your business and would like to discuss your connectivity needs, then get in touch with one of our Wi-Fi Experts today. We operate out of Hampshire, London and Cardiff and can help you to make sure that your connectivity meets your business or residential needs – Both in terms of connection but cost too.

by admin16th May 2022

Business Wi-Fi Hampshire Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Advice Wi-Fi Design Wi-Fi Installation Wi-Fi Interference Wi-Fi Site Survey Wireless Network

How Wi-Fi Site Surveys Validate Your Network Design

You could have the most expertly designed Wi-Fi network, but without a Wi-Fi Site Survey, how will you know it will actually work as intended?

When it comes to designing and installing a wireless network, the most important thing is that it meets the demands of your users.

The great thing about a Wi-Fi Site Survey is that can test your wireless network when it’s in the design stages and predict whether it will work or not, as well as within an already deployed network that needs some changes or additions made.

Driving your Wi-Fi network design choices and deployment with data removes the risk of your wireless network failing to meet the needs of your enterprise.

Gone are the days where a surveyor is laden down with computer setups, trudging around like a donkey. Nowadays it’s all the latest tech and we can carry out a Wi-Fi Site Survey with just the phone in our pocket.

Validating your Wi-Fi network has never been more straightforward. Good news if you’re about to be designing your Wi-Fi network! Not only that, but it also makes it easier and quicker for businesses to be able to survey their Wi-Fi on a regular basis, ensuring that they continue to operate reliably. This is particularly important for anything that is business critical.

What is a Wi-Fi Site Survey?

A Wi-Fi site survey is the process of assessing a physical environment to collect real-world data about wireless performance. It involves measuring signal strength, interference, and spectrum usage, while also identifying the best locations for access points and cabling.

This data is used to design, test, and validate a Wi-Fi network — ensuring it performs reliably in the real world, not just in theory.

When do I need a Wi-Fi Site Survey?

Wi-Fi site surveys are used at multiple stages of a network lifecycle, depending on your requirements:

Wi-Fi Design Site Survey (Pre-Design)

This survey is carried out on site before you’ve started to design your wireless network. Performing a Site Survey at this point allows you to create a predictive Wi-Fi network using data captured on the survey, including RF conditions, neighbouring networks, available/ congested channels, interference and accessibility for mounting AP’s.

Pre-Deployment Site Survey

Once you’ve designed your Wi-Fi network, you can use a Wi-Fi Site Survey to test your design and simulate the performance of antenna and access points. This data is acquired by placing an AP in the relevant location(s) and then analysing the Wi-Fi, making sure that the network would function as predicted in the design.

Post-Deployment Wi-Fi Site Survey

The role of this Wi-Fi Site Survey is to identify whether a deployed network is working as intended. That means meeting performance expectations laid out in the predictive stage of the wireless design.

Health Check Wi-Fi Site Survey

The best networks carry out regular ‘health checks’ to make sure everything is functioning as it should. This means that any changes you need to make to your network are proactive rather than reactive. Why wait until your end users are experiencing Wi-Fi problems that could produce a costly Wi-Fi outage? A Wi-Fi Site Survey at this stage can help pick up any issues with interference, coverage and capacity, nipping any potential problems in the bud.

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi Site Survey

This is the Wi-Fi Site Survey you would carry out if you were already experiencing problems. A more reactive survey in which you can identify the underlying cause of the problems your end users are reporting. You can then go back to the design stages and re-deploy your wireless network for more effective working.

Why Use a Site Survey to Validate Your Wi-Fi Design

A predictive Wi-Fi design is only as good as the assumptions it’s based on. A site survey allows you to validate that design using real-world data before full deployment.

This helps you:

Reduce risk
Avoid costly redesigns
Ensure performance meets expectations
Deliver a reliable user experience

Think of it as an insurance policy for your network design — confirming everything will work before you commit to installation.

What Does a Wi-Fi Site Survey Identify?

By completing a Wi-Fi Site Survey, you would find out a site survey provides critical insights that help validate your design.

Accurate Floor Plans

Accurate floor plans are the foundation of any reliable Wi-Fi design. If you haven’t physically been on site, you are relying heavily on CAD drawings or existing plans being completely up to date — which is often not the case.

During a Wi-Fi site survey, we verify that:

Dimensions and scaling are correct
Walls, stairwells, lifts, and partitions are accurately positioned
Any structural changes or temporary layouts are accounted for

Even small inaccuracies in a floor plan can lead to significant errors in a predictive design, resulting in poor coverage or misplaced access points. By validating the physical environment, we ensure your Wi-Fi design is based on reality — not assumptions.

Signal Attenuation and Building Materials

Not all walls are equal when it comes to Wi-Fi performance. Different materials — such as plasterboard, brick, concrete, glass, or metal — affect signal strength in very different ways.

A Wi-Fi site survey allows us to measure real-world signal attenuation, helping to determine:

How much signal is lost through specific walls and obstacles
How far Wi-Fi signals will realistically travel
Whether the predictive RF model accurately reflects the environment

Relying on estimated values or “best guesses” can lead to underperforming networks. By measuring attenuation on site, we can fine-tune your design to ensure accurate coverage and consistent performance.

Access Point Locations

Identifying the correct access point (AP) locations is critical to achieving reliable Wi-Fi coverage and capacity. While predictive designs provide a strong starting point, they cannot account for every physical constraint within a building.

A site survey enables us to:

Validate proposed AP locations in a live environment
Identify obstacles such as ducting, machinery, or structural features
Assess mounting options and cabling accessibility
Adjust placement to optimise coverage and performance

This stage ensures that your design works not just in theory, but in the real-world environment where it will be deployed.

Neighbouring Networks and Interference

One of the biggest limitations of predictive Wi-Fi design is that it cannot fully account for external interference. Nearby networks, devices, and environmental noise can all have a significant impact on performance.

During a Wi-Fi site survey, we can detect and analyse:

Neighbouring Wi-Fi networks
Channel congestion
Non-Wi-Fi interference sources
Background RF noise levels

This allows us to optimise channel planning and network configuration, ensuring your wireless network performs reliably even in busy or high-density environments.

Without validating these factors on site, even the most carefully designed Wi-Fi network can fail to deliver in practice.

What do you need for an accurate Wi-Fi Site Survey?

The Wi-Fi Site Survey is your chance to see how your network design could come to life. Really, the testing is the fun part! The most important parts of a successful Wi-Fi Site Survey are:

Accurate floor plans

Proper scaling is critical — even small errors can significantly impact design accuracy.

The right tools

Modern survey tools allow fast, accurate data collection using portable devices.

Relevant channel scanning

Focus only on the frequencies and channels your network will use.

Accurate data capture

Incorrect positioning or tracking can lead to unreliable results.

Proper attenuation measurement

Signal loss should be measured across obstacles to ensure accurate modelling.

Survey Methods

Different environments require different survey approaches:

Stop-and-Go
Used in hazardous or complex environments where precision is more important than speed
Continuous
A traditional method requiring manual input throughout the survey
Autopilot
A faster, more efficient method with automated data collection
GPS-Based Surveys
Ideal for large outdoor environments with limited reference points

Trust the Experts

If Wi-Fi Site Surveys have got your head in a spin, then why not leave it to the experts? Our trained Wi-Fi professionals here at Geekabit are experts when it comes to wireless site surveys.

Operating out of Hampshire, London and Cardiff, our Wi-Fi experts are on hand to assist with all stages of Wi-Fi deployment – From the initial design and Pre- and Post-Deployment Site Surveys to Health Checks and full installations.

Get in touch with our friendly team today and we’ll be more than happy to help. Or head to our website to find out more about the Wi-Fi Site Surveys Geekabit have to offer.

by admin8th May 2022

4G 4G Mobile Broadband 4G survey 5G 5G survey Business Wi-Fi Robustel Robustel Remote Monitoring Robustel Router Monitoring Router

How to Remotely Monitor a Robustel 4G Router

In this blog we’re going to show you how you can link the Robustel 4G router with other platforms, so you can monitor your router remotely in real time, in a way that best fits with your business operations.

Who are Robustel?

Robustel are used across various industries including Retail, Healthcare, Transport, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Security, Agriculture and Smart Cities.

The design and manufacture of Robustel products provides industrial quality wireless routers, modems and gateways for Wi-Fi, cellular and LPWAN networks. This includes 3G/4G/LTE/5G in cellular networks and Cat-M1/NB-IoT/LoRaWAN/Bluetooth in LPWAN networks.

Robustel customers are provided with EDGE Computing, Cloud Software and end-to-end IoT Solutions to complement the hardware.

If you’re an enterprise or mobile network looking for a competitive edge in the IoT market, then Robustel could be just the thing. They are passionate about long-term relationships with their customers and partners, and work alongside many distribution partners in 120 countries including the UK.

Robustel work with businesses across the world in various industries – Solving connectivity problems with scalable, robust and secure IoT solutions. Whether you are just looking for the hardware or a complete ‘IoT in a box’, Robustel will have a solution.

So where does Geekabit come in, you might be wondering?

Well, while Robustel has an excellent interface for remote diagnosis and simple email notifications, it does not provide automated notifications to other platforms, with checks sent to your IT support teams.

How can Geekabit help with Robustel 4G router monitoring?

Here at Geekabit, we can provide access to our router monitoring software platform for real-time notifications of uptime, downtime, speed issues via:

Slack
Teams
Text message
Automated phone calls

If none of those are sufficient, we can also provide an API connection to automatically import your Robustel notifications to the platform of your choosing.

Get in touch

If you have or are considering a Robustel router for your use case, but are not sure of the benefits vs a Teltonika router, please speak with one of our Wi-Fi experts.

If you think a 4G router will not provide sufficient upload and download speeds for your use case, please get in touch with us here at Geekabit.

By using the right combination of equipment, external antennas, research and evidence based placement, we can dramatically increase what is possible.

Image from Robustel.com – Product shown is the R1520 Dual-SIM Cellular VPN Router.

by admin21st April 2022

5G 5G survey 5G Survey London Broadband Business Wi-Fi Cell coverage 5G survey Cellular Survey Home Network Home WI-Fi Hybrid Broadband Mobile Network 5G Survey Mobile Phone Coverage Survey Mobile Phone Survey

5G Survey London

With the increasing prevalence of 5G availability across London, you might be needing a 5G survey. Perhaps your London business is moving premises – Or maybe you’re looking to buy or rent a property in London? Either way you need to know that wherever you’re living or working in London will have decent cellular and data coverage.

Mobile coverage is a huge part of buying or renting a new property – Whether for a business or somewhere to live. 5G mobile phone coverage could be a massive deal breaker if it’s not at the level people have come to expect.

Thankfully, here at Geekabit we offer a 5G survey in London and the surrounding areas – We know our stuff when it comes to all things wireless. We understand how vital it is to maintain strong connections, whether it’s in the office or at home.

Geekabit’s 5G Survey London

Geekabit offer both internal and external 5G surveys, looking at mobile phone coverage both inside and outside your property.

You might be wondering – Why would I need a 5G survey?

For our clients that are wanting to map out the availability of 5G cellular and data coverage in a London office or building, the 5G survey would be a great tool. It’s extremely useful if your organisation is considering moving premises. It is so important nowadays to make sure that you have good 5G mobile phone signal coverage before signing on the dotted line. You don’t want any nasty surprises when it comes to coverage once you’ve moved in!

Our landlord and estate agent clients also find it a very beneficial tool when it comes to selling or renting out business or residential properties in London. Tenants and house buyers aren’t just looking at the water pressure of the taps or the state of the windows – They’re now asking questions about the strength of cellular reception. Our 5G Survey gives you all the information you need to know.

People want to make sure that where they live and work in London will have strong 5G mobile coverage. Geekabit’s 5G survey is the perfect way to prove your property has just this and on what networks.

5G Hybrid Broadband

And where there’s a strong 5G connection, you know you’re covered if the internet goes down. Hybrid broadband is giving customers confidence that even if their standard internet connection fails, they will still have 5G mobile broadband to fall back on.

But this is only as foolproof as your 5G coverage. So before going ahead and investing in hybrid broadband, why not carry out a 5G survey first to make sure that your London property has the coverage you need to fall back on.

Office and homes aren’t the only places where you need a strong, reliable 5G cellular connection

There are many external areas that would hugely benefit from an external 5G survey. Geekabit can also carry out a 5G survey along London roads, parts of the capital’s transport network and throughout leisure facilities in London and the surrounding areas.

In today’s world, we don’t just stay in one place – Even while we’re working. We take our need for connection wherever we go – And it needs to be strong and reliable.

Gone are the days where we are tethered to a desk – We need the 5G mobile coverage to be available on the go. Whether we are using a smartphone, tablet or other internet enabled device, we need to stay connected – And we need to know that the signal will be strong and reliable.

Geekabit’s 5G survey can tell you how strong the cellular coverage is in certain areas of London, and which networks would work best for those locations. This information is invaluable.

How do we report the results of our 5G survey?

We can provide results, heatmaps and detailed reports measuring the details of phone coverage for 5G (as well as 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE).

For any given London location, we can measure:

The cellular connectivity
Data upload and download speeds
The occurrence of dropped and failed calls for all the main mobile network operators

Over the last 2 years, companies have realised how vital cellular coverage is – For business operations as well as staying connected with loved ones. This was true before the pandemic, but Covid has certainly increased the need for strong, reliable mobile coverage.

It’s time to invest in mobile enterprise

If you value the importance of the Quality of Service and Quality of Experience of your employees cellular coverage whilst they are at work, then it’s time to invest in mobile enterprise.

Here at Geekabit, we’ve long been able to provide mobile phone coverage survey results for a fixed point – For example, a particular property in London.

We can now provide this matched to geolocation data over a moving area, as well as on building plans and maps. When it comes to 5G surveys, this information is really important.

If your London business has been thinking about investing in further mobile technologies, then our 5G survey is ideal for providing graphical and interactive information, allowing you to really drill down into the data and support and inform your worthwhile investment.

A word from our Founder

Steve Cross, Founder of Geekabit, comments:

“Mobile phone coverage has continued to increase in importance, with a massive investment throughout the pandemic in mobile working technology. With the great shift in office working already happening, organisations are looking to ensure that 5G mobile phone coverage in potential London office locations will be suitable for their workforce. Our internal cellular 5G survey tool gives clients the opportunity to make sure there will be no issues with mobile phones and tablets when moving buildings or downsizing.”

Want to know more about our 5G surveys?

For further details about the data which can be captured, or to discuss a potential project, please email our Wi-Fi experts at info@geekabit.co.uk and someone will be in touch as soon as possible.

Our 5G surveys are available across London and the surrounding areas. If you are interested in this service in a different location, please do get in touch.

by admin14th March 2022

4G Mobile Broadband 4G Wi-Fi Broadband Business Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Advice Wi-Fi Design Wi-Fi Installation Wireless Network

Wi-Fi to Fall in Love With

Wi-Fi really can be a love-hate relationship, can’t it? When we feel a strong connection then everything is plain sailing. But the minute that connection seems lost, the frustration creeps in.

To keep your relationship with Wi-Fi healthy, here are some top tips.

Ensure a Secure Connection

Every good relationship relies on that feeling of security. Wi-Fi is no different. A survey found that despite 91% of respondents believing that public Wi-Fi wasn’t secure, 89% still chose to continue using it.

It’s always a good idea to wait until you’ve found the right network before you start sharing personal information. If you’re using public Wi-Fi, always make sure it has strong security policies and infrastructure – Especially if you are sharing sensitive information on their network.

Some Things Are Best Kept Private

Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or any other day of the year, some things are just better kept private.

If you are connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, you should not be using credit or debit card information or sharing any bank details. Yes, that means no shopping!

If you find yourself able to connect with other users in their network, for example through AirDrop, then you should disconnect. If you want to confirm that the network you are connected to is in fact the provider you think it is, you can check and verify the DNS name by checking the public IP address of the network.

Don’t Risk Getting Held to Ransom

You have to guard your heart sometimes – And you should be guarding your devices too. More and more people are being targeted by ransomware nowadays. And most of those people are paying the ransom in order to get back their data. It’s not just your laptop that can be affected – Any phone or smart device can also be vulnerable. You could be looking at a cost of around £500 – Don’t let them fool you and swindle you out of your hard earned money.

Stop the tears from streaming

If you’re currently relaxing in a hotel room about to start a romantic Valentine’s Day movie on Netflix, then be prepared for some buffering. Any kind of streaming service is a rather big challenge for hotel networks or similar. It needs to have the Wi-Fi to match the demand! And we’re sure that’s not the only performance issue that hotel room has seen. If you’re sitting on the other side of the bed, and it’s your hospitality venue that’s struggling with Wi-Fi performance issues, get in touch with our Wi-Fi expert here at Geekabit and we’ll see how we can help get your Wi-Fi from heartbreaker to love at first sight.

It’s not you, it’s me

If you got hacked, who would you blame? Yourself, the Wi-Fi provider or the hacker? Research suggests that 56% of people would blame the Wi-Fi provider / venue but 85% would blame themselves. When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, are you confident that it’s safe? It’s very important to make sure you have the information and tools you need to stay vigilant and safe online.

Turn yourself on

Wi-Fi gives us the ability to turn on so many different things these days. From switching on the lights to turning up the heat for when we get home – All from our phones!

You could even dim the lights for a romantic moment… Who needs a wingman when you’ve got strong Wi-Fi?

Not feeling a connection?

If your Wi-Fi is leaving you feeling frustrated and disconnected, then get in touch. Our Wi-Fi experts have the knowledge and skills to diagnose the problems with your Wi-Fi network, and deploy what’s right for you.

After all – All you need is love, and Wi-Fi.

by admin14th February 2022

Business Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Advice Wi-Fi Design Wi-Fi Interference Wi-Fi Site Survey Wireless Network

How to Give Your Wi-Fi Network a Health Check

You might think that once you’ve got your Wi-Fi network all set up and running, then that’s it done. But it’s not! Having a reliable wireless network involves ongoing maintenance and health checks to make sure that it’s performing at its optimum level.

There are plenty of variables in a wireless network that could change. Things like user demand or changes in the radio frequency that could have an impact. Seemingly simple things like rearranging your office furniture, onboarding new employees or using more applications requiring bigger bandwidth can all be negative factors affecting your Wi-Fi network.

Ongoing, regular surveys can help you catch these changes before they start to cause you too many problems.

So what do you need to do to keep your wireless networking functioning effectively?

Monitor New Client Devices

Just as when you are in the design and planning stages, it’s vital to know the number of users that are connected at any one time, and what devices they are connecting to the network with. Your network performance depends on this!

This could likely change with company growth or if your business has seasonal staff where connections peak and trough.

It’s also worth bearing in mind how old the devices are. Older laptops, for example, won’t work so well with today’s modern networks. And vice versa!

You can counteract this by semi-regularly updating your devices to align with your network.

Likewise, if your network was originally deployed a while ago, without being monitored or updated it will fail to work with modern devices to their potential.

You need to also monitor the applications being used and ensure that the bandwidth matches the demand. Organisations like schools that now have a plethora of laptops connecting wirelessly to the school network need to have strong, reliable Wi-Fi. Hospitals also have high bandwidth demand with the ‘workstations on wheels’ that are now prevalent.

The more end users you add to your network, the more bandwidth you will need.

In simple terms – Make sure you are monitoring new client devices. Make it your business to keep track of how many devices are connecting to your network and make sure you can meet the Wi-Fi demand consistently. Your business operations depend on it.

App Usage and Progression

As we all know, technology is constantly evolving. Device manufacturers are always striving for the fastest, most powerful offering to stay ahead of their competitors.

This means that apps and software also move fast to keep up. This constant evolution means that you need more and more data with every update. Thus, the requirements of your Wi-Fi network are likely to change and be modified accordingly.

Wireless is often the first choice – If not the only choice! So you need to make sure your business Wi-Fi offering is up to scratch.

Physical Changes in the Office Landscape

You might not think too much about rearranging the office, but this could have a significant impact on your coverage area and how your access points function.

Tweaks like going from open plan to individual offices (or the other way around) will change the way your AP’s perform in your office space.

Interior walls (or lack of them) will affect the radio frequency and how it attenuates. You might be thinking, surely removing partition walls to make an open plan office couldn’t cause Wi-Fi problems. Ut actually it could! The RF will be able to travel further without any attenuating interior walls, meaning it could start contending with other channels and cause interference.

Any physical changes in your office environment need to be surveyed to see if and how it will affect how your Wi-Fi network functions. This means you can make the necessary adjustments before problems arise.

Identify Common Causes of RF Interference

Following on from physical changes in your office environment, you need to also be aware of other possible causes of RF interference.

Once possible source of interference on your Wi-Fi network could be noise from neighbouring networks. Other AP’s in range of your coverage area could cause RF interference, especially if their power levels are turned up.

Wi-Fi interference is when you have AP’s that are operating on the same or adjacent frequencies. This can cause interference or contention on these channels, or Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS). If your network is experiencing this type of interference, you could see your ability to send or receive data significantly reduce or even completely disabled.

You can also get non–Wi-Fi Interference from devices that use other radio networks. Things like microwaves, monitors, blue tooth or surveillance cameras could all cause interference problems.

Your Business Depends on your Wi-Fi Network

If you’ve gone to the effort of designing and planning the optimum network for your business, then don’t waste that work by not monitoring and maintaining it.

Even the best networks will need tweaks and changes over time, to make sure it can keep up with the demands of new users and modern devices.

Regular monitoring or ‘Wi-Fi health checks’ can help identify problems while they’re still small – Allowing you to get them sorted out before they start causing your business serious issues. Don’t wait until the IT department are inundated with calls from frustrated, unproductive employees.

If you think your wireless network is in need of a health check, why not give us a call here at Geekabit? Our wireless experts have the knowledge and expertise to diagnose and solve your Wi-Fi problems, improving the reliability and functionality of your business Wi-Fi.

by admin7th February 2022

Business Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Advice Wi-Fi Design Wi-Fi Installation Wi-Fi Site Survey Wireless Network

Why Is Network Design So Important for Reliable Business Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is no longer a ‘like to have’ when it comes to successful business planning. It’s vital for businesses to have strong, reliable Wi-Fi in order to business processes to run smoothly.

No matter what industry your business is in – Wi-Fi is crucial. Gone are the days when everything could be wired and cabled. Whether you run a warehouse, a hospital or operate out of an office; Your business needs to run wirelessly.

Organisations tend to have an armada of laptops, tablets, smartphones and other IoT devices that require effective Wi-Fi.

So if the need for a good Wi-Fi connection is so prevalent, why are we still seeing so many businesses struggle with their Wi-Fi network?

The requirements can be demanding, and to be successful a network needs to meet those demands. Plug-in-and-go routers aren’t going to cut it unfortunately. Your business network needs more!

So how can you ensure that your network can be relied upon by your employees every day, so they can do their job productively and efficiently?

It all comes down to the design.

What do you need to consider when designing a Wi-Fi network?

Designing your wireless network gives you the chance to translate your business needs into a Wi-Fi network that will work for you and meet those needs.

So what do you need to consider?

Capacity

You need to think about how many devices will require a Wi-Fi connection. You need to be asking questions like how many employees you have, are there people in addition to employees that will need to connect, how many devices are each of these people likely to have and what type of device are they.

Getting to know how much traffic you will likely have will help you to determine how much bandwidth you need in order to meet consumption needs.

If you don’t get the capacity planning right, you could end up with very unhappy employees suffering with slow internet speeds and an intermittent connection. Neither are conducive to a productive work environment!

Something else to consider is how the capacity changes as you move around your site. Do some locations have a higher capacity demand than others? This information will help you to design a network where access points are distributed according to requirements.

Capacity isn’t just important during the planning stage either. It’s something you will need to monitor so that you can identify when more devices are trying to connect and adapt the network accordingly.

Coverage

We’ve talked about capacity and how many devices are likely to connect. Now it’s time to talk about where those users need that connection.

Identifying your coverage area allows you to optimise the distance between your wireless transmitters. Getting this right means that you’ll have the right signal strength for the Wi-Fi enables devices trying to connect.

Coverage is split into two – Primary coverage and Secondary coverage. Interweaving the primary coverage area of your transmitters with the secondary coverage of necessary overlaps means that your end users will be able to roam throughout your site without their connection dropping out on their device.

The idea is to find the perfect balance in the number of AP’s you deploy. Too many AP’s not only costs you more money on installation but can also cause interference. Not enough AP’s and you won’t be able to meet your coverage needs.

What is the Least Capable, Most Important Device?

It’s important to identify what device is most business critical – And whether that device poses a risk to the rest of your network. You might find that a warehouse scanner, or even an employees laptop, is critical to the needs of the business, but is also the oldest and least technologically advanced device on the network.

You need to identify this device (or devices) and make sure that your network will ensure the device(s) stay online. You can do this by checking the manufacturer specifications and make sure these align with your network offering.

Are there any Obstacles on site?

It’s a good idea to walk around your site and identify any potential obstacles to your wireless signal. Sometimes having an actual walk-around sheds more light on potential problems than just looking at a simple floor plan. You need to know exactly how the radio frequency will behave in your specific environment.

Consider things like high or exposed ceilings, columns, large items of furniture, lift shafts, stairwells and even signage.

You should also look to see where access points could be easily installed, and any areas where this would not be possible. This also goes for cabling.

Mitigating the Effects of Wall/ Door Material on Signal Attenuation

In order to mitigate the risks of attenuation, you need to understand what materials could pose a problem to your Wi-Fi signal.

When you are designing your Wi-Fi network, it’s imperative that you identify the physical characteristics of your environment and understand how this can impact your wireless signal.

The amount of signal strength absorbed by walls or doors depends on what they are made from. A rough guide to this would be:

Bookshelf – 2dB
Drywall – 3dB
Exterior Glass – 3dB
Solid Wood Door – 6dB
Marble – 6dB
Brick – 10dB

Having this information specific to your site means you can design a wireless network that works really well.

Call the Experts

If this all seems a bit overwhelming, then call in the experts. That’s what we’re here for! We have all the necessary technology to survey your site and then design and plan a wireless network specific to your business needs. Give our Wi-Fi experts a call today to see how Geekabit can help.

by admin31st January 2022