In today's interconnected world, the modern home's backbone is robust network infrastructure, particularly with the increasing integration of smart home systems and the growing trend towards home automation. At BMC Audio Visual, we recognize the pivotal role of high-quality network infrastructure in enhancing the functionality and security of modern homes. As we navigate the realms of high-speed internet, smart home technology, work-from-home setups, and IoT devices, the necessity for comprehensive network coverage and advanced security measures becomes ever more apparent.
Optimizing home network for growing number of smart home appliances
The smart home revolution has transformed everyday living, with home automation systems centralizing control of lighting, heating, entertainment, and security. These systems demand a reliable network infrastructure to ensure seamless communication and operation. As demand for better network infrastructure and faster connectivity is being pushed to the limit, the average consumer router given by your Internet service provider is not sufficient to tackle the home networking needs of today. BMC Audio Visual designs and implements enterprise grade network and Wi-Fi solutions that cater to the intricate demands of smart home technology, ensuring that all devices function harmoniously, enhancing the convenience and efficiency of your home.
Enabling robust home network ready for Work-from-Home Dynamics
The shift towards remote work has underscored the need for dependable home office network setups. A robust network infrastructure is crucial to support various work-from-home requirements, including video conferencing, secure data access, and efficient online collaboration. Recognizing the importance of privacy and security, BMC Audio Visual integrates advanced network solutions to safeguard against cyberattacks, ensuring that your home office is a secure extension of your corporate environment.
Comprehensive WiFi coverage and the advent of 6GHz WiFi
In addition to security, extensive WiFi coverage throughout the home is essential to support the myriad of connected devices in a modern household. The advent of 6GHz WiFi, with its promise of faster speeds, lower latency, and less interference, represents the next leap in wireless networking technology. BMC Audio Visual stays at the forefront of these advancements, offering network solutions that leverage the latest WiFi standards to provide unparalleled wireless connectivity across your entire home.
For new home builders, early planning with BMC Audio Visual ensures that the network infrastructure is not only robust but also future-proof. Our expertise allows us to design a network that seamlessly integrates with home automation systems, supports efficient work-from-home environments, and provides extensive WiFi coverage throughout the property. This proactive approach in the planning stage guarantees that the network infrastructure will support the latest in smart home and IoT technology, ensuring optimal performance and security.
Wireless Mesh vs Wired Access points
Mesh Routers and Wifi access points have gotten popular over the years as they are easier to install and set it up when the Wi-Fi router provided by the Internet service providers does not quite perform as you would expect. Meshed solutions might work well for a smaller dwelling where you only have fewer devices that need the internet connection. As soon as you scale the network to a larger house wireless mesh connections become unreliable. As in many cases the mesh devices speak to the other mesh devices wirelessly, the connection between two mesh devices would be susceptible to interference, signal degradation and latency issues due to retransmission of messages. A network solution with centralised controller and each Wi-Fi access point connected in a hub and spoke model will be more reliable over a wireless mesh network.
Wired vs Wireless Connectivity
Although wireless connectivity offers the convenience of wire-free internet access, it may not be the connectivity utopia people had hoped for. Wireless connectivity has never been perfect and will probably never be perfected in the near future, due to the nature of RF signals. The Radio signals emitting off a Wi-Fi access point is susceptible to wide range of RF interference or signal deterioration issues due to neighbours Wi-Fi, Microwave ovens, large bodies of water, Mirrors, Heavy metals/ dense objects used in the construction etc. Identifying and fixing the RF signal issues can be very challenging and sometimes expensive.
If you are intention is 100% reliable internet connection for your work devices or any device in general, then wired connectivity would be your best bet. Cabled connections are less prone to interference issues compared to Wi-Fi, it is also easier to run cables during construction. The cost of installing Ethernet cables is relatively low during construction of the home as compared to running the cables after the construction. It will be quite challenging/expensive to run the cables after the walls have erected, as it may involve cutting holes in the plaster and patching/painting work. Hence it is advised to run as much ethernet cabling as possible to accomodate for future needs and connect as many devices in your home via a wired connection rather than wireless, to gurantee the reliability of the connection. Having BMC Audio Visual involve during the planning stage of the construction will allow us to address these network requirements and design an appropriate Wi-Fi and Network infrastructure to suit your needs.
Which cable to use for a home network infrastructure in 2024?
As we reach NBN internet speeds well over 1Gbps, high speed internet connectivity for a lot of older houses may not be possible because of the limitation of existing network cabling infrastructure. Many of these houses did not plan ahead and install the appropriate cabling infrastructure to suit their needs in the future. During construction of the newer houses it is essential to think ahead of time and have the network infrastructure support not only the current requirements but the needs of the future. Engaging BMC Audio Visual to do the design and installation of network ensures the network infrastructure is built to last as long as the house stands still.
As of 2024, our best recommendation is to run CAT6 or CAT6A ethernet cable for your home network infrastructure. CAT6 cables can support 1Gbps speeds up to 100m and the 10Gbps speeds up to 40m. While as CAT6A cables can support 10Gbps speeds up to 100m. If it is a very large house with lots of devices and multiple equipment racks, we would suggest running Optic Fibre cabling.
Mitigating Cybersecurity Risks
As the number of network-connected devices in our homes increases, so too does the potential for cyberattacks. A well-structured network infrastructure must incorporate robust cybersecurity protocols to protect against threats and ensure the safety of your digital environment. At BMC Audio Visual, we prioritize network security, employing cutting-edge appliances such as Firewall and Intrustion Prevention Systems to defend your smart home systems and IoT devices against cyber threats, thereby ensuring your peace of mind.
In conclusion, the demand for high-quality network infrastructure in modern homes is driven by the integration of smart home technologies, the necessity of secure and efficient home offices, the proliferation of IoT devices, and the need for comprehensive WiFi coverage. BMC Audio Visual is dedicated to providing bespoke network solutions that cater to the unique requirements of each home, ensuring seamless operation, optimal security, and the best possible coverage. Through our expertise in smart home technology and network infrastructure, we empower homeowners to enjoy a connected, secure, and efficient living environment.
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