Whole-Home WiFi and Access Point Installation in Auckland

Mesh WiFi or wired access points: which is better for a big house in NZ?

Either works well in a big house once every unit has a cable back to the router, and The Conduction Company cables every one. Mesh units are small boxes that work together under one network name. Access points usually go on the ceiling and suit homes that want more control over the network. In the far rooms, the cable decides the speed more than the brand does.

A mesh unit with no cable has to pass the internet along by radio. When one radio does both jobs, each hop can halve the speed, and the next hop can halve it again. Cisco's mesh guidance says throughput is "approximately halved over every hop". Tri-band kits with a separate radio for the link between units lose less, but they still lose speed. "If we're going to do it, we do it properly, we run Ethernet cables out to each access point or mesh node," says Jordan Statham, director of The Conduction Company.

Which mesh and access point brands do you install?

The Conduction Company installs TP-Link's Deco mesh system, and Ubiquiti UniFi where a client needs a managed network. Jordan Statham likes Deco because "it tends to work really well and it's got a nice user interface". UniFi suits clients who need more in-depth control of their network.

What is wired backhaul?

Wired backhaul means each access point gets its connection back to the router through a cable, The Conduction Company explains, instead of passing it along by radio. Every access point then delivers full speed, and your phone only has to reach the nearest one. Your devices still connect by radio; only the link from each unit back to the router is cabled. TP-Link's Deco support page says ethernet backhaul gives faster, more stable performance than a wireless link between units, with no bandwidth lost to a wireless hop.

Plugging in the mesh units they already had

The fix that surprises clients most is often the simplest. On assessment visits, The Conduction Company has found mesh units the client already owned sitting near unused ethernet ports. The team plugged each unit into a nearby port with a patch lead, and the WiFi was faster straight away. Deco units switch to the cable by themselves once it is plugged in. The Conduction Company's guide to whether running ethernet through a house is worth it covers which other devices are worth cabling.

How many access points does my house need?

It depends on the size and layout of the house, and The Conduction Company usually starts at two. Each wireless access point for the home goes in a central spot, so it covers the rooms around it evenly.

How many access points does a typical two-storey house need?

Two, in central spots, for a modern two-storey townhouse, The Conduction Company finds. A bigger two-storey home may need three or four, depending on the layout.

Layout matters because walls absorb signal, and some absorb far more than others. Modelling by the wireless design firm iBwave puts a plasterboard wall at about 5 dB of loss on 2.4 GHz and heavy concrete at about 23 dB. Every 3 dB halves the signal, so one heavy concrete wall costs about as much as four plasterboard walls. That is why The Conduction Company sets the number by the layout of the house, not its floor area alone. As a rule of thumb, the TCF Premises Wiring guidelines suggest about one access point per 100 square metres. They also suggest one on each floor, and no more than 20 metres between them.

Why does WiFi suffer when the router sits in a garage or cupboard?

Because WiFi is radio, and garages and cupboards hold the things that block it most, The Conduction Company explains. A hot water cylinder, a metal meter box or a steel garage door can all sit between the router and the rest of the house. "It is a radio signal and it is prone to interference, especially any metals," says Jordan Statham.

WiFi runs on microwave frequencies, the same band a microwave oven uses, which is why a running microwave can upset 2.4 GHz WiFi. Metal is the worst barrier. The TCF cabling guidelines list hot water cylinders and "anything with metal in it" as obstacles, and say a WiFi device inside a metal box has "significantly reduced" performance. Nobody has published a measured figure for a garage door. The Conduction Company's reading is simple: a closed steel door is a sheet of metal, so expect it to stop most of the signal.

The fix is to get the WiFi out of the corner. The Conduction Company can move the fibre box (the ONT) and the router to a central spot up high. Or it can leave them where they are and run a cable to an access point in the middle of the house.

How do you get WiFi out to the garden, garage or a sleepout?

The Conduction Company runs a data cable underground to the garage or sleepout and fits an access point or mesh unit there. For the garden, it mounts an outdoor access point on the side of the house, with a clear line of sight over the open space.

The underground cable goes in protective conduit, around 300 mm deep, which keeps it clear of lawnmowers. That depth is The Conduction Company's own practice, not a figure from a rule. Power cable is different: under a lawn, AS/NZS 3000 puts it at least 500 mm deep. The Conduction Company uses outdoor-grade, gel-filled data cable underground, because indoor cable is not made for wet ground.

The Conduction Company can give a sleepout or granny flat its own WiFi network and password, sharing the house's internet connection. An outdoor wireless access point is weatherproof (IP-rated) and made for sun and rain. How far it reaches depends on the model, so The Conduction Company picks one to suit the space. It bolts to the house wall, so no trench is needed.

What do internet providers' mesh units get wrong in bigger homes?

Many link to each other by radio only, so in a bigger home each extra unit passes on less speed, says The Conduction Company. A newer WiFi generation does not remove that radio hop. WiFi 7 adds multi-link operation, which the Wi-Fi Alliance says improves throughput and reliability, but the units still lose speed without a cable. The Conduction Company's fix is the same as for any mesh kit: a cable to each unit.

Does Wi-Fi 7 penetrate walls?

No better than older WiFi on the same band, The Conduction Company says, because walls stop radio by its frequency, not its WiFi generation. WiFi uses three bands. 2.4 GHz reaches the furthest and goes through walls best, but it carries the least data and is the most crowded. 5 GHz carries far more data over a shorter distance. 6 GHz carries the most and is the least crowded, but has the shortest range.

In New Zealand, 6 GHz WiFi is also held to low power indoors, 250 mW at most under the Radio Spectrum Management licence notice. So the fastest band on a WiFi 7 unit reaches the least far, and The Conduction Company still plans on a cable to every unit.

Does WiFi 7 change what you recommend for a new build?

No. The Conduction Company's advice for a new build is the same with WiFi 7: run a cable to every access point position while the walls are open. A mesh WiFi 7 kit still passes data between its units, so it still gains from the cable. Consumer NZ calls WiFi 7 "not a must-have".

When should access point cabling go in during a build or renovation?

At the pre-wire, The Conduction Company says, when the electricians are running the power cables and the wall linings are still off. "That's by far the best time to run data cabling as well," says Jordan Statham. Once the plasterboard is on, cables can still go in, but it is trickier and harder to hide them. If you are building or renovating, The Conduction Company can run Cat6 to each access point alongside the power. It does this as part of its electrical work for renovations and new builds.

Data and power cables cannot share a space. The Conduction Company keeps data cables at least 50 mm from power cables, or behind a barrier. That way a fault cannot put mains voltage on them, and the power wiring cannot induce noise into the data. AS/NZS 3000 requires that segregation and sends New Zealand installers to the TCF Premises Wiring guidelines for the distances.

Is a WiFi extender ever the right answer?

Not in The Conduction Company's experience. An extender repeats the WiFi by radio, so your phone shows more bars while the speed drops. "You're still going to have low speed even though the signal may be much higher," says Jordan Statham. Consumer NZ does not recommend extenders in a home, with one exception: a sleepout or granny flat. For a sleepout, The Conduction Company prefers a cabled access point. In a mesh WiFi vs extender choice, cabled mesh wins. Each unit gets full speed down its cable, instead of repeating a signal that has already lost speed.

What is the difference between a router and whole home Wi-Fi?

A router directs traffic between the internet and your devices, and every home needs one, The Conduction Company explains. Whole-home WiFi adds more units, so the signal is strong in every room. In a fibre home, the fibre box (ONT) does the modem's job, and the router plugged into it shares the connection. A router on its own sends WiFi from one spot, often a corner of the house. Whole-home WiFi links the router to mesh units or access points through the house, all on one network name, so your phone joins whichever is nearest.

The Conduction Company's phone, data and WiFi installation service covers the wider network too: data points, patch panels and phone lines.

Why choose The Conduction Company?

Data and Power in One Visit

The Conduction Company's electricians run the data cable and the power for each unit, and keep the two apart as the Wiring Rules require.

Lifetime Workmanship Guarantee

The Conduction Company's Lifetime Workmanship Guarantee covers its installation work.

600+ Five Star Google Reviews

Auckland clients have left The Conduction Company more than 600 Google reviews at a 5.0 rating.

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