Your Smart Home Is Only as Smart as Your Wi-Fi: Here’s Why
The Backbone of an Exceptional Smart Home Experience
There was a time when the standard home was about 2,000 square feet and had five connected devices.
Times have changed.
Today’s smart homes often span 5,000 square feet or more and feature 100 or more smart devices. And, while the smart home automation platform is the brain that manages these many devices, the home network is the backbone. It’s your Wi-Fi and wired networks that enable this platform to communicate with your smart home devices and with each other.
It’s why your motorized shades raise when you ask them to, and your security system sends alerts when trouble is brewing. It provides uninterrupted streaming of your favorite movies on your 4K OLED TV and lets multiple family members connect to the internet simultaneously.
If you’re still using the generic home network solution provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), the one that’s designed for your standard home with the standard number of connected devices, it’s safe to say that your smart home won’t live up to your expectations. It simply can’t, no matter how much money you’ve spent on the many smart devices.
Here, we’ll explore why strong, stable Wi-Fi is essential to your smart home experience and why professional-grade networking has become the norm for smart home living.
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Luxury Homes Face Unique Connectivity Challenges
In addition to challenges due to the size of today’s homes and the number of connected devices, the materials used in luxury homes can block RF signals. These materials include rock, stone, poured concrete, metals, expansive mirrors, and electronic glass.
Add today’s sweeping outdoor areas and the desire to stream concert-quality music throughout the property and enjoy Sunday’s big game on the outdoor 4K UHD TV, and a traditional home network just won’t cut it.
Eventually, you’ll find your smart devices are slow to respond, and buffering is a common interruption when streaming movies. Dropped connections and frozen feeds during video calls are all signs of bandwidth overload. The ease and effortless enjoyment your smart home promised is laced with frustration and annoyance.
Fortunately, there is a solution: a professional enterprise-grade home network.
A Professionally Installed Enterprise-Grade Network
Due to the vast number of connected devices and the challenges inherent in smart homes, their network and security requirements are similar to those of businesses. A company’s enterprise-grade network is designed for large areas and numerous simultaneous users.
The hardware used in these environments lasts up to 30 years and provides much greater security. These security measures are built into the routers, access points (APs), and network switches, ensuring a much higher level of protection for your smart home and personal information.
Multiple next-generation Wi-Fi access points (APs) are standard additions in professional-grade systems, providing robust coverage throughout your entire property that you can count on.
Increasing Bandwidth
Bandwidth represents the maximum amount of data your internet connection can handle at any moment. Similar to a highway, with cars being the data, it flows smoothly and uninterrupted until traffic jams develop. Commonly used devices that are bandwidth hogs include video conferencing, gaming consoles, smart security cameras, whole-home high-resolution audio systems, and 4K video streaming.
When bandwidth is limited, you may notice video call quality degrading when your kids start playing Fortnite or another family member streams their favorite Netflix series. A professionally designed home network increases bandwidth with APs, intelligent traffic management, and next-generation Wi-Fi.
Next-Generation Wi-Fi Standards
If your system still uses Wi-Fi 5, it’s time for a change. Wi-Fi 6 and the standards that followed were designed with smart homes in mind. They significantly increase speeds and meet the complex demands of a connected home where multiple people use devices that require significant bandwidth simultaneously.
Built to Scale
Technology is advancing at the fastest rate in history. You want a smart home that can keep up without having to upgrade your network every time you add a device or extend coverage to your new guest house. Creating a network that can expand with you is not only convenient but also results in reduced costs and limited downtime in the future.
A Smart Home that Works
A smart home should create unique and often incredible experiences. Achieving this level of extraordinary living requires a smart home that works the way you want, when you want. And, in today’s connected world, that requires a professional-grade home network.
At Northbay Technology Company, we specialize in creating high-speed, reliable network infrastructure and Wi-Fi systems. To learn more about upgrading your home network to meet today’s needs, contact Northbay Technology Company.
