Modern Day Networks
When it comes to IT networks in today’s era of technology, a lot has changed from a few years ago. To think back less than a decade ago and to think about having gigabit internet service at almost the majority of residential spaces was a far-fetched idea. Now, that type of service is just a phone call and an appointment away from a reality in most commercial and residential spaces. Relying on an ISP provided all-in-one device is not a recommended practice when it comes to the demands of the systems that we are integrating today. Their firewalls are weak, their wireless signal strengths are minimal at best and they are trying to achieve the functionality of what three devices would normally be doing, but they only use one device. It’s like the saying; “15 pounds of stuff in a 5-pound bag”. It may fit and work for a short period of time from the start, but the reliability and strength were never there from the beginning and it will fail. It is not a matter of if it will fail, but a matter of when it will fail. From our client’s perspective, they do not want that time to be just before a major deadline for a project or just before or during a big party that they are hosting. Our networks are well thought out and built to handle whatever our client’s can through at them, plus a little more.
Network Typology
The typology method of our networks follow is the same for a commercial environment or a residential one. We feel that what works best in a busy and crowded environment will work even better in a home. This is why we bring our methodology over from the commercial world into the residential world in a lot of the aspects of our business. We start with having to use an ISP all-in-one gateway and turn it into a modem as a device. Then we use a robust router with great firewalls, then paired to the appropriately sized managed network switches. We will implement fiber connections at every opportunity that we can to ensure the most efficient way to transfer data at all times. From there it will go directly to the devices that need the connection or to a remote switch for further expansion. One modem with one connection, then one router with one switch connected. Everything else gets connected from there.
Wireless Communication
Wireless communication is probably the most widely used for of IT connection used in today’s environments. This brings huge demands on the devices that they connect to. We will always urge on the side of build it stronger than it needs to be, but we also understand budget constraints and will work with our clients to let them understand what the pros and cons are from moving to a more affordable unit. Throughput and range are the two biggest factors to look at when choosing a device. This technology is changing very often and we are always staying on top of what is the latest advancements that are coming along and using our experience to guide our clients to the best devices that are available. Depending on the environment, one large high-end access point may be the best choice or in other cases, multiple smaller ones will work better. A close analysis of the area and the building materials has to be looked at before giving a recommendation.
