The situation
The client had taken a 5,000 m² warehouse with offices upstairs for a three-month project. More than 50 people were about to move in and start work, and the building had no working internet. The client and location stay anonymous; what follows is what happened on the job, day by day, with the numbers we recorded.
The constraints
Size
At our planning figure of about 900 m² per access point on open floor, 5,000 m² pointed to around six positions on coverage alone.
Two levels
Floors and structure block signal between levels, so the upstairs offices couldn't rely on equipment down on the warehouse floor.
Cable distances
Running cable to every access point across a building this size takes time, for a network that only had to last three months.
Starting from nothing
With no working internet, a new service had to be activated before the WiFi could be tested end to end.
Day by day: from enquiry to a tested warehouse network
Day 1: Enquiry
The client got in touch with the size of the building, the number of people and the move-in timing.
Day 2: Walk-through, plan and quote
We walked the floor and the upstairs offices, marked node positions and chose the connection. The written plan and quote went out on the day of the walk-through.
Day 3: Fibre activated
A 2000/500 Mbps fibre service was activated at the building.
Day 4: Install and test
Six tri-band WiFi 7 mesh nodes with wireless backhaul were installed across the floor and the upstairs offices, then tested. Every spot tested had full WiFi signal.
After move-in: Return visit
A return visit was booked for after the team moved in, to fine-tune once the space was in real use.
The results
What made it work
Upload-first service choice
We chose the service for its upload, not its headline download. With 50+ people working, upload usually runs out first, and many standard plans offer only a small fraction of download as upload.
Mesh with wireless backhaul
The nodes link to each other by radio, so each position needed power but no long cable back to a switch.
Coverage planned for the upstairs offices
The offices were treated as their own coverage area from the walk-through, not left to whatever signal reached them from below.
A return visit after move-in
A building full of people, furniture and stock behaves differently from an empty one, so fine-tuning after move-in was part of the job.
What to take from it for your own site
Coverage usually decides the count in big buildings: 50+ people would fit on two access points by capacity, but 5,000 m² across two levels needed six. Start with the floor plan, then the headcount; our warehouse WiFi page and warehouse coverage guide show how.
Choose the connection by its upload, sized for the busiest moment. And don't treat four days as normal: activation depends on the address and existing equipment, and can take from a couple of business days to several weeks, as our guide to how long internet takes to connect explains. Mesh suits long cable distances and hires of weeks or months; for denser crowds, cabled access points or a mix may suit better.
Questions people ask
How many WiFi access points did the 5,000 m² warehouse need?
The 5,000 m² warehouse needed six tri-band WiFi 7 mesh nodes to cover the warehouse floor and the upstairs offices. Capacity for 50+ people would have needed fewer, but coverage decided the count. Full WiFi signal was recorded at every spot tested across both levels.
How long did it take to get the warehouse online?
The warehouse went from first enquiry to a tested network in four days, with the fibre service activated on Day 3 and installation and testing on Day 4. Activation that quick isn't typical: new services can take from a couple of business days to several weeks.
Why use mesh WiFi instead of cabled access points in this warehouse?
Mesh WiFi was used in this warehouse because the nodes connect to each other wirelessly, which avoided long cable runs across 5,000 m² for a three-month project. Cabled access points remain a strong choice for very dense crowds or long-term installs.
Was 1.86 Gbps the speed everyone got over WiFi?
No. The 1.86 Gbps download and 472 Mbps upload came from a single speed-test snapshot at the gateway on the 2000/500 service. Speeds on individual devices over WiFi are lower and vary with distance, the device and how many people are online.
Can you plan a network like this for my site?
Yes. Timelines depend most on how quickly a connection can be activated at your address. Send us your floor plan, headcount and dates, and we'll plan it the same way: coverage first, an upload-first connection choice, and testing at every position.
