What a construction site office needs from the internet
A site office isn't a heavy data user most of the time. It's the peaks that cause trouble: the morning everyone opens the revised drawings, the site meeting on a video call with the architect and client, the afternoon upload of progress photos and reports. Drawings and models are large files, and when ten people pull them down at once over a weak mobile signal, the office stops.
The other problem is the sheds themselves. Site sheds are steel boxes, often stacked two high and lined up in a row. A router in the site manager's office rarely reaches the lunch room, the induction room or the foreman's shed next door.
How construction site internet changes over a project
Construction is the one temporary site where the connection usually changes as the job goes on.
Early works
No line and only a few people. A 4G/5G router placed where signal is strongest gets the first shed online.
Site establishment
Sheds arrive and the team grows. We link the sheds, add WiFi where people work, and look at whether a fixed service can be ordered for the site address.
Main build
If a fixed service is activated, the network moves onto it and the 4G/5G router becomes the backup. If not, we add mobile capacity as headcount grows.
Shed moves
When sheds are relocated to free up the footprint, the network and cameras move with them, as agreed in your plan.
Completion
Near the end, the site team may move into the new building's own service. We switch the network over or pack it down, whichever you need.
Construction site WiFi by shed and user
We plan site networks around who sits in each shed and what they need:
Site office
Site manager, project engineers and contract administrators. A staff network, wired ports for printers and plotters, and upload for reports and photos.
Meeting and induction room
Screens for drawings and inductions, video calls with consultants, and visitor access for the day that's kept off the staff network.
Lunch room
A separate network for workers and subcontractors, with per-device limits so personal streaming doesn't slow the office.
Gate and compound
Cameras and, if you use them, sign-in tablets at the entry, each on the right part of the network.
Send a floor plan or the venue name. We reply with what the network needs and one written quote.
Site cameras on the same network
Most sites want cameras on the gate, the materials compound and the site office. Putting temporary CCTV on the same equipment as the site WiFi means one PoE switch powers cameras and access points, one router connects them, and one visit installs both. The cameras run on their own network, so someone on the lunch-room WiFi can't reach them. Our network and CCTV packages explain what a combined plan covers.
Recording happens on the recorder in the site office, so cameras don't use the internet just by recording. Viewing footage away from site does use upload, which matters on a mobile connection, so we plan for it. How and when footage can be viewed is agreed in your plan. The system records; your team decides who reviews it.
What we need before we come to site
- Site address and the shed layout or a site plan
- How many people work in the office, and on site at peak
- Power available at the sheds and where it's supplied from
- Where cameras are needed and what they must see
- Your site induction and access requirements
- Whether the head contractor has its own IT rules for networks
- Expected project length and any shed moves you already know about
Questions people ask
How do you get internet on a construction site with no phone line?
A construction site with no phone line usually starts on a 4G/5G router placed where mobile signal is strongest, connected to WiFi across the sheds. If the project is long enough, a fixed service can be ordered for the site address and the network moved onto it, with the 4G/5G router kept as a backup.
Can one internet connection cover several site sheds?
One connection can cover several site sheds when the sheds are linked together, either with cable between them or with mesh nodes that connect by radio. Steel shed walls block WiFi, so each shed where people work usually needs its own access point. We plan by who uses each shed and what they need.
Can site security cameras use the same internet?
Site security cameras can use the same internet and equipment as the site office, on their own separate network. Recording happens on site, so the internet is only used when someone views footage remotely. On a mobile connection, remote viewing uses upload, so it's included in the plan. Viewing options are agreed with you.
What happens to the site network when the sheds move?
When site sheds move, the network and cameras need to move with them. We include shed moves in the plan where you know about them, and otherwise arrange them with you as the program changes. Notice of a move lets us plan cable routes and camera positions for the new layout.
How long can construction site internet be hired for?
Construction site internet is usually hired for the length of the build, which can be many months. A long hire changes the plan: it often makes a fixed service worthwhile, and the support level for the whole period is agreed up front. At completion the network is switched over or packed down.
