What film set WiFi has to carry
A production is several workplaces at once. The production office runs schedules, call sheets, accounts and video calls. The stage or warehouse set has crew phones and tablets, continuity apps and sometimes remote viewing for people who can't be there. The data team needs the steadiest path out of the building, because the day's proxies and backups have to reach post before the next call time.
Most temporary internet is sold on download speed. For a production, download is rarely the problem. The constraint is upload: how many gigabytes can leave site between wrap and the next morning. That single number usually decides which connection we recommend, and it's the first thing we ask about.
Production office, stage and unit base: different network needs
Each part of a production asks something different of the network:
| Area | What runs there | What we plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Production office | Scheduling and accounts software, email, printing, video calls | Wired desks where practical, a staff network, and upload for several calls at once |
| Stage or warehouse set | Crew phones and tablets, script and continuity apps, remote viewing links | Coverage across the whole floor, with crew traffic kept apart from the office and data team |
| Data and post area | Offloading cards, making proxies, uploading to cloud storage or post | A cable straight to the router and the largest share of upload, ideally on its own network |
| Unit base or location | Trucks and trailers, catering, hair and makeup, a location office | Often no fixed line, so 4G/5G routers sized to the number of users and checked for signal first |
A starting point, confirmed on the recce or from your floor plans.
Upload maths for rushes and proxies
Work it out from volume, not speed. If the day's proxies come to around 200 GB and need to reach post within eight hours, that's roughly 56 Mbps of upload running steadily the whole time. Add headroom for everything else on the line, such as video calls and crew phones syncing photos, and you're looking at around 100 Mbps of upload, held for hours.
Full-resolution rushes are often many times larger than proxies. At that size, the honest answer may be that sending drives is still quicker than any connection the location can get. We'll show you the numbers so the decision rests on maths rather than hope. Our guide to internet for film production walks through the calculation step by step.
Send a floor plan or the venue name. We reply with what the network needs and one written quote.
Keeping crew, office and data traffic apart on set
One shared WiFi name is a common reason production internet feels slow, so we split it into separate networks:
Data team
A wired port or dedicated network with priority on upload, so a phone backup never competes with the night's proxies.
Production office
Staff laptops, printers and video calls, kept off the crew network so accounts and contracts sit well away from dozens of personal devices.
Crew
Phones and tablets across the stage, workshops and base. Per-device limits stop one heavy user from taking the whole connection.
Devices
Printers, screens, wireless presenters and anything that just needs to be online, labelled so it's easy to find later.
Cameras
If you hire security cameras for the stage or unit base, they sit on their own part of the network with their own PoE ports.
Studios, warehouse sets and locations that move
A studio with a building connection may only need extra access points and a separate crew network. A warehouse set is usually the opposite: a big steel shell with no usable internet, where coverage across the floor decides the equipment. Our warehouse WiFi page covers steel, racking and ceiling height.
Locations change through a schedule. When the unit moves, a mobile kit built on 4G/5G routers can follow the base while the production office keeps its fixed connection. Mobile signal varies over short distances, so it's worth checking where the trucks will actually park, not just the suburb.
How a production network comes together
Recce or floor plans
We look at the office, stage and base layout, where the data team sits, and how much has to leave site each day.
Choose the connection
We work out which service can carry the upload and how long activation takes at that address, anywhere from a couple of business days to several weeks, so this starts as early as prep allows.
Install during prep
Access points, switches and routers go in before the crew arrives, tested at the desks and on the floor, with network names and passwords handed to the production office.
Support through the schedule
The support level is agreed in your plan: scheduled check-ins, visits when the stage is reconfigured, or extra help around a unit move.
Wrap and pack-down
We pack down on the date you give us; if the wrap date moves, tell us early so the connection and equipment can be adjusted.
Questions people ask
How much upload does a film production office need?
A film production office needs enough upload for its busiest night, usually the proxy or backup transfer to post. Divide the gigabytes that must leave site by the hours available: 200 GB over eight hours is about 56 Mbps of steady upload. Add headroom for video calls and crew devices, then choose the service.
Can a production use 4G/5G instead of a fixed line?
A production can use 4G/5G for unit bases, small location offices and backup, and it's quick to deploy. It's a weak choice for large nightly uploads, because mobile upload is limited, varies by site and can slow when crowds gather. A stage or production office sending large volumes usually needs a fixed service.
Do you provide WiFi for TV production as well as film?
Yes. TV production, commercials, music videos and online content need the same things as film: a stable production office, coverage on the floor, and upload for files and remote viewing. We size the network to your headcount, floor area and daily data volume rather than to the type of production.
How quickly can WiFi be installed for a shoot?
How quickly WiFi goes in for a shoot depends mostly on the connection. If the studio or building already has working internet, the network install is the quick part and fits into prep. If a new fixed service is needed, activation can take from a couple of business days to several weeks, so get in touch once the location is locked.
Can security cameras run on the same network as the production?
Security cameras can share the equipment but shouldn't share the network. They go on their own separate network with reserved PoE ports, installed in the same visit as the WiFi. Recording equipment stays at the stage or base, and how footage can be viewed is agreed in your plan.
