The Importance of a Well-Built Local Network

Hello everyone! I'll try to be less technical in this article...

When building our homes, we dedicate special attention to essential systems that provide comfort and security, such as the location of water registers for easy access and operation, and electrical panel planning to ensure circuits are well-distributed and sized to our needs. However, we often neglect a vital element: local network infrastructure.

The simplistic view that a standard modem from the internet provider is enough to meet digital needs is like relying on a single circuit breaker for all electrical demands or a single register for the house's water. This model is insufficient.

Currently, essential services are interconnected to the network:

• Cable TVs have transformed into IPTV.
• Fixed telephony into VOIP.
• Radios into streaming.
• Security cameras evolved from CCTV to IP, and DVRs are being replaced by cloud solutions or NVRs.
• Etc...

The modem provided by the operator is a multifunctional device that doesn't excel at any of its functions. Think of it like the power cables coming from the utility company not being responsible for dividing electrical circuits inside the house. The modem should only be the connection point between the internal network (local network) and the internet. Security, network divisions, and other configurations should be under our control. When switching operators, only the internet connection changes, maintaining the internal network configuration.

It may seem complex, but understanding and managing networks is as important as any other home system. If you can't dedicate yourself to learning, hire a professional, as you would with electricity or plumbing.

Information security starts at home. When a visitor asks for the WiFi password, they gain access to many sensitive devices on the network, such as cameras and IoT devices for home automation. The correct approach would be to provide an isolated network for guests so they don't have access to your equipment. Similarly, if you have cameras at home, it would be better to have a specific network that only known devices can access.

Considering network infrastructure in a house's design is prioritizing security. This means using a router, switch, access points to extend WiFi, and even structured cabling for reliable connections. Thus, the data network should have as much prominence in planning as electrical and plumbing networks.

When planning or renovating your house, if possible, dedicate the same attention to the data network, because a modern house is one where data flow is valued as much as electricity and water.

Many people will think "I don't even know how to configure the router, let alone think about this" and with some reason, but upon better analysis, they will reconsider.

Speed vs Connection Quality

Many people have 500 Mbps internet plans and are surprised to face poor connections, not understanding that speed and connection quality are two distinct elements. Operators guarantee speed up to the modem; from there on, performance depends on the local network infrastructure of the house or company – such as communication capacity between equipment, WiFi stability, and technology employed internally.

There's no point in having a high-speed connection if the internal network can't keep up. Equipment becomes the system's bottleneck, limiting performance.

Internet providers often offer high-speed plans knowing that most users won't use all the contracted bandwidth. It's not a rule, but an observed trend where consumers choose plans superior to necessary. Operators commercialize these packages knowing there's excess capacity, profiting more and distributing bandwidth among various customers as if they had all chosen smaller plans.

Something to think about...

If you need 24/7 internet and are paying a lot, it might be more interesting to contract two services with lower speeds and set up a load balancer. This way, when one fails, the other service is automatically used.

Test your connection at https://www.speedtest.net/ and check how much you're reaching compared to what was contracted. If it doesn't reach what the operator should deliver, it doesn't mean they're not delivering (in many cases they're not). Possibly your internal network is the limiter and thus you're wasting money.