The Standard Router
When you have a broadband connection delivered, it's usually supplied with a standard domestic WiFi router (unless you buy it through us). These are designed primarily for use in residential dwellings and as a result don't come with the capacity, coverage or features you might need in a church.
Most churches will require their broadband to be installed into the vestry, church office or some other "out of the way" location. This usually means tucked away in a corner of the church, separated from the main body where you're likely to need it for live streaming, hall hirers and other functions. The routers aren't powerful enough to transmit a strong and stable signal through the thick stone walls, and so the signal degrades to the point where it's not useable outside the immediate vicinity.
A standard BT Home Hub
What's the solution?
There are various options available to get the WiFi to where you need it.
Powerline Adapters
The use of powerline adapters is quite common, where the internet signal is transmitted through the church's electrical wiring and rebroadcast using another small WiFi adapter. These can be temperamental, especially where old cables or multiple power ciruits are being used. Power spikes, interference and cheap adapters will degrade the signals and cause more frustration in the long run. We wouldn't recommend them unless it's an absolute last resort.
WiFi Extenders/Repeaters
A WiFi extender or repeater can be placed in a location that does have some WiFi signal from the main router. It will then repeat the same signal again, giving an extra boost to the coverage. Whilst these are better than powerline adapters, the quality and stability of the WiFi it puts out is entirely dependant on the donor signal it receives. These can be useful in rare circumstances, but they can also be temperamental and cause frustration by losing connectivity or repeating a poor signal from the main router.
A Mesh WiFi System
A proper WiFi solution will consist of one or more dedicated WiFi access points, ideally hard wired back to the main router. They all work on the same logical network, and so appear as a single WiFi signal and, with good placement, they will cover greater areas with stronger signal.
A mesh WiFi system is certainly the way to go for frustration free, reliable and fast WiFi, packed with benefits and security features. And, it doesn't have to cost too much.
A mesh WiFi system is always the preferred option when it comes to full coverage
The Benefits
Centrally Managed
The whole solution is centrally managed, meaning any changes are rolled out to all access points. This takes care of software upgrades and makes administering the system much easier.
Secure
Keep your main church network secure by providing a dedicated "Guest" WiFi using the same equipment. The WiFi can broadcast up to 16 different network names, each one separated from the other. Additionally, guest networks can be rate limited, protecting bandwidth for church use, and can require log-in details to capture user information
Independent of Internet Service Provider
Whether you use BT, Virgin, Sky, or one of our 4G or satellite installations, it doesn't matter which internet provider you use. Our WiFi system will work with it. This allows for changes in supplier, upgrades from copper based internet to full fibre when it becomes available in your area.
The Litenet Touch
Professional Installation
We have a long history in the Telecoms and WiFi industry, and we have suppliers for all kinds of equipment.
If you have a chosen brand in mind, tell us. We can source and install WiFi and network equipment from all major manufacturers such as TP-Link, Ubiquiti, Netgear, Meraki, Ruckus and more.
We favour TP-Link as we believe it provides the best value for money, with a feature set that matches Ubiquiti's Unifi system at a fraction of the cost.
Our experts can answer any questions you may have, as well as helping you choose exactly what equipment you need.
Our installation team are fully trained and used to working with churches and listed buildings. We can even apply a vinyl covering to the access point to help it blend in with surroundings.
We install and configure exactly to your specification. If you don't know what specification you need, we'll help you decide.
