PSA: Stop setting up job site WiFi with consumer routers

I used to think any old router from Best Buy would work on a construction site. Then we had a crew of 40 guys on a high rise in Denver trying to upload daily reports and blueprints through a Linksys that kept dropping. The super told me they lost half a day because the plans wouldn't load. Switched to a proper mesh system made for warehouses and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else dealt with site connectivity issues from cheap gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

robinf513d ago

Lost half a day because the plans wouldn't load" - yeah, and I bet the Linksys was sitting right next to a concrete wall too. Classic.

milacraig3d ago

Moved jobsites to proper outdoor rated access points with directional antennas aimed at the work areas. Cheap consumer gear just cant handle the dust, temp swings, and signal interference from all the metal and concrete. Had a crew roofing a steel building where the Netgear would die every afternoon when the sun heated up the trailer. Those warehouse mesh systems are a lifesaver, they actually survive being banged around in a gangbox too.

logan_young293d ago

Buddy of mine used a basic Netgear on a concrete site and it failed the second week, just like @milacraig described.