Install WiFi Internet for a multi-unit residential or office building

Requirements for WiFi Internet in large multi-unit buildings

People want Internet access in their homes or places of work. The installation of the Internet infrastructure depends on the physical location. Homes in a village can be connected to a central distribution point using copper or fiber cables, or else connected to a central location with a point-to-point wireless bridge. A home can also have a Satellite antenna to connect to the Internet via a satellite service. Each home requires simple network infrastructure. A wireless WiFi router connected to the Internet service will provide WiFi Internet in the residence or business building.

A high-rise multi-unit building that has residential apartments or business offices requires a network infrastructure to be installed in the building that will provide WiFi Internet to each unit. The subject of this article is the design of the network and WiFi infrastructure for a multi-unit building.

The building installation

A multi-unit building has one connection to the Internet that is shared by all apartments or offices. The Internet connection can be a copper or fiber landline that connects the building to the local Internet Service Provider (ISP) point of presence (PoP). The building can also connect to the ISP PoP with a point-to-point wireless bridge where the client antenna is installed on the building roof, and the host antenna is installed in the ISP PoP tower.

Configuring and installing the wireless point-to-point bridge is explained in one of our other technical documents. There are several important requirements for a wireless point-to-point bridge. The two antennas must have a line of sight between them and must also be high enough to provide the Freznel Zone clearance over to top of any obstacle. A building or tree will block the wireless signal.

An alternative Internet connection for a multi-unit building is a satellite Internet service such as that provided by Starlink. The Starlink service can be shared by unit residents with the installation of a controller, such as the Guest Internet GIS-R4 controller. A Starlink antenna has a maximum data speed that is fairly shared between the units by the Guest Internet controller.

The Internet service connects to a network distribution infrastructure that provides each unit in the building with WiFi. WiFi is short-range technology that is blocked by dense walls so it is not possible to install one wireless router for all the units, as we would do for a home. Instead it is necessary to install many WiFi wireless access points or a WiFi wireless router in each unit, and then connect each WiFi wireless unit back to a central location where the Internet connection enters the building, using Ethernet cables. 

The next diagram shows the network infrastructure that is installed in a multi-unit building.

The Internet connection shown in the diagram is a Starlink antenna with an Internet service plan. The Starlink antenna connects to a Guest Internet controller, which will share the Internet service between the units in the building.

The Guest Internet controller connects to an Ethernet switch that has power-over-Ethernet (PoE) to provide power and data to each WiFi wireless access point.

Placement of the WiFi wireless access points depends on the internal construction of the building. If the internal walls have a low density then wireless access points can be installed on each floor, along the corridor ceiling. Each WiFi wireless access point is connected back to the PoE switch using Ethernet cable. 

The installation of wireless access points along internal corridors is common for hotel and resort buildings. The guest in each room connects to the WiFi but has no Ethernet connection.

If the construction of the Internal walls is high density then it will be necessary to run an Ethernet cable to each unit and install a WiFi wireless router in each unit. The advantage of having a WiFi wireless router installed in each unit is that the unit residents have access to Ethernet cable connections in addition to the WiFi connection.

Range of the WiFi signal depends on building materials

The distance that the WiFi travels inside a building is determined by the internal construction of the building. Many multi-unit buildings in the USA have internal walls constructed using metal or wood studs that are then covered with sheetrock. This type of wall has a low density and WiFi signals can pass through this type of wall with only a small amount of attenuation.

Internal walls that are constructed with cement blocks or bricks have a high density and can block a WiFi signal. It is therefore essential to evaluate and test the building construction so that a decision can be made about the installation of WiFi wireless routers or wireless access points.

How many wireless access points are required?

A question that many people ask is how many WiFi wireless access points will I need for my building. It should be clear by now that there is no simple answer to this question. 

It is necessary to investigate the building construction to determine how many WiFi wireless access points are required and where they should be located. This process is called a “WiFi Site Survey” and is conducted by a WiFi engineer who has test equipment to measure the WiFi attenuation of the internal walls of the building.

With the results of the site survey investigation a building plan can be updated with the locations of WiFi wireless access points. The Ethernet wiring paths can also be determined. This will require access to cable ducts that pass between floors. It will also be necessary to specify hardware items such as cable support trays. 

A building civil engineer must be consulted when planning the network infrastructure installation.

The network infrastructure schematic and operation

When the numbers and locations of WiFi wireless access points inside the building has been determined using the site survey process then a network infrastructure schematic can be prepared. The network schematic identifies the types and models of equipments, and shows how equipments are interconnected. The network schematic can also show how equipments are powered and the location of the power outlets.

A network schematic is shown in the next diagram.  All network components are shown in the diagram and the Ethernet cables that interconnect the equipments are shown.

In addition the schematic can have installation notes added that explain how the cables are installed. The schematic can also have additional drawings showing cable installation routes within the building.

The choice of the Guest Internet controller model is determined by the data speed of the Internet connection. A Starlink antenna has a download data speed between 100Mb/s and 200Mb/s. This can be increased depending on the data plan. The GIS-R4 controller is suitable to manage the Starlink data speed. If the building has a fiber Internet connection then a different Guest Internet controller will be required.

Controlling access to the Internet

To ensure that the Internet service is not overloaded with a high demand, the access is limited to authorized users. There are several methods to control access to the Internet service. Two methods are described below.

• When WiFi wireless access points are installed outside units, in common corridors. Authorized users are given an access code that permits them to connect to the WiFi service. The access code may have a limited time of use, or else have an unlimited time. The access code will also determine the maximum download and upload data speeds permitted for that user in order to share the Internet service. Using the Guest Internet controller, the access codes can be printed as vouchers with a voucher given to each authorized user.
• When WiFi wireless routers are installed in each unit. The wireless router is given authenticated Internet access using the unique identifier of the wireless router; this is called the MAC address. The wireless router can have Internet access for a limited time period or be given permanent access. Each wireless router access has a preset maximum download and upload data speed so that the Internet service is shared between all units. All unit occupants can access the Internet via the wireless router. However all occupants share the maximum data speeds that are set for that wireless router.

When one Starlink antenna does not provide enough bandwidth for all units

When preparing the network design for the building it is necessary to make some calculations about the network speed.

As described previously, a Starlink antenna can provide an average download data speed of 150Mb/s. The upload data speed is slower and can be 25Mb/s.

We determine the data speed allocated for each unit by dividing the available data speed by the number of units in the building.

For example, a building with 50 units connected to a Starlink antenna can have a maximum of 3Mb/s download speed allocated (150/50) to share the Starlink service. The actual speed can be higher due to the “Contention Ratio”. Not all users will be using the maximum data speed at one time so the contention ratio tells us how much we can exceed the speed allocation for each unit. If the Contention Ratio is 3:1 then we can multiply the allocated speed by a fact of three, therefore;

3Mb/s per unit x 3 (Contention Ratio) = 9Mb/s per unit maximum download speed

We repeat this calculation for the upload data speed limit.

The Contention Ratio is determined by how people use the Internet service. If people are accessing email only then the Contention Ratio can be higher. If all users are streaming Netflix videos then the Contention Ratio must be lower. The Contention Ratio can be adjusted according to Internet use.

When we have a situation where the ISP Internet speed is not sufficient for the demand of all units within the building, we can increase the Internet speed by adding more ISP services. 

For example, we can use a special type of router to connect multiple Starlink antennas to have a faster data speed for each unit, or provide Internet for more units. 

The next diagram illustrates how up to four Starlink antennas can be connected to the building network. The Starlink antennas connect to a Guest Internet GIS-R40 controller that provides load balance and failover to share the four Starlink antennas. The GIS-R40 controller also sets the access rules for each unit so that the total Internet data speed is shared between all units in the building.

Planning your multi-unit building WiFi Internet project

Before embarking on a WiFi Internet project for a multi-unit building, prepare your checklist.

• What are the Internet requirements for each unit?
• How will the Internet service be provided?
• Identify the building location for the installation of the network equipment.
• If Starlink is selected then determine how the antenna will be installed on the roof of the building.
• If a fiber ISP will provide the service then determine how the cable will enter the building.
• Prepare the site survey to determine the quantity and location of wireless access points in the building; a network engineer will help with this.
• Prepare the network schematic showing the equipment that is required; a network engineer will help with this.
• Prepare building wiring information to explain how the cables should be installed; a civil engineer will help with this.
• Identify suppliers of the network equipment.
• Ensure that all equipment is purchased and available before the installation work begins.
• Only a firm that has proven experience installing network infrastructure in multi-unit buildings should install the network.
• If any of these preparation steps are missed then the outcome of the installation may not be as desired and money may be wasted.

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