In the early days, I plonked a router in the hallway – paid EE/SKY £30 a month and let the tenants have at it. Most of my calls would be to do with the broadband going down.

Here are some tips that I picked up (bear in mind I do love to overspec and have a penchant for tech). This is just how I do it…I am sure everyone has their own methods.

In a retrofit, it can seem simpler to go for a mesh system or extenders. In my experience, the best performance will be a business grade hotspot that has been wired in.

EQUIPMENT:

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· 1 x Reel of CAT6 cable (unshielded)

· 16 x RJ45 8-pin plugs

· 1 x Power Over Ethernet (POE) switch (4 ports should be enough)

· 3 x Ubiquiti plug and play access points

· A fibre subscription (I use Virgin Business)

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STEPS:

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· Chase/lay CAT6 cable to central points of the ceiling on each floor, to the routers' current position.

· Terminate both ends of the cable with RJ45 plugs (technically it is possible to do yourself).

· Create a small patch cable to connect the router to the POE switch (which needs a power source).

· Plug the ends (ceiling side) into the Ubiquity Access Point (attach to ceiling)

· Plug the terminated ends (router side) into the POE switch

· Login to your router (that was issued by the Internet Service Provider), turn off the WiFi functionality.

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The plug and play solution comes with a 3-year subscription to software that allows you to monitor the individual access points, who has connected to them, and get alerts if the internet goes down. You can also add to your network of access points, in different properties…keeping the same password across your portfolio.

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I will do another post on how I future proof a property, that I have taken back to brick or new build- that process is a bit longer.
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Cheers!
Neil

#toptips #property #hmolandlord #landlord #hmo #broadband

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