We recently completed a network upgrade and tidy for a training company in South London.

The problem points:

1. Poor performance of the internet router - often crashed
2. Poor wireless signal
3. No VPN access, or unstable VPN access
4. Messy network cabinet, making diagnosis of faults difficult.

After visiting site, we found this:

Even though the customer had a rack cabinet, the equipment was laying on the bottom, and the wireless access point was inside the cabinet - that explains the poor wireless signal!

After discussing the requirements with the customer, we decided to consolidate some of the networking devices (router, network switch) and replace them with rack mount items.

We went with a MikroTik Cloud Router Switch - allowing fast ethernet connections in the office (gigabit ethernet) and a powerful firewall/router, to allow for remote monitoring and management. Of course, all of the usual VPN protocols are supported.

For the wireless connection, the existing TP-Link wireless access point was replaced with a Unifi UAP, to again allow for easier remote management of the wireless network that was in place.

A guest network was setup for the client, so that the main working network was isolated from visiting clients who needed wireless access.

There was a significant improvement in the network cabinet alone at the mid-way point:

Note this is before we ceiling mounted the access point!

Once this was completed with the Unifi supplied mounting brackets (made easier by the suspended ceiling):

In the end, the customer's setup was impoved significantly with:

1. Improved signal strength for the wireless in all areas
2. Improved security for the network (as the guest wireless was isolated from the main network)
3. A tidier network cabinet, with more easily managed connectivity
4. A powerful, remotely managed router/switch to allow reliable VPN access