Poor WiFi costs businesses more than most realise. Dropped video calls, slow file transfers, frustrated staff, failed card payments — all traceable to an underperforming wireless network. Yet many businesses continue patching around these problems rather than addressing the root cause.
Here are five clear signs it's time to call in a professional WiFi assessment.
1. Dead Zones That Never Seem to Go Away
If there are areas of your premises — meeting rooms, back offices, warehouse corners, reception areas — where WiFi is consistently weak or absent, your access points simply aren't covering the space effectively. This is usually caused by:
- Too few access points for the square footage
- Access points in the wrong locations (often a cupboard or ceiling corner where the installer found a cable)
- Consumer-grade hardware running at maximum range rather than designed coverage
- Walls, floors and interference sources that a professional site survey would identify
A professional WiFi survey uses RF analysis tools to map signal strength, interference and coverage gaps across your entire site — before a single access point is mounted.
2. Video Calls Drop or Buffer Constantly
Modern business is built on video conferencing. If Teams, Zoom or Google Meet regularly drops, buffers or degrades, the problem is almost always QoS (Quality of Service) configuration rather than broadband speed.
Without QoS, a large file download by one user can consume all available bandwidth and starve everyone else's video calls. Enterprise-grade WiFi platforms like Ubiquiti UniFi and Cisco Meraki allow us to prioritise video traffic so it always gets the bandwidth it needs — regardless of what else is happening on the network.
3. You Have More Than 15 Devices per Access Point
Consumer-grade WiFi routers and access points are typically designed for home use — perhaps 5–10 connected devices. In a business environment, a single room might have 30+ devices: laptops, phones, tablets, IoT sensors, printers, card readers and guest devices.
Modern enterprise access points are designed to handle 100+ concurrent connections without degradation. If you're pushing a consumer device beyond its limits, performance will suffer noticeably — even if the signal strength looks fine on your phone.
4. Your Broadband Speed Tests Vary Wildly by Location
If you get 200Mbps in the reception area but 8Mbps in the sales office, your WiFi is the bottleneck — not your broadband. This variance indicates coverage issues, interference or mismatched WiFi channels that a professional installation would resolve.
A properly designed WiFi network should deliver consistent throughput across your entire site, with access points sized and placed to maintain signal quality throughout.
5. You've Had the Same Kit for 5+ Years
WiFi technology has advanced significantly in the last five years. WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and WiFi 6E deliver dramatically better performance in dense environments through technologies like OFDMA and Target Wake Time.
If your hardware pre-dates 2020, you're likely running WiFi 5 (802.11ac) at best — and potentially 802.11n or older. Modern access points from Ubiquiti, Cisco and HPE Aruba typically deliver 3–5x better real-world throughput in business environments.
What a Professional WiFi Upgrade Involves
A Wifly WiFi upgrade isn't just swapping old hardware for new. Every project starts with a professional site survey — using software like Ekahau or AirMagnet to map your building, identify interference sources and design optimal access point placement.
We then install, configure and test the complete system, providing full documentation and handover training. Most upgrades also include setting up cloud management so you can monitor performance from anywhere.
🔧 Ready for a WiFi Assessment?
Wifly offer free WiFi assessments for businesses across Bristol and the South West. We'll tell you honestly whether your existing system can be improved, or whether a full upgrade is the right approach.
