We separate marketing from reality. Practical analyses based on our real installations in Montreal.
Honest comparison of 3 pro Wi-Fi brands for Quebec hotels. Costs, licenses, support.
Read →Should you jump to Wi-Fi 7 now? Real analysis for SMBs and multi-housing.
Read →Mesh or room-by-room cabling? The right choice by establishment type.
Read →On paper, every access point promises impressive speeds. In the field, a Wi-Fi network gets judged differently: does it hold up when everyone connects at once, what does it really cost over its lifetime, and who deals with it when something goes wrong? Our comparisons draw on installations in Montreal, Laval and the South Shore since 2009, and on our UEWA and CWS certifications. Before you get into the details, here are the five criteria we use to judge a solution.
Having signal everywhere isn't enough. A full meeting room, a hotel lobby at checkout time or an apartment building in the evening all require each access point to serve many devices at once. The right equipment is chosen from the number of simultaneous devices and what they do, and a site survey confirms it before you buy.
The price of an access point is only the start. Some platforms require a mandatory annual license; others run with no subscription. You also have to count cabling, installation, monitoring and eventual replacement. Over several years, the cheapest option to buy isn't always the cheapest overall.
An access point connected by Ethernet gives all of its capacity to users. A mesh access point spends part of its airtime talking to the other access points. Mesh avoids construction work in a heritage building, but it has limits as density rises. Cabling costs more up front and lasts longer.
A new standard does little if the company's computers and phones don't support it. Before paying for the latest generation, we look at the device fleet and the expected lifespan of the network. For most SMBs, Wi-Fi 6E remains the sensible choice today.
Who gets the alert when an access point goes down? Can the console be reached without depending on a single provider? Is the network segmented and documented so someone else could take it over? A lesser-known solution that is well monitored often serves better than a big brand left on its own.
We aren't the exclusive reseller of any brand: the recommendation starts from your building, not from a catalogue. For an answer that fits your premises, call 1 877 622-3658 or ask for an opinion. The on-site assessment is free and you get a quote within 48 hours. You can also read our business Wi-Fi guides.
There isn't just one. The right choice depends on the number of devices, the recurring budget you can accept and who will manage the network. A platform with no annual license suits an independent business that wants to stay in control, while subscription-based cloud management can make sense for a chain with several locations.
For most SMBs, Wi-Fi 6E is still what we recommend: it is mature, less expensive and compatible with many more devices. Wi-Fi 7 mainly makes sense for very demanding workstations, such as video production. Check your device fleet before deciding.
No. All else being equal, cabling is better because each access point keeps its full capacity for users. Mesh is still a good solution when cables can't be run, for example in a heritage building, or for a small property on a tight budget.
As a rule of thumb, 2 to 4 access points for 1 to 30 employees and 5 to 12 for 30 to 100 employees. The right number depends on the building materials, the number of floors and how many devices connect at once. A site survey confirms it.
No, we aren't the exclusive reseller of any brand. We recommend what suits the building and the budget, then we install and document it. The on-site assessment is free and you get a quote within 48 hours.