It is the walls, not your provider.

Cable beats a repeater, but you do not need cable everywhere

The usual sweet spot in a house is two or three well-placed points rather than a point in every room. One at the television, one at a desk, and one feeding an access point at the far end of the house covers most homes completely.

Phones and laptops will still use wi-fi. The difference is that the wi-fi they are using is being broadcast from somewhere sensible instead of struggling through four walls.

Where the run goes

Same problem as any other cable in a period house. Under the floor where the boards allow it, through a cupboard, along a skirting line, or through the roof space where there is one. In a single-storey house with a decent roof space it is usually easy. In a terrace it takes more thought, and we will show you the route before we start.

Businesses: terminate it properly

The difference between a shop that works and a shop that has a problem every second week is nearly always how the cabling was finished. Runs labelled at both ends, terminated into a small cabinet or patch panel, and the equipment somewhere ventilated and out of the way.

It costs a little more on the day and it saves an afternoon of somebody guessing which cable is which, two years later, while customers wait.

Do it during the renovation

Worth repeating because it is the single biggest saving available. Data cabling during a renovation is minutes of work per point. The same points added afterwards mean chasing walls, patching and painting. If there is any chance you will want a hard-wired point in a room, run the cable while the wall is open even if you do not fit the outlet yet.

Television on the wall

A wall-mounted television wants a power point and a data or antenna point behind it, so nothing hangs down the wall. That is a small job on its own and a five minute job during a renovation. Tell us the bracket height and we will set the outlets where the screen will actually cover them.

Will a cable really fix my wi-fi problem?

If the problem is distance and walls, yes, and permanently. If the problem is the connection into the property itself, no cable in the house will help, and we will tell you that rather than sell you points you do not need.

How many points do I need?

Fewer than most people expect. Two or three well-placed ones usually cover a whole house, especially if one of them feeds an access point at the far end.

Do I need my walls cut open?

Not usually. Most runs go under the floor, through a roof space or through a cupboard. Where a chase is genuinely the only route, you will hear that at the quote.

Can you run cable to a shed or studio out the back?

Yes, and it is best done at the same time as the power for that building, in the same trench.

Can you do it while my renovation is happening?

Yes, and that is by far the cheapest time. Talk to us before the plasterer is booked.

Do you do commercial data cabling?

Yes. Shops, cafes and offices, terminated into a cabinet and labelled at both ends so the next person can work out what is what.

Can you mount a television as well?

We do the outlets behind it and the cabling, set out so the screen hides them. Tell us the bracket height when you book.

Which areas do you cover?

Coburg, Brunswick, Preston, Fitzroy, Northcote and the rest of the inner north, plus commercial cabling across the metro area.