Home Networks

How Your Home Network Works, Why It Struggles — and What Can Be Done About It

Most homes today rely completely on their home network. WiFi, TVs, games consoles, smart devices, work laptops — everything depends on it.
Yet many people still experience:

  • Dead zones around the house

  • Buffering when streaming

  • Unstable video calls

  • Devices dropping offline

  • Poor coverage upstairs, in extensions, or garden offices

Even when the broadband speed looks good “on paper”, the home network itself is often the real problem.

Why Home Networks Struggle

Even with a fast broadband package, WiFi and home networks still underperform for several common reasons:

WiFi Is Line-of-Sight

WiFi is affected by almost anything in its path:

  • Thick walls

  • Floors and ceilings

  • TVs and appliances

  • Microwaves

  • Metal structures

  • Even cupboards and bookshelves where the router is placed

All of these weaken the signal before it reaches the room you’re in.

Distance From the Router

The further away you are from the router, the weaker the signal becomes — and once floors and walls sit between you and the router, the signal drops even further.
This is why:

  • Loft conversions

  • Extensions

  • Kitchens

  • Garden rooms

often have the worst WiFi in the house.

Routers Supplied by Broadband Providers

Routers from BT, Sky, Virgin, etc. may look sleek, but internally they are fairly basic. They are designed to provide a simple service, not to handle:

  • Busy households

  • Multiple people streaming

  • Gaming

  • Working from home

  • Dozens of smart devices

It’s widely discussed that wired connections are best for speed — but unless you want cables running all around your home, this isn’t always practical.

Even wired connections only work at the speed of the slowest device on the network.
For example:

  • A games console might support 1Gbps

  • A smart TV might only support 100Mbps

  • If they are on the same network path, the console can be limited to 100Mbps

The Result

Some rooms work perfectly. Other rooms are a nightmare.

How Home Networks Are Improved in Most UK Homes

In the UK, replacing the broadband provider’s router completely usually involves special configuration details that providers are slow to give out — or won’t give out at all.

For that reason, the most reliable solution in most homes is:

Keep the provider’s router and connect a better router or mesh system to it.

Effectively, the provider’s router becomes the “modem”, and your upgraded equipment runs the home network.

Sometimes, installing a single better-quality router is enough to improve coverage.

If more range is needed, another router, mesh node, or access point can be placed elsewhere in the house — often in the upstairs hallway or a central position.

Modern mesh systems:

  • Link to each other wirelessly

  • Do not require cables between nodes

  • Broadcast the same WiFi name and password

  • Allow devices to move between access points seamlessly

  • Can usually be expanded to 4 or 5 access points for full-home coverage

All without ripping out walls.

For Homes Being Renovated or Built

If your home is being refurbished or newly constructed, the best solution is to install network access points (Ethernet ports) in the rooms where strong, reliable connections are needed, such as:

  • Behind TVs

  • Home offices

  • Bedrooms

  • Loft conversions

  • Garden rooms and outbuildings

This also enables PoE (Power Over Ethernet) devices such as CCTV cameras and ceiling-mounted access points, which can be powered and connected using a single network cable back to your switch or router.

This creates a future-proof home network that can support:

  • Smart TVs

  • Consoles

  • Security cameras

  • Streaming devices

  • Office equipment

  • Mesh routers and access points

All without relying solely on WiFi.

WiFi-Only Homes (No Cabling)

Not every home can install cabling, and many households rely entirely on WiFi. When designed properly, a modern WiFi-only setup can still support:

  • Smart TVs and streaming

  • Consoles and gaming PCs

  • WiFi cameras and doorbells

  • Home office working

  • Phones, tablets, and laptops

  • Smart home devices

A good mesh system spreads coverage evenly across the home without cables. As WiFi standards evolve, equipment can be upgraded without rewiring.

While wired networks will always offer the best possible stability, a properly designed WiFi-only solution works extremely well for most homes.

What This Leads Into

This page explains why home networks struggle and how they are structured.
If you’d like to see exactly how full residential IT and network installations are designed and built, including:

  • Routers & mesh systems

  • Wired access points

  • Garden offices & outbuildings

  • Smart home integration

  • CCTV & PoE

  • Renovation cabling

You can view our detailed page here: IT Setups