Why concrete homes are different
Most of South Florida is built from concrete block (CBS) with poured columns, and the finishes make it worse for radio: stucco over metal lath acts as a screen, impact glass has metallic coatings that reflect signal, and tile roofs over foil-backed insulation block the attic path. A 2.4 GHz signal that crosses three drywall partitions in a northern house may not make it through one CBS wall here. 5 GHz and 6 GHz, which carry the speed, are attenuated even more.
The result is predictable: full bars next to the router, one bar two rooms away, nothing on the terrace. Adding a stronger router does not help, because the problem is the walls, not the power.
Why mesh kits are not the answer
Consumer mesh systems relay the signal from node to node over Wi-Fi. Every hop halves the available speed and adds latency, and the nodes still have to hear each other through the same concrete. In a CBS home they typically end up placed where they can see each other, not where you need coverage. They also cannot run cameras, door access or VLANs, and they are not something an integrator can support remotely.
Wired access points solve the physics. Each one gets a cable back to a switch, so the signal only has to cross the one room it serves.
How many access points a Florida home needs
The number depends on square footage, construction and layout, and the marketing figure on the box is irrelevant. We design from the floor plan with a heat-map model and confirm on site with a survey. As a starting point:
| Home | Typical access points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Condo, 1,500 to 3,000 sq ft | 2 to 3 | One per major zone; concrete slabs isolate floors completely |
| CBS home, 3,000 to 5,000 sq ft | 4 to 6 indoor + 1 to 2 outdoor | Primary suite, great room, kitchen, office, upstairs hall, garage |
| CBS home, 5,000 to 8,000 sq ft | 6 to 10 indoor + 2 to 3 outdoor | Add gym, theater, guest wing, terrace, pool |
| Estate with outbuildings | 10+ indoor, outdoor on each structure | Fiber to guest house and cabana; dock access point |
Outdoor coverage deserves its own access points. Terraces, pool decks and docks are where Miami families spend evenings, and an indoor access point through a wall of impact glass will not reach them.
The wired backbone
Every access point, TV, camera and desk should have a Cat6A cable back to the rack. In a new build that is part of prewire; in an existing home we fish through attics and soffits, reuse old coax paths for new cable, and use conduit where it exists. PoE switches power the access points and cameras over the same cable, so there are no wall adapters and every device restarts with the switch after a power blip.
Between floors on large homes and to any outbuilding we run single-mode fiber. It is immune to lightning-induced surges between structures, which matters in Florida more than anywhere.
Separate networks for cameras, IoT and guests
A smart home has 80 to 200 connected devices, and most of them should never talk to your laptop. A proper gateway puts cameras, IoT devices (shades, thermostats, speakers), guests and the family on separate VLANs with rules between them. It keeps a compromised gadget from reaching your files, keeps guests off the cameras, and keeps camera traffic from slowing the Wi-Fi. This is standard on UniFi and impossible on the cable company's router.
Internet service and failover
Keep the provider's modem or ONT in bridge mode and let your own gateway do the routing. For homes that depend on remote access, cameras or work from home, add a second connection: fiber plus cable, or a 5G cellular failover. The gateway switches automatically when one goes down, which happens every hurricane season.
Why we build on Ubiquiti UniFi
UniFi gives us enterprise-grade access points, switches and gateways that are managed from one console, run the cameras (UniFi Protect) and door access (UniFi Access) on the same platform, and can be monitored remotely so most issues are fixed before the homeowner notices. It scales from a condo to an estate without changing platforms, and it is priced sensibly for the performance.
Questions people ask about this
Can I keep my existing router?
You keep the provider's modem or ONT in bridge mode. Routing, Wi-Fi and switching move to your own UniFi equipment, which is faster, more secure and something we can support remotely.
Is Wi-Fi 7 worth it?
For a new network, yes. Wi-Fi 7 access points use the 6 GHz band, which is uncongested in dense areas like Brickell and Sunny Isles, and they will serve the next decade of devices. The bigger win is still placement and wiring.
How do I get Wi-Fi to the dock or guest house?
A buried conduit with fiber or outdoor-rated Cat6A to an outdoor access point. Wireless bridges are a fallback where trenching is impossible, but a wired link is faster and more reliable.
Will more access points interfere with each other?
Not when they are designed together. We set channels and power levels per access point from the survey so each one covers its zone and hands devices off cleanly as you move through the house.
Serving Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Brickell and across South Florida.