Wi-Fi and network installation in Daly City

Doelger row houses built over the garage. San Mateo County, California.

Homes in Daly City

Daly City is the town Henry Doelger built. Starting in the late 1940s his Westlake district covered the western side of the city with street after street of similar houses, many with the living space upstairs and a garage or open basement below. Doelger was an early user of sheetrock, so ceilings are rarely over eight feet, and kitchens and baths share a wall.

Over the years many owners finished that ground floor into extra bedrooms or a separate unit, which is why a modest-looking house can hold a large household. Older homes cluster around Top of the Hill, where the city started, and neighborhoods such as St. Francis Heights and Serramonte extend the city south.

Refugees from the 1906 earthquake settled on John Daly's ranch land, and the city incorporated in 1911. Henry Doelger's Westlake, begun in the late 1940s, made it one of the earliest large planned suburbs.

What that means for your Wi-Fi

Living space sits a floor above the router

Internet service often enters at the garage level, under the rooms where you use it. We run cable up from the garage to ceiling access points on the main floor so signal is not fighting the floor structure.

Converted ground floors need their own coverage

A finished downstairs with extra bedrooms or a rental unit is a second home as far as Wi-Fi is concerned. We wire an access point there and can separate its network from the one upstairs.

Houses packed side by side share the airwaves

Westlake homes sit close together, and every one has a router. We use wired access points at sensible power and tune channels after installation, which is steadier than adding more mesh nodes.

Around Daly City

Westlake Shopping Center: Henry Doelger planned the shopping center as part of his Westlake district of homes and businesses.
Daly City BART station: The station opened on November 5, 1973, giving northern San Mateo County rail service to downtown San Francisco.
Top of the Hill: The neighborhood where John Daly owned 250 acres is where the city took shape after the 1906 earthquake.

Questions about Wi-Fi in Daly City

Why is Wi-Fi weak upstairs in my Westlake house?

Internet service often enters at the garage level, under the rooms where you actually use it, so the signal has to push up through the floor. We run cable from the garage to ceiling access points on the main floor instead.

Can a converted downstairs unit in Daly City get its own network?

Yes. A finished ground floor with extra bedrooms or a rental unit is a second home as far as Wi-Fi is concerned. We wire an access point there and can separate its network from the one upstairs.

Is a mesh kit a good idea in a Doelger row house?

Usually wired access points are steadier. Westlake homes sit close together and every one has a router, so the air is crowded and extra mesh nodes add to it. We wire access points, run them at sensible power and tune the channels.