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Wi-Fi and network installation in Los Altos
Quarter-acre ranch lots without sidewalks. Santa Clara County, California.
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Homes in Los Altos
Los Altos was laid out for space. Residential lots are at least a quarter acre, most streets have no sidewalks, and the typical house is a ranch-style home built after the apricot orchards were subdivided in the postwar decades. On a lot that size the house tends to spread out on one level, with the bedrooms down a long hallway and room for a detached garage or pool house behind.
There are modernist pockets as well. Fallen Leaf Park is a tract of 37 single-story Eichlers built in 1968 on a former cherry orchard. Like other Eichlers, they typically have concrete slab floors and exposed post-and-beam roofs, with no attic above the ceiling.
Paul Shoup of the Southern Pacific Railroad and his partners began developing Los Altos in 1906 along the railroad's new line. Residents incorporated in 1952 to keep control of growth as orchards became subdivisions.
What that means for your Wi-Fi
Wide single-story houses need several access points
A house that stretches across a quarter-acre lot is too long for one router. We run cable through the attic and space ceiling access points so the signal is even from kitchen to far bedroom.
Pool houses and garages behind the main house
The building at the back of the lot usually gets one bar of signal at best. We link it with buried cable, or overhead where that suits, and give it its own access point.
Fallen Leaf Park Eichlers have no attic
With a post-and-beam roof and a slab underfoot, cable cannot be hidden the usual way. We keep runs short and outside in conduit, and use in-wall access points.
Around Los Altos
- Downtown Los Altos: The tree-lined downtown commercial district is known for diagonal parking and small local shops.
- Redwood Grove: The 5.9-acre nature preserve of coast redwoods connects to Shoup Park by a creekside path.
- Los Altos History Museum: The museum sits in one of the area's few remaining apricot orchards, beside the 1905 Craftsman-style J. Gilbert Smith House.
Questions about Wi-Fi in Los Altos
How many access points does a single-story Los Altos ranch need?
Usually more than one. On a quarter-acre lot the house tends to spread out on one level, with the bedrooms down a long hallway, and that is too far for a single router. We run cable through the attic, where there is one, and space ceiling access points along the house.
Can you connect the pool house behind my Los Altos home?
Yes. A pool house or detached garage at the back of the lot usually gets very little signal from the main house. We link it with buried cable, or an overhead run where that suits the property better, and give the building an access point of its own.
Is it possible to hardwire a Fallen Leaf Park Eichler?
Yes, though not through the ceiling. These Eichlers typically have a slab floor and a post-and-beam roof with no attic above it. We keep the cable runs short and outside the house in conduit, and bring them in to in-wall access points.