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Wi-Fi and network installation in Novato
Postwar tracts, lagoon houses and a former air base. Marin County, California.
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Homes in Novato
Novato is a postwar suburb, and much of its housing is tract homes on regular lots, built as the area grew quickly before and after it became a city. A few tracts are worth knowing by name: Lynwood Park was designed by Anshen and Allen, Eichler's original architects, and Orchard Park and Ferris Gardens were co-designed by Cliff May, the great popularizer of the ranch house.
Hamilton is different. The air base built from 1932 to 1935 used stucco over reinforced concrete with mission tile roofs, and redevelopment of the site began in the 1990s. East of the city, Bel Marin Keys is a planned waterfront community built from the late 1950s to the late 1980s, where most homes sit on a lagoon or on Novato Creek.
A railroad reached Novato in 1879 and a town grew around the depot. Hamilton Field was built in the 1930s, postwar tracts spread while the area was still unincorporated, and Novato became a city in 1960. The base was decommissioned in 1974.
What that means for your Wi-Fi
Tract homes with the router in the garage
The connection usually enters at the garage, and the bedrooms get what is left. We run Cat6 through the attic or up a closet and mount access points on the ceiling where you use them.
Concrete and stucco at Hamilton stop signal
Original base-era buildings were made of reinforced concrete under stucco, which Wi-Fi does not pass through well. Where walls are that heavy, we put a wired access point in each area rather than pushing signal through them.
Lagoon docks in Bel Marin Keys
When your back yard ends at the water, the dock can be a long way from the router. We mount an outdoor access point on the water side of the house, cabled back to the main switch.
Around Novato
- Old Town Novato: The historic downtown along Grant Avenue grew up beside the railroad depot after the line arrived in 1879.
- Hamilton Field hangars: Seven of the base's nine original hangars have been converted to offices while keeping their historic facades.
- Olompali State Historic Park: The park preserves the site of Rancho Olompali, granted to Camilo Ynitia in 1843.
Questions about Wi-Fi in Novato
Why are the bedrooms in my Novato tract house so slow?
Usually because the connection enters at the garage and the router stays there. The bedrooms get whatever signal is left after several walls. We run Cat6 through the attic or up a closet and mount access points on the ceiling where you use them.
Does Wi-Fi work through the concrete walls at Hamilton?
Not well. Original base-era buildings were made of reinforced concrete under stucco, and Wi-Fi does not pass through that easily. Where walls are that heavy, we put a wired access point in each area rather than trying to push signal through them.
Can you extend the network to my dock in Bel Marin Keys?
Yes. When the back yard ends at a lagoon or the creek, the dock can be a long way from the router. We mount an outdoor access point on the water side of the house and cable it back to the main switch.