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Wi-Fi and network installation in San Rafael
Victorians near downtown, Eichlers in Terra Linda. Marin County, California.
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Homes in San Rafael
San Rafael has been the county seat since 1851, and its housing spans well over a century. Older neighborhoods close to downtown, Gerstle Park among them, are known for Victorian-era houses and early bungalows on tree-lined streets. Homes of that age tend to have wood frames, original interior walls and floor plans that predate any thought of wiring.
Terra Linda is the other pole. Terra Linda North alone has about 630 Eichlers built in two phases between 1955 and 1961, mostly one-story post-and-beam houses, beside roughly 200 similar Alliance tract homes from 1954. The Eichlers have radiant heating pipes in the floor, steel in the earlier homes and copper in the later ones, and typically no attic. Lucas Valley and Marinwood have Eichler neighborhoods of their own.
Mission San Rafael Arcángel was founded in 1817. The city became the county seat in 1851, incorporated in 1874 and got its railroad in 1879. The postwar years brought Terra Linda, promoted as a planned town of contemporary houses.
What that means for your Wi-Fi
Radiant-heated slabs mean no drilling the floor
Terra Linda Eichlers carry heating pipes in the floor and typically have no attic above. We keep cable out of the floor entirely, using short exterior runs in conduit and in-wall access points.
Victorian walls and hallways in Gerstle Park
Old plaster and long hallways, both common in houses of this age, soak up signal. We run Cat6 through the crawl space and up inside closets, and mount access points where each one covers two or three rooms.
Downtown shops and offices need tidy racks
Small offices often inherit a tangle of old cable from earlier tenants. We test what is there, reuse the good runs, and rebuild the rest around a small wall-mounted rack.
Around San Rafael
- Marin County Civic Center: Frank Lloyd Wright's largest public project, with the Administration Building completed in 1962 and the Hall of Justice in 1969.
- Mission San Rafael Arcángel: Founded in 1817 and raised to full mission status in 1822, the mission is where the city began.
- Rafael Theater: The downtown movie theater is widely known for its appearance in the film American Graffiti.
Questions about Wi-Fi in San Rafael
Can you run Ethernet in a Terra Linda Eichler without touching the floor?
Yes, and we would not drill the floor at all. Terra Linda Eichlers carry radiant heating pipes in the floor and typically have no attic above. We use short exterior runs in conduit and in-wall access points instead.
Where does the cable go in a Gerstle Park Victorian?
Usually under the floor and up inside closets. Old plaster and long hallways, both common in houses of that age, soak up signal, so placement matters. We run Cat6 through the crawl space where there is one and mount access points that each cover two or three rooms.
Can you sort out the old network cabling in my downtown San Rafael office?
Yes. Small offices often inherit a tangle of cable from earlier tenants. We test what is there, reuse the runs that pass, and rebuild the rest around a small wall-mounted rack, with a tidy path to each access point.