WiFi network

UniFi WiFi for the whole building: one gateway, a PoE switch and 3 ceiling access points.

Next steps

• Answer the picker questions with Evan (cameras, auditorium puck, outdoor WiFi, speakers)

  Micheal · On this page
  To do
• Get the make and model of the mixer and the wireless snake

  Micheal · Decides the auditorium channel plan
  To do
• Confirm the internet provider and where the modem comes into the building

  Micheal · Plan: fiber into the small office in the back wing (network room). Confirm the provider can bring it there
  To do
• Walk-test signal on a phone; add the 4th access point only if there's a dead spot

  Micheal
  To do
• Set up the UniFi gateway, switch and access points

  Micheal · All equipment is in from Amazon, store.ui.com and B&H. Putting it together now; still waiting on Ace Fiber to install the fiber line before it can go fully live.
  In progress

A UniFi system managed from one phone app: a gateway (the router), a PoE switch that powers the access points over their network cable, and ceiling access points ('pucks'). The building is about 9,000 sq ft, built in 1972. Buildings from that era often have block walls, which cut WiFi a lot, so plan where each puck goes before buying.

Answer the questions: the gear list updates

Tap an answer to each question. The list and total change to match. UniFi and Sonos prices were checked on their own stores Oct 17, 2026 (UniFi prices include Ubiquiti's current memory surcharge). Items marked est. are estimates. Not included: tax and labor.

Network plan: where things go

• The fiber internet comes into the small office in the back wing (circled). The gateway and the PoE switch sit there, by the fiber box.
• Cat6 runs from the switch inside the soffit along the back wing and the auditorium side, then drops in at each puck spot, the booth and the stage. That's the same soffit path as the video coax, so pull them together before the soffit crew closes it up.
• That room needs one outlet for the gateway and switch. A small battery backup (UPS, about $60–90) keeps WiFi up through short power blips; optional.

Q: Why the UniFi switch instead of a cheaper 8-port PoE switch from Amazon?

• A cheaper switch (like a TP-Link 8-port PoE+, roughly $50–70) would work: it powers the pucks and passes the data. The WiFi works either way, and the pucks keep the Staff, Guest and AV networks separate over any switch.
• What the UniFi switch adds (about $50–60 more): 1) Remote control in the same app: see every port and restart a frozen puck from a phone (it cycles the power), instead of someone going to unplug it. That matters since nobody is on site all the time.
• 2) Wired devices on separate networks: the booth computer and the stage mixer cable can be put on the AV network, away from guest traffic. A cheap unmanaged switch puts every wired device on one network.
• 3) One system: alerts, cable checks and updates all in the UniFi app.
• Middle option: the gateway has 4 ports of its own that can be set to the AV network. Plug the booth and stage cables into those and use a cheap switch only to power the pucks. That keeps the separate wired networks and saves about $50–60; it only loses the remote puck restart.
• Recommendation: keep the UniFi switch for the remote restart and one-app management. If the budget is tight, the middle option works.

Worship sound on WiFi (iPad mixer + wireless snake)

• Does it change the plan? A little. The gear list stays the same, but the auditorium setup matters more.
• Plug the mixer into the network with a cable (a run from the stage to the switch). Don't rely on the mixer's built-in WiFi. The iPad then connects through the UniFi puck and stays solid.
• Give the iPad its own AV network: 5 GHz only, a fixed channel, not shared with guests. Lock the guest network down so 150 phones on Sunday can't crowd it.
• The wireless snake: many run on 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, the same bands as WiFi (most wireless mics use UHF and don't conflict). Once we know the model, we keep the WiFi on different channels, or turn 2.4 GHz down in the auditorium.
• The wireless HDMI test kit also uses 5 GHz. If it stays, it needs its own channel away from the iPad's.
• Strongly consider the U7 Pro for the auditorium: its 6 GHz band takes newer phones off 5 GHz and leaves room for the iPad and the snake.
• The sound keeps working if the internet goes down. The UniFi network runs locally.

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Unlisted working page (not in the site menu). Updated 2026-10-26.