Networking & Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi & Network Installation in Burbank, CA
Dead zones, buffering, dropped video calls, a garage with no signal and a back bedroom that's been useless since 2019. Fixed properly — with the right hardware in the right place, not another extender.
- Whole-home mesh and access-point systems designed around your floor plan
- Hardwired Ethernet runs where wireless will never be good enough
- Small-business networks: VLANs, guest Wi-Fi, VPN, switches, patch panels
- Every cable labeled and a one-page network map left behind
Why your Wi-Fi is bad, in order of likelihood
Almost every dead-zone call in Burbank comes down to one of five things, and only one of them is solved by buying a better router.
- The router is in the wrong place. It's wherever the coax or fiber entered the house — a front closet, the garage, behind the TV — which is almost never the center of the floor plan. Wi-Fi radiates outward, so half the signal is going to your neighbor's yard.
- The house is made of the wrong things. A lot of Burbank and Glendale homes from the 1920s–1950s have lath-and-plaster walls with metal mesh inside. That mesh is a Faraday cage. It is astonishingly good at stopping 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Stucco with wire lath does the same. This is why a brand-new $400 router can perform worse in an old bungalow than a cheap one does in a new-build.
- Wireless extenders. A repeater halves throughput on every hop and creates a second network your devices cling to at 2 bars. They are sold as the fix and they are usually the problem.
- Channel congestion. In dense parts of Burbank, NoHo and Glendale — apartment corridors especially — there can be forty visible networks all fighting over the same 2.4 GHz channels. That needs a channel plan, band steering and often a move to 5 GHz or 6 GHz, not more power.
- The internet service itself. Sometimes it really is the ISP: an oxidized coax splitter, a failing ONT, a modem that needs replacing, or a plan that genuinely doesn't deliver what everyone in the house is asking of it. I'll test it and tell you, and I have no relationship with any ISP that would make me say otherwise.
The fix that actually works
For anything larger than a small apartment, the right answer is almost always multiple access points with wired backhaul. That means two or three Wi-Fi units placed where the coverage needs to be, each connected back to the router by an Ethernet cable rather than talking to each other over the air.
It costs more than plugging in an extender because someone has to run cable through an attic. It is also the difference between "mostly fine" and "genuinely never think about it again." A three-node mesh with wired backhaul in a 2,000 sq ft Burbank house, including the cable runs, typically lands between $380 and $650 in labor plus hardware.
Where running cable truly isn't possible — a condo, a historic home, a rental where you can't drill — modern tri-band mesh with a dedicated backhaul radio is a legitimate second-best, and MoCA adapters can turn existing coax into a wired path in many older Burbank houses. That last trick solves a surprising number of jobs cheaply.
Home networking services
- Wi-Fi site survey with signal mapping so decisions are based on measurements
- Router, mesh and access point selection, installation and configuration
- Cat6 Ethernet runs to offices, TVs, game rooms, garages, ADUs and back houses
- Wall plates, keystones, patch panels and a labeled network closet
- Guest networks and IoT segmentation, so a smart bulb can't see your laptop
- Parental controls, content filtering and per-device scheduling
- Smart home device onboarding — thermostats, locks, lights, doorbells, speakers
- Network storage (NAS) for photo libraries, media and backups
- Streaming and gaming optimization: QoS, wired consoles, latency troubleshooting
- Home office setup for reliable video calls — the fix is usually a cable, not a plan upgrade
Business networking
For offices, studios, retail and restaurants across Burbank, Glendale, NoHo and the Media District:
- Structured cabling: drops, terminations, patch panels, rack and closet buildout
- Business-grade firewall and router deployment with proper WAN failover where uptime matters
- VLAN segmentation — staff, guest, POS, cameras and VoIP each on their own network
- Ceiling-mounted access points with roaming that doesn't drop a call when someone walks down the hall
- Managed switches, PoE for cameras and phones, UPS protection
- Site-to-site and client VPN for remote work
- VoIP phone system cabling and QoS
- Bandwidth monitoring and a written map of what's plugged into what
Retail and restaurants in particular: separating the POS network from the guest Wi-Fi is not optional. It's a PCI expectation and it is also the single cheapest security improvement a small business can make.
A one-page network map, every cable and port labeled, all admin credentials handed to you in writing (not kept hostage), firmware updated, and a speed test at every location that mattered to you. If someone else works on it later, they'll be able to understand it in five minutes. That is not the industry norm and it should be.
Networking & Wi-Fi pricing
Hardware billed at cost. Recommendations are based on your building, not on what pays a commission.
| Service | Typical price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi assessment & site survey | $120 | Signal mapping, interference check, written recommendation |
| Router / mesh system setup | $140 – $260 | Configured, secured, updated, tested room by room |
| Mesh with wired backhaul (3 nodes) | $380 – $650 | Includes Ethernet runs — this is the one that actually works |
| Ethernet drop, per run | $140 – $260 | Cat6, terminated, tested, wall plate finished |
| Network closet cleanup & labeling | $220 – $420 | Patch panel, switch, cable management, documentation |
| Small business network build | $600 – $2,400 | Firewall, VLANs, guest network, APs, switching |
| VPN / remote access setup | $180 – $380 | Secure access to the office from anywhere |
| Printer, NAS & device onboarding | $95 – $180 | Static addressing so it stops disappearing |
How a job actually goes
- 1
Tell me what's wrong
Call, text a photo, or fill in the form. Photos of the model plate or the problem area cut the guesswork enormously.
- 2
Get a real price range
You get a range before I drive out, not after. If it's a job that needs a licensed contractor, I'll tell you that on the phone instead of wasting your time.
- 3
I show up in the window
You get a text when I'm on the way. Shoe covers, drop cloths, and the work area left cleaner than I found it.
- 4
Pay when it works
Flat price agreed up front. Card, Zelle, cash or check. Parts I install carry the manufacturer warranty and my labor is guaranteed for 90 days.
Questions people actually ask
Will a Wi-Fi extender fix my dead zone?
Rarely, and it often makes things worse. A wireless extender repeats the signal on the same radio, roughly halving throughput, and it creates a second network name that devices stubbornly hang onto at low signal. A mesh system with wired backhaul, or a single well-placed access point, solves the same problem properly. If budget is tight, a MoCA adapter over existing coax is frequently a cheap way to get a wired path to the far end of an older Burbank house.
How much does it cost to set up Wi-Fi in a house?
A straightforward router or mesh setup runs $140–$260 in labor. A proper three-node system with Ethernet backhaul runs $380–$650 in labor plus hardware. Individual Cat6 drops are $140–$260 each depending on attic access and wall construction. A site survey first is $120 and is credited toward the install.
Do I need to buy the equipment, or do you supply it?
Either. If you tell me your budget and your floor plan you'll get two or three specific model recommendations you can buy yourself at retail — I take no commission and have no brand relationships. If you'd rather I supply it, hardware is billed at cost.
Can you run Ethernet in a house with no attic access?
Usually yes, with more creativity. Options include crawlspace routing, exterior conduit runs, baseboard raceway, going up through closets, and MoCA over existing coax. In a Burbank house with a low-slope roof or a finished attic, the exterior route is often cleanest and can be painted to match. I'll walk the space and show you the options before anything is drilled.
Why does my Wi-Fi drop during video calls?
Three usual suspects: your device roaming between an extender and the router mid-call, channel congestion from neighboring networks, or upstream bandwidth saturated by something else in the house (a cloud backup, a game update, a 4K stream). The permanent fix for a home office is a $12 Ethernet cable. Genuinely — that's the fix, and it costs less than one month of a faster internet plan.
Do you work with Ubiquiti, Eero, Orbi, TP-Link and business gear?
Yes. Ubiquiti UniFi for anything that needs real control or multiple access points, Eero and Orbi where simplicity matters more than tuning, TP-Link Omada as a value alternative, and business firewalls where the site needs VLANs, VPN or failover. The recommendation follows your building and your requirements, not a preferred vendor.
Can you separate my business POS from the guest Wi-Fi?
Yes, and you should. VLAN separation keeps card-processing traffic off the network your customers are on and is a baseline PCI expectation. On a typical small restaurant or shop network it's an afternoon's work and it dramatically reduces your exposure.
Do you provide ongoing support after the install?
Yes, without a mandatory contract. Call when something changes. Because everything is documented and labeled, most follow-up questions get answered over the phone in a few minutes at no charge.
What neighbors say
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“Our Samsung fridge stopped cooling on a Friday. Armen came out the same afternoon, found a failed evaporator fan, and had it running before dinner. He showed me the old part and explained exactly what happened. No upsell, no drama.”
“Three-story townhouse with Wi-Fi that died on the top floor. He ran a hardwired access point instead of selling me another extender, and now I get full speed in every room. He labeled every cable in the closet too.”
“Four cameras around the house plus a doorbell, all on my phone. He walked the property with me first and moved two camera positions based on where our packages actually get dropped. Clean cable runs, nothing hanging.”
Networking & Wi-Fi Services across Burbank and 25 miles
Based in Burbank, on the road every day across the east Valley, the Verdugos and the west San Gabriel Valley.