What to ask before you hire anyone to fix your WiFi

Network installation is unregulated. Anyone can quote for it. These questions sort out who knows what they're doing, and you don't need technical knowledge to judge the answers.

Before the quote

1. Will you measure the signal before proposing anything?
The answer should be an unhesitating yes. Anyone quoting hardware over the phone without seeing the property is guessing. Walls determine everything, and walls can't be assessed remotely.

2. What will you give me from the survey?
You should receive the readings — room by room, ideally marked on a floor plan. If the survey produces nothing you can keep, it wasn't really a survey.

3. What signal level are you designing for?
Listen for a number. −67 dBm is the standard target for reliable voice and video. Someone who answers "strong signal everywhere" hasn't got a design target, they've got a hope.

4. Will you check how congested the channels are?
Particularly important in apartments and dense neighbourhoods. Sometimes the problem isn't coverage at all — it's thirty neighbours on the same channel — and adding hardware won't fix that.

About the proposal

5. Is the quote fixed?
You should know the total before work starts. Ask specifically what would change it. Honest answers exist — undiscovered asbestos, no attic access — but they should be named upfront, not produced later.

6. Is hardware itemised separately from labour?
You're entitled to see what the equipment costs and what the work costs. Bundling them into one number makes it impossible to compare quotes or to know what you're paying for.

7. Do I own the equipment outright?
Watch for rental arrangements and required monthly subscriptions. Owning it means you can take it with you and you're not paying forever for a one-time job.

8. Will the access points be wired or wireless?
Both are legitimate. What matters is that they explain the trade-off. A wirelessly-linked unit gives roughly half the throughput of a cabled one. If they propose wireless links everywhere without mentioning that, they're avoiding the conversation.

About the work

9. Where exactly will you drill?
You should be shown before anything is cut. Good installers use existing paths — attics, crawlspaces, conduit — and can tell you where the cable will run.

10. How many networks will you set up, and what goes on each?
Separating home, business, children and guests, and smart devices is standard practice for good reason. If they haven't raised it, they're installing hardware rather than designing a network.

11. Will you re-measure at the end?
This is the question that separates the professionals. A before-and-after using the same tool and the same settings is proof the work did what was promised. Most installers don't offer it. Ask anyway.

12. What happens when something breaks in a month?
Get the answer in writing. Is there a follow-up period? Can they diagnose remotely, or does every issue mean a callout charge? Business-class systems can usually be checked without a site visit — worth knowing whether yours can.

Warning signs

• A quote without a site visit. The single biggest one.
• Only ever recommending the most expensive option, regardless of what you described.
• Vagueness about the equipment brand and model. You should know exactly what's being installed.
• A required monthly fee to keep basic functionality working.
• Dismissing your questions as too technical. Anyone who understands this can explain it plainly.
• No mention of your yard, garage or outbuildings when you've said you need coverage there.

What a good answer sounds like

You're listening for specifics and for willingness to say no. "We'll measure first, and if a cheaper setup covers what you need, we'll tell you" is a better sign than any list of certifications.

The best indicator is someone who talks about your building — your walls, your layout, where you actually work — rather than about products. Products are the easy part. Knowing where to put them is the job.