Warehouse cabling and WiFi that reaches every aisle
Big floor, high racking, scanners that drop out between aisles? We design the cabling, fibre backbone and access-point coverage so your warehouse network holds up end to end. Fixed-price, certified.
Warehouses break WiFi in ways an office never does: long distances, steel racking that blocks signal, and scanners that lose connection halfway down an aisle. The fix is the cabling and access-point plan underneath, not another cheap WiFi box. We design and install it so coverage holds across the whole floor.
What we handle
Fibre & copper backbone
Fibre between buildings or to the far end of a large site, with certified copper to every device and office point.
Racking-height WiFi
Access points cabled and placed for the geometry of your racking, so handheld scanners stay connected in every aisle.
CCTV & office network
Cameras across the floor, loading docks and yard, plus the office and comms-room network, certified and documented.
Why warehouses need it designed, not guessed
Coverage in a warehouse is a planning problem, not a box you plug in. Steel racking blocks wireless signal, distances are long, and a scanner that drops connection halfway down an aisle stalls the whole pick. Get the access-point placement and cabling right and scanners, tablets and cameras stay live across the site; get it wrong and you get dead aisles no router can fix.
We plan it around your actual racking layout and run length, and run certified cabling and fibre to suit — so the design matches your building, not a generic floor plan.
Also part of the job
Loading dock & yard
Cabling and cameras out to docks, gates and yard areas, planned for the run lengths and the weather they’ll face.
Voice & comms
Data points for VoIP phones, intercoms and the dispatch office, all on one certified network.
Moves & expansion
Adding racking, a mezzanine or a new area? We extend the network without ripping the floor apart.
How it runs
Free site visit
We walk the space, confirm what goes where, and work around your access and timing.
Fixed-price quote in 24 hours
Written down, in plain English. What you sign off is what you pay — no surprise bills.
Planned install
Cabling, network and devices installed in the right order, in your window, every point tested.
Certified handover
Fluke test results, a wiring diagram and a printed pack — backed by a 12-month workmanship warranty.
Why one team, done properly
A warehouse network touches scanners, tablets, cameras, phones and the office, often over big distances. When it’s planned and cabled as one job to one standard, it holds up; when it’s patched together by whoever was on site, it’s a constant source of drop-outs. We design, cable and test it as a single planned install.
Cabling and fibre are our primary trade, Fluke-tested and certified to AS/NZS 3080, backed by a 12-month workmanship warranty. See our fibre and data cabling services.
What good planning prevents
The usual warehouse network problems are all coverage and distance: the dead aisle where scanners cut out, the camera at the back of the yard that never had enough cable, the office that shares one overloaded link with the whole floor. We map the coverage and the runs before install, so the gaps are designed out rather than discovered once you’re operating.
FAQs
Why does my warehouse WiFi drop between aisles?
Steel racking blocks wireless signal and warehouses cover long distances. The fix is the right number of access points, cabled and placed for your racking layout — a planning and cabling job, not a single WiFi box.
Can you run fibre across a large site?
Yes. We install fibre backbone between buildings or to the far end of a large site, with certified copper to the devices and offices.
Do you cable for handheld scanners?
Yes. We plan access-point coverage so handheld scanners and tablets stay connected across the whole floor.
Can you cover loading docks and the yard?
Yes. We run cabling and cameras out to docks, gates and yard areas, planned for the run lengths and conditions outside.
Can you extend the network as we grow?
Yes. Adding racking, a mezzanine or a new area is straightforward when the backbone is already in — we extend it without redoing the site.
Cabling a warehouse or industrial site?
Fibre backbone, full-floor WiFi coverage and CCTV — designed for your site, certified, warrantied. Book a free site visit anywhere in Auckland.
Get a Free Quoteor call 0800 222 546Covering a yard, a dock or racking aisles? See warehouse CCTV installation in Auckland — most of these go in around shifts.
Warehouse network design: the technical guide
The design decisions behind a warehouse network, previously published as a separate guide and now part of this page.
Start with four numbers
Before we quote a single metre of cable, we ask for:
- Floor area in square metres
- Rack height and rack density (tight rows kill Wi-Fi)
- Number of forklift operators on RF guns concurrently
- Existing power distribution — where the main board and subboards are
These four answers tell us almost everything: number of APs, camera count, cable pathway, PoE budget, rack room size.
Why Cat6A beats Cat6 in warehouses
- Longer usable runs — Cat6A holds 10 Gbps at 100 m; Cat6 only to 55 m
- Better noise rejection — warehouses are full of variable-frequency drives and forklift chargers that create EMI
- Higher PoE power handling — bundled cables for ceiling-mounted cameras run warm, and Cat6A’s larger conductors cope better
- Wi-Fi 6E/7 compatibility — modern APs need 2.5 GbE uplinks
When to switch to fibre
For any warehouse wider than 100 m in any direction, you’re running fibre. Typical Auckland warehouse layout:
- OS2 single-mode fibre backbone from the office rack to 2–4 mid-warehouse comms cabinets
- Cat6A horizontal from each mid-warehouse cabinet to APs, cameras and ports within 90 m
- Armoured fibre if runs cross areas with forklift risk — saves the expensive repair job
Wi-Fi in warehouses: the coverage reality
Wi-Fi signal drops dramatically the moment it has to pass through a rack of product. A warehouse that needs 3 APs empty will need 6 APs full. We plan AP placement to put radios in the aisles, not above the racks:
- Aisle-facing APs at 20–30 m spacing
- High-density AP models (not consumer-grade) for forklift RF scanners
- Separate SSID for RF scanners so office Wi-Fi doesn’t interfere
- 2.4 GHz coverage maintained — most scanners still use 2.4 GHz
CCTV and security cabling
Warehouses typically need more cameras than offices do. Our rule of thumb: one camera per 200 m² for general coverage, plus dedicated cameras at every door, dispatch area, and high-value stock zone. All on Cat6A with PoE+.
- IP66/IP67 rated outdoor cameras at every external door
- ANPR (number plate recognition) cameras at the gate and loading dock
- Internal IR cameras every 20–30 m in aisles
- NVR with 30–60 day retention depending on insurance requirement
For a full CCTV breakdown see our CCTV surveillance page.
The rack room
A warehouse rack room needs:
- Air-conditioning — aim for under 24 °C, with redundancy if the site is 24/7
- Proper 42U racks — full-depth for servers, cable management arms
- UPS on dedicated circuit — at least 30 minutes for a controlled shutdown
- Dust filtering — warehouses are dirtier than offices; filter intakes or risk fan failures
- Separate circuit breakers from warehouse lighting/forklift chargers
EMI and grounding — the thing most installers skip
Forklift chargers, variable-frequency drives and welders all create severe electromagnetic interference. We’ve seen unshielded cabling installs lose 30% of packets during heavy forklift charge cycles. Our warehouse default is:
- Shielded Cat6A (F/UTP) on runs within 1 m of power cables
- Proper panel grounding — bonded to the building earth bar, not just “daisy chained”
- Metal cable tray preferred over plastic, and grounded
- Separation from power conduit by 300 mm minimum