New office IT and Wi-Fi setup checklist for startups

Start with the building and the move date

Confirm the service address, providers available in the building, installation requirements, and landlord access rules. Ask who controls the network closet and who can approve cabling. A promised move date and an available desk do not establish that the internet circuit will be installed on time.

• Get the provider’s installation appointment and escalation contact.
• Confirm building access, wiring routes, power, and equipment location.
• Record the internet account owner and billing contact.
• Agree on an interim work plan if the connection is late.

Describe the work the network must support

Count more than laptops. Include phones, meeting-room equipment, printers, guests, and any specialized devices. Note how many people join calls at the same time and whether teams transfer large files. Use these requirements to discuss capacity with a network professional instead of choosing an access-point count from square footage alone.

Survey the space before placing access points

Walls, neighboring networks, floor layout, mounting locations, and cabling affect Wi-Fi performance. Inspect the site and test candidate placements. A single router in a supply closet may have enough internet bandwidth behind it but still provide weak service in a meeting room. After installation, test again with the actual layout and equipment.

• Mark desk areas, conference rooms, and difficult corners on a floor plan.
• Plan wired connections for fixed equipment where useful.
• Confirm access-point power and uplink requirements.
• Document management access and keep it restricted to authorized administrators.

Give guests a separate path

Use the network’s supported guest-access controls rather than sharing the staff network password with every visitor. Decide what printers, meeting systems, and internal resources each network should reach, then test those boundaries. A second Wi-Fi name alone does not prove that guest traffic is isolated.

Run a move-day rehearsal

Test the work people actually perform. Join a video call from each meeting room, open shared applications, test required printing, and walk the space with a connected laptop. Have the provider or installer resolve issues before the whole team arrives, and document the support handoff.

• Test multiple simultaneous calls under a realistic load.
• Verify coverage at actual desks, not only beside an access point.
• Check meeting-room audio, video, and screen sharing.
• Record equipment, configuration ownership, support contacts, and open issues.

Leave a usable handover

Keep an equipment map, configuration backup where supported, circuit details, and support contacts in a controlled place. Decide who responds to an internet outage versus a local Wi-Fi problem. If you purchase a backup connection, test the failover and recovery path rather than assuming two providers automatically provide continuity.

Common questions