Connectivity
Business Wi-Fi and fibre checklist for a small office
Choose connectivity around the work, coverage, uptime expectations, and recovery plan rather than headline download speed alone. The best quote describes the office, the devices, the support path, and what happens during an outage.
Map how the business works
Record the number of people, rooms, devices, voice or video use, guest access, cloud applications, cameras, payment devices, printers, and staff working remotely. A speed test from one desk is not a network design.
Mark the areas where a weak connection interrupts the business and separate business traffic from guest or unmanaged-device traffic where the equipment and provider support it.
Compare the access service
Ask about installation lead time, service address, contention or expected performance, contract term, usage limits, public IP options, support hours, fault escalation, and what happens during an outage. Confirm the actual address rather than relying on a suburb-level coverage checker.
Compare monthly cost, once-off installation, router ownership, replacement policy, equipment rental, VAT, cancellation, and any price increase. A high headline speed is not useful if the installation or support is unsuitable.
Design the Wi-Fi separately
The fibre line and the internal wireless network solve different problems. Record building size, walls, floors, access points, wired devices, guest access, cameras, point-of-sale equipment, and areas needing stable video or voice.
Ask who surveys and configures the network, where the equipment is installed, how administrator access is handed over, and whether future changes or extra access points are included. Do not assume the router supplied with a connection covers every office.
Protect business and guest traffic
Use separate credentials and networks for staff, guests, and unmanaged equipment where the design supports it. Change default administrator credentials, apply updates, disable unused remote access, and keep the network diagram and recovery details under business control.
Record which services depend on the network, including cloud systems, payment devices, cameras, phones, printers, and remote access. A connection can be fast while the business remains exposed through a poorly controlled router or shared password.
Plan for an outage
Decide which work must continue during a fibre or power outage and whether a second connection, mobile failover, UPS, or offline process is worthwhile. Confirm which devices will fail over and what the expected service is during a fault.
Test the failover instead of assuming the router will switch correctly. Record the support number, account number, circuit reference, router location, administrator access, and the person authorised to escalate a fault.
Price installation and support
Separate connection installation, internal cabling, access points, configuration, monitoring, maintenance, replacement equipment, onsite call-outs, and third-party coordination. Ask what happens when the provider depends on an upstream network operator.
A low monthly fee may exclude the internal network work that makes the service usable. Compare the total cost over the initial term and include the business cost of an outage or slow escalation.
Keep ownership and handover clear
The business should own the domain, service account, router administrator access, network documentation, and recovery contacts. A provider may manage them, but should not be the only person who can change or recover the connection.
At handover, obtain the circuit details, Wi-Fi configuration, equipment list, passwords or recovery methods, support process, contract end date, and replacement or cancellation terms.
Use a structured quote comparison
Put each proposal into the same columns: address coverage, service type, speed or performance assumptions, installation, router, internal Wi-Fi, security, failover, support, term, VAT, cancellation, ownership, and escalation. Mark every blank as a question.
Small Business IT SA can help organise the decision. The final provider terms, coverage check, and site-specific survey remain the source of truth.
Sources and further reading
Back to all guides Compare support options Compare software Compare hosting