When Access Networks joined the Snap One family in 2021, the integration team at Lifestyle Electronics in Park City, Utah, took serious notice. The addition of an enterprise-grade networking solution to the Snap One portfolio gave the seasoned pros yet another networking option to explore and a way to combat the tricky Wi-Fi challenges they seemed to be encountering with greater frequency.

Signal-blocking home construction, escalating Wi-Fi traffic, and customer reluctance to commit a bigger than expected portion of their home tech budgets for networking equipment were all contributing to the complications. Lifestyle Electronics really needed an enterprise-grade networking solution to deliver reliable Wi-Fi for customers, and based on its initial experience the integrator relies on deploying Access Networks to scale its clients’ mountain of challenges.

‘Mountain Modern’ Home Composition Confounds Network Connectivity

“Construction materials like steel, stone, metal, and glass have become very popular in the ‘mountain modern’ homes of our clientele,” explains Lifestyle Electronics’ Kyle Storms.

Although beautiful and en vogue, these durable, rugged architectural elements are natural Wi-Fi roadblocks.

“We needed a networking system that would consistently break through these design barriers; we learned that the unique technologies built into Wi-Fi access points from Access Networks could do the trick,” Storms adds.

The Future of Digital Lighting & Control

As a custom integrator, lighting is in demand. Effective communication, education and showcasing the value proposition of LED light fixtures in conjunction with integrative control systems are the keys to overcoming challenges and closing sales in this specialized market. Join us as we discuss the future of digital lighting and control with David Warfel from Light Can Help You and Patrick Laidlaw and Mark Moody from AiSPIRE. Register Now! 

As for increasingly heavy Wi-Fi traffic, “It’s now common for everyone in a household to be on Wi-Fi at the same time accessing very data-intensive, high-res applications,” says Storms. “This squeezes bandwidth, causes bottlenecks and slows down the network, tremendously.”

Access Networks Helps Meet Demanding Requirements

Of course, there’s also the potential sticker shock that comes with providing enterprise-grade solutions. Now that networks need to handle more and perform with greater reliance and stability, they naturally carry a higher premium.

Many customers balk at this expense, but as Lifestyle Electronics discovered, certain solutions from Access Networks would help mitigate the push-back – and they work with integrators to ensure the customers’ investment is being optimized.

The company rolled out its Basic Configuration Services last year, and as a new authorized dealer Storms recalls the first project in which his team took advantage of Access Networks’  products and design resources to tackle a tricky networking project.

For this Lifestyle Electronics customer, systems would need to support multiple Zoom calls and high-res video streaming for a family of seven, plus network usage by frequent visitors who stay in the adjacent guest house. Also propagating the Wi-Fi network would be control and data signals passing to and from a highly equipped automation system.

“We’ve successfully deployed Wi-Fi systems for demanding applications like this for many, many years,” Storms says.

Still, there’s a better, more efficient solution and in this particular situation, Lifestyle Electronics designed and executed a system around Access Networks’ unique networking products, support, and service. It did not take the integrator’s techs long to get onboard with the brand. Thanks to the Basic Configuration Services, they were able to quickly deploy a Wi-Fi networking system efficiently right off the bat.

Basic Configuration Services Minimize Lifestyle Electronics’ Workload

Developed to provide integrators deploying small-to-medium-size networks meaningful design, configuration and installation service and support, even in-the-field assistance, Basic Configuration Services allowed Lifestyle Electronics to lean on the expertise of Access Networks as they familiarized themselves with the nuances of the technologies and products.

“It’s a much less stressful way of onboarding a brand,” says Storms. “Plus, we can sidestep mistakes and delays that normally happen as you learn a new system.”

Part of this critical “breaking in” period occurred during network deployment in this Mountain Modern home. Rather than spending an inordinate amount of time and manpower testing and trialing solutions, Lifestyle Electronics sent a single blueprint to the Access Networks team, along with a summary of important variables like the construction materials, layout, and expected household Wi-Fi usage.

“We also consulted with our clients to compile a list of SSIDs, user passwords, and partitioning requirements,” Storms explains. From these documents, Access Networks specified the appropriate networking equipment, preconfigured the settings of each component, and shipped the entire package to Lifestyle Electronics, along with specific instructions on the best locations for each access point.

“Minus a few minor tweaks at the jobsite, we’re able to get a networking system up and running in record time,” Storms says.

Greater Project Efficiency, Improved Customer Acceptance

Basic Configuration Services was such a helpful resource to Lifestyle Electronics in this inaugural project, the team has since employed it for others.

“From an installation standpoint, it’s cut our labor in half, which frees up our time to spend on other aspects of a project,” Storms says.

Since bringing on Basic Configuration Services, Lifestyle Electronics has also noticed greater customer acceptance of their networking proposals, he adds.

“Basic Configuration Services provides validation of the [large budget] expense through the eyes of a legitimate outside source,” Storms says. “It seems to shut down the argument from clients; plus, builders love the fact that we are able to supply them with marked-up plans to keep the project on track.”

• Page 1