WiFi Planning for Offices: How Many Access Points Do You Actually Need?
Too few access points mean poor connectivity, too many mean wasted budget. Here's how to determine the right number and placement for your office.
One of the most common questions we get from clients is: “How many access points do I need for my office?” The honest answer: it depends. But there are clear factors that drive the decision – and common mistakes that are easily avoided.
The Most Common Mistake: Too Few Access Points
Many businesses try to cover their entire office with a single access point. That works in small spaces up to about 50 m² – but the moment walls, concrete ceilings, metal shelving or glass partitions enter the picture, signal quality drops significantly.
The result: employees at the far end of the office struggle with slow connections, video calls drop out, and cloud applications feel sluggish. Productivity suffers, even though technically “WiFi is available”.
The Key Factors in Planning
1. Floor Plan and Room Layout
As a baseline, a current-generation UniFi access point (for example the U7 Pro or U6+) can cover up to 250–300 m² in an open environment. In an open-plan office without partitions that’s realistic – but the moment walls, doors and other obstacles appear, effective range shrinks considerably.
A rough rule of thumb: plan one access point per enclosed room (meeting rooms, private offices, server rooms). For open-plan offices, expect one AP per 80–120 m² under normal conditions.
2. Device Count per User
Today, every employee brings an average of 2–3 devices to the office: laptop, smartphone, sometimes a tablet. Add IoT devices such as smart displays, printers, door access readers or cameras. A single AP can handle 30–40 active clients comfortably – but connection quality improves when the load is spread evenly.
3. Type of Applications
A team that primarily reads emails and edits documents in the cloud has different requirements than a video editing team constantly transferring large files. Video conferencing is particularly latency-sensitive and benefits strongly from a stable, dedicated connection.
4. Building Structure and Materials
Older buildings with thick stone walls, offices with concrete walls or halls with metal structures attenuate WiFi signals more than modern lightweight partitions. In these environments, shorter distances between access points are necessary.
What Professional WiFi Planning Looks Like
Good WiFi planning starts with a site survey – a walkthrough of the premises. This records the following:
- Floor plan and room layout: Where are the walls, partitions and doors?
- Building materials: Which materials attenuate the signal?
- Usage scenarios: Which applications are primarily used?
- Number of users per zone: Where are workspaces concentrated?
Based on this data, specialist software generates a WiFi heatmap – showing predicted signal strength across the entire building and making it clear where access points should ideally be placed before a single cable is run.
Typical Scenarios and Reference Values
| Office Size | Employees | Recommended APs |
|---|---|---|
| Small office, 1–3 rooms | up to 10 | 1–2 |
| Medium office, open plan | 10–30 | 2–4 |
| Large open-plan office 300–500 m² | 30–60 | 4–8 |
| Multi-storey office building | 60+ | 3–6 per floor |
These are reference values – the exact planning always depends on the specific building.
Why UniFi for the Office Environment?
UniFi access points are designed for professional, continuous operation. Band steering automatically directs devices to the optimal frequency band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz), and seamless roaming ensures that laptops and smartphones maintain their connections when moving between access points.
All APs are centrally managed through the UniFi Network Controller – whether you’re running 2 or 20 access points. Firmware updates, network configuration and monitoring all come together in one place.
Conclusion
The right number of access points isn’t guesswork – it’s the result of careful planning. Investing here saves costly rework later, and above all the lost productivity that comes with poor WiFi.
We plan and install WiFi solutions for offices of every size – from site survey to commissioning. Get in touch for a no-obligation consultation.