From “Dog’s Dinner” to Digital Perfection: A Premium Belfast Home Network & Gate Overhaul (With Video!)
We’ve all seen them: comms cabinets that look less like organized tech hubs and more like a plate of spaghetti.
We were recently approached by a homeowner in Belfast who was experiencing massive dropouts and frustration with his home network. When we arrived for the initial site survey, we found a small cabinet packed with unmanaged switches, an internet connection bottlenecked by a standard ISP Sky router, a Sky Q box and CCTV recorder hanging halfway out of the frame, and three high-end Sonos amps literally balancing on top of the cabinet.
It was, to put it politely, a total dog’s dinner. We promised our client we would look forward, not backward—so instead of a “before” picture, we decided to do something much better. We brought our video cameras along.
Check out our very first YouTube video below for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how we ripped out the chaos and built a pristine, enterprise-grade smart home infrastructure from scratch!
Watch the Full Behind-the-Scenes Install on YouTube!
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The Master Plan: Upgrading to a 15U Rack
The first order of business was scaling up. We swapped out the cramped housing for a spacious 15U server cabinet, allowing us to cleanly rack-mount every single piece of equipment. No more hanging wires, no more balancing audio equipment—just clean, cooled, and organized infrastructure.
Ditching the GSM Gate for Smart UniFi Access
While chatting during the survey, the client mentioned he had a new set of electric gates arriving soon. The gate company had proposed a standard GSM (mobile SIM card) intercom.
We showed him what was possible with a UniFi Access solution, and he was instantly sold. Instead of a basic phone call, he now has a fully integrated luxury entry system:
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UniFi G3 External Intercom: Positioned at the front gate, allowing crystal-clear two-way audio and HD video calls.
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UniFi Intercom Viewers: Two dedicated digital touchscreen stations placed inside the home to screen visitors and buzz the gates open instantly.
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UniFi AI LPR Camera (Automatic Number Plate Recognition): This is the ultimate flex. Using advanced 4K smart AI, this dedicated camera reads the license plates of the family’s vehicles as they approach, automatically triggering the electric gates to open without them ever needing to reach for a key fob or phone.
The Hardware Breakdown
To blanket the entire property in flawless coverage and handle the massive influx of smart home data, we deployed a top-tier Ubiquiti stack:
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UniFi Dream Machine Special Edition (UDM SE): The powerhouse router and controller, complete with built-in PoE and storage for the security footage.
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UniFi 24-Port Pro Max PoE Switch: Delivering lightning-fast data processing to every hardwired room in the house.
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9 UniFi Wi-Fi Access Points: Strategically mapped out across the property to ensure absolute, zero-compromise Wi-Fi coverage from the garden to the bedrooms.
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Blustream 4K HDMI Sender: Cleanly beaming the main Sky Q feed from the central rack straight to the lounge TV in full, uncompressed 4K resolution.
Driven by Netii Gigabit Fibre
To feed this ultimate smart home network, we flipped the switch on a dedicated Netii Broadband Full-Fibre connection. Boasting blazing-fast, symmetrical Gigabit speeds, the home can now handle heavy 4K video streaming, smart gate access, multiple Sonos audio zones, and remote working simultaneously without breaking a sweat.
The client went from dropping connections to owning one of the most advanced residential network setups in Belfast.
Is Your Home Comms Cabinet a Bit of a Mess?
You don’t have to live with dropouts, poor Wi-Fi range, or unorganized tech cables. Whether you are building a new home, installing electric gates, or just need to clean up an existing setup, the Netii team is here to design a custom solution.