Warehouse network upgrade — the typical project shape.
What a Telexico warehouse network project actually involves. Illustrative of UK light-industrial deployments — racking-aware AP placement, WMS connectivity, voice-pick reliability, scanner coverage.
Why warehouse wifi is harder than office wifi
Warehouses break the standard wifi design rules. Metal racking absorbs signal; aisle-by-aisle coverage matters more than open-floor coverage; high-bay roofs change the propagation model; voice-pick headsets and barcode scanners demand consistent coverage at floor level. The typical pre-upgrade situation: office-style APs deployed at the corners that work fine for the admin office and fail completely in the picking aisles.
Dead zones in picking aisles
Office-style AP placement leaves dead zones between racking. Scanners disconnecting mid-pick; voice-pick headsets dropping; pickers walking back to coverage to confirm orders.
Signal degrading throughout the day
As pallets fill the racking, RF environment changes — what worked in summer with half-full racks fails in winter with full stock. AP density too low to maintain coverage as inventory cycles.
WMS sessions timing out
Warehouse management system connectivity dropping intermittently; pickers having to re-authenticate; productivity loss accumulating across shifts.
Voice-pick errors and re-prompts
Coverage gaps cause voice-pick to miss confirmations; pickers prompted to re-confirm; speed-of-pick metric stays below target.
How Telexico designs warehouse networks
Warehouse network design starts with the racking layout and product mix — pickers walk the aisles, scanners and headsets operate at floor level, signal has to penetrate metal stock. Standard approach: industrial-grade APs (typically Cisco Meraki MR series, Aruba 500 series, or Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro) at higher density than office wifi, mounted at planned positions in each aisle and cross-aisle, often with mesh backhaul where wired runs aren't viable. Coverage modelled with predictive tools then validated with site-walk RF measurement. Separate VLANs for WMS, scanners, voice-pick, CCTV, and office traffic — sized for peak picker count.
How the deployment ran.
Warehouse installs typically run alongside operations — install crew works in zones, coordinating with shift managers to avoid pick aisles during active hours. AP mounting often requires MEWP (cherry-picker) access for high-bay roofs.
Week 1-2 — RF survey and design
Site survey with floor plan, racking layout, product mix documented. Predictive coverage modelling; on-site RF measurement to validate. Industrial AP density calculated; cable run paths identified.
Week 3-6 — Cabling and AP install
CAT6 or fibre runs from each AP location to comms room; high-bay AP mounting via MEWP. Coordinated with warehouse shift managers to avoid disrupting active pick aisles. Phased by zone.
Week 6-7 — Validation and cutover
Walk-test through every aisle to validate coverage; WMS and scanner connection tested at floor level; voice-pick tested through a full pick cycle; productivity metrics baseline established.
What changes for warehouse operations
The operational change is measurable in pick-rate metrics and scanner disconnect rates. Voice-pick reliability stops being a bottleneck; WMS sessions stay alive across full shifts; the productivity penalty from coverage gaps drops out of the daily reporting.
Consistent coverage in every aisle
Industrial-density AP placement with racking-aware design delivers reliable coverage at floor level in every picking aisle and cross-aisle. Dead zones eliminated.
Voice-pick reliability becomes a non-issue
Voice-pick headsets stay connected through full pick cycles; re-prompt rate drops dramatically; pickers operate at design speed rather than coverage-limited speed.
WMS session continuity across shifts
Warehouse management system sessions stay alive through full shifts; re-authentication overhead drops; productivity metrics reflect actual picking work, not connectivity recovery.
The technical configuration
Standard warehouse stack: leased line or business FTTP as primary (sized for peak picker count); 4G/5G or Starlink failover for resilience; industrial-grade managed switching with PoE+; VLAN segregation (WMS, Scanners, Voice-pick, Office, CCTV, IoT); high-density industrial APs (typically 1 per 2-3 aisles for racking heavy, 1 per 4 for less dense); often dual-band 5GHz priority for scanner traffic. 24/7 monitoring with proactive alerting on AP degradation.
What you actually get from Telexico.
Honest about scope. No aggressive sales tactics, no surprise renewal jumps, no tier-1 call-centre triage. Real UK engineers, transparent pricing, one provider relationship across the stack.
UK-based provider
Wolverhampton-headquartered. Engineers cover the West Midlands daily; UK-wide install via our partner network. Real UK engineer support, UK data residency, UK contractual relationship — not US-routed SaaS.
Real engineer support
When you call Telexico, you reach someone who can actually fix things. Response SLA backed by real engineering capacity rather than call-centre headcount. Named account manager for ongoing customers.
Free infrastructure review
Every engagement starts with a no-obligation audit of your current setup. Honest recommendation — sometimes that's "stay with your current provider after negotiation." We'd rather be honest than oversell.
Transparent pricing
What you sign for is what you pay — including renewal. No teaser pricing that jumps 30-100% at year two. No mid-contract CPI shock. Predictable multi-year cost from day one.
One provider, one platform
Broadband, hosted VoIP, business WiFi, AI Receptionist, 4G/5G failover, CCTV consolidated onto one Telexico relationship. Single bill, single support number, single engineer when something needs attention.
Migration project-managed
Switching to Telexico isn't DIY. We handle contract audit, notice timing, ordering, parallel running, cutover, old-provider close-out. Customer-visible disruption typically measured in minutes.
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Tell us what you have now and what's frustrating you. We'll come back with a tailored review of where we can simplify, consolidate or improve it — no fixed-package pressure, no hard sell.
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Frequently asked questions
How many APs does a typical UK warehouse need?
Highly variable. Rough indicative: 1 AP per 300-500 sqm for light racking density; 1 per 200-300 sqm for heavy steel racking; high-bay zones often need APs at multiple levels. Site survey is essential — warehouse coverage is much harder to estimate than office coverage.
Can install happen during warehouse operations?
Yes — phased by zone, coordinated with shift managers. Crews work in cross-aisles or low-priority zones during active hours; high-bay AP mounting scheduled for quieter periods. Most warehouses we deploy at don't pause operations during install.
What does a warehouse network upgrade cost?
Highly variable based on scale. Mid-sized warehouse (3,000-8,000 sqm): typically £15k-50k install + £400-1,200/month managed. Larger distribution facility (10,000-30,000 sqm): £50k-200k install + £1,000-3,500/month. Costs scale with AP count, cabling complexity, leased line specification.
Will the upgrade work with my existing WMS?
Standard WMS platforms (Manhattan, SAP EWM, Blue Yonder, Mintsoft, OrderHive, Korber) are infrastructure-agnostic at the network layer — they need reliable connectivity, not specific carrier dependencies. Migration is typically transparent to the WMS.
What about coverage outside the main warehouse — yard, loading bay, office?
Modelled in the survey. Outdoor APs (IP67) for yard and loading bay; office network typically runs on a separate VLAN with standard APs; transition between indoor and outdoor coverage tuned for staff using both. Whole-site coverage as standard design goal.
How does failover work in a warehouse context?
Same architecture as other deployments — managed dual-WAN router fails over to 4G/5G or Starlink within seconds. WMS sessions stay alive through transitions; voice-pick may briefly interrupt during the failover event. Most operations don't notice the cutover.
Can the network handle peak operations like Black Friday?
Sized for design peak picker count during the survey phase. Most UK warehouses we deploy at have well-understood peak loads (Black Friday, January, end-of-month). Capacity built with headroom for sustained peak operation, not just average.
Want a similar review for your business?
This is the typical project shape Telexico runs. Send us your current setup and what's frustrating you — we'll review what you have today and tailor a project that fits. No hard sell, no fixed-package pressure.