5 Signs Your Office Network Was Installed by an Amateur (And How to Fix It)
Your office network is like the electrical wiring in your walls. When it’s installed correctly, you never think about it. The lights just turn on. But when it’s done poorly, you’re faced with constant, frustrating problems that drain productivity and morale. You might experience slow file transfers, dropped Zoom calls, or dead zones where Wi-Fi simply vanishes.
Many growing businesses in Los Angeles fall into a trap. They have a friend of a friend who “knows computers,” or they hire the lowest bidder to set up their office tech. While this might seem cost effective initially, it often results in a network that is fundamentally unstable, insecure, and unable to support your business as it scales.
The signs of an amateur installation are often subtle at first but become glaringly obvious over time. At IT Training & Consulting, Inc. (ITTC), we’ve seen it all. Here are the five most common red flags that your office network was installed by an amateur, and a clear roadmap for how to fix it professionally.
Sign #1: The Wi-Fi is a Guessing Game
The Problem: Your team plays a daily game of “find the signal.” The conference room has great Wi Fi, but three desks away it’s unusable. You have multiple networks with names like “OfficeWiFi” and “OfficeWiFi_5G,” and no one knows which one to use. Video calls stutter and freeze regularly, especially when more people are in the office.
Why This Screams “Amateur”: A professional Wi Fi installation doesn’t just involve plugging in a single wireless router from a big box store. It requires a strategic site survey to map the office space, identify physical obstructions (like concrete walls common in many LA buildings), and plan for wireless congestion from neighboring offices. Amateurs use consumer grade gear designed for a home, not an office with dozens of simultaneous devices competing for bandwidth. They don’t understand channel planning or the proper placement of access points to create a seamless, roaming environment.
The Professional Fix: The solution is a unified wireless system with enterprise grade access points. Our team conducts a wireless site survey to create a heat map of your office, identifying dead zones and areas of interference. We then install a managed system where multiple access points work together under a single network name (SSID). Your devices automatically and seamlessly connect to the strongest signal as you move through the office. This is a core component of our Managed Network Services, ensuring reliable connectivity is a given, not a gamble.
Sign #2: The Server Closet is a “Spaghetti Junction”
The Problem: You open the door to your network closet and are greeted by a tangled bird’s nest of cables. It’s impossible to trace a single wire from start to finish. There are no labels, and equipment is stacked haphazardly, potentially overheating. Adding a new employee or troubleshooting a connection issue becomes a nightmare that takes hours.
Why This Screams “Amateur”: Proper cable management is the hallmark of a professional network installation. It’s not about aesthetics; it’s about functionality, maintenance, and safety. A tangled mess indicates a lack of planning and foresight. It increases the risk of accidentally unplugging the wrong cable, causes physical damage to the wires, and restricts airflow, leading to hardware failure. A 2024 report by CompTIA highlighted that poor cable infrastructure is a leading contributor to preventable network downtime in small to medium sized businesses.
The Professional Fix: The fix is a structured cabling system. Our Phone Cabling Services team are experts in this foundational work. We completely re wire the closet using industry best practices. This includes using appropriate length cables, installing patch panels and cable management arms, and labeling every single connection at both ends. As Jerry Duque, IT Field Technician at ITTC, explains, “A clean server closet is a reliable server closet. When every cable is labeled and managed, what used to be a four hour troubleshooting job becomes a five minute fix. That’s productivity you can measure.” This organized foundation is critical for effective Network Management & Hardware Support.
Sign #3: Your Internet Grinds to a Halt Every Afternoon
The Problem: Your network seems fine in the morning, but right after lunch, everything slows to a crawl. Internet browsing is sluggish, cloud applications time out, and video calls become pixelated. This often happens like clockwork when everyone is back at their desks and online.
Why This Screams “Amateur”: This is a classic sign of a network without Quality of Service (QoS) or proper traffic management. An amateur installer sets up the network with a simple “first come, first served” data policy. So, when one employee starts streaming music or downloading a large file, they can consume all the available bandwidth, starving critical applications like your VoIP phone system or CRM. They also often fail to implement basic bandwidth usage monitoring.
The Professional Fix: A professional installation includes configuring QoS rules on your business grade firewall and switches. This allows you to prioritize mission critical traffic. We can ensure that your VoIP calls and video conferencing always have a clear, high priority lane on your network, while less urgent traffic is managed appropriately. This is part of a strategic IT Strategy & Planning session where we identify what applications are most important to your business operations and configure your network to support them proactively.
Sign #4: There’s No Clear Security Perimeter
The Problem: You don’t know what your firewall settings are, or if you even have one beyond the basic modem from your ISP. Guest Wi Fi is either non existent or uses the same password as your main internal network, meaning anyone who visits can potentially access sensitive company files. There are no segmented networks for different types of devices.
Why This Screams “Amateur”: Amateurs often overlook network security or implement it in a dangerously simplistic way. Using an ISP provided modem/router combo offers minimal protection against modern cyber threats. Failing to create a separate guest network is a significant security risk. A recent study by the Center for Internet Security emphasized that network segmentation is one of the most effective controls to limit the impact of a security breach. An amateur setup treats the network as one big, flat party where every device has the same level of trust.
The Professional Fix: The fix involves deploying a enterprise grade firewall and architecting a secure network topology. We install and configure firewalls that actively monitor and block malicious traffic. We then create segmented Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs). For example, we will create a separate VLAN for guest Wi Fi, another for employee devices, and another for critical office equipment like printers and servers. This way, if a guest’s device is compromised, the threat cannot spread to your core business systems. This layered security approach is integral to our Cybersecurity Solutions.
Sign #5: Scaling Up Feels Impossible
The Problem: You’re adding five new employees, and the thought of integrating them into your current network fills you with dread. You’re out of physical ports on your switch. There are no free jacks in the walls. The entire system feels like it’s held together with digital duct tape, and any change could cause a total collapse.
Why This Screams “Amateur”: An amateur installation focuses on meeting only the immediate, bare minimum needs. They don’t plan for growth or future technology upgrades. They use cheap, unmanaged switches that can’t be expanded easily and install just enough cabling for the current number of desks. This lack of scalability becomes a major business constraint. According to a 2023 analysis by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, technology infrastructure that cannot scale was identified as a top growth barrier for local small businesses.
The Professional Fix: A professional network is designed with the future in mind. We build a scalable infrastructure from the start. This means installing switches with room for expansion, running extra cabling to accommodate new workstations, and creating a network architecture that can grow with your business. Whether you need to integrate new cloud services, expand to a second office, or simply add more devices, a professionally managed network can adapt without requiring a complete and costly overhaul. This forward thinking is what defines our IT Support Services in LA.
How to Professionally Remediate an Amateur Network
If these signs feel familiar, the solution is not to patch individual problems. The solution is to start over with a professional assessment and a strategic plan.
Commit to a Professional Network Assessment: The first step is to understand the full scope of the issues. Our Project Based IT Support team offers comprehensive network assessments. We will audit your entire infrastructure, from the cabling and hardware to the security configurations, and provide you with a detailed report and a clear roadmap for remediation.
Invest in the Foundation: Often, the most cost effective long term solution is to invest in a new structured cabling system and commercial grade hardware. This creates a reliable foundation that will serve your business for years to come.
Choose Ongoing Management: Once your network is professionally installed, keeping it that way requires ongoing care. Our Monthly IT Support Services provide continuous monitoring, maintenance, and support, ensuring your network remains fast, secure, and reliable as your business evolves.
“Think of your network as the central nervous system of your company,” says Juan Turcios, President & CEO of ITTC. “An amateur job is like having a pinched nerve somewhere. It causes constant, low grade pain that slows down everything. A professional installation clears the pathways, allowing your business to move at the speed it deserves.”
Stop Fighting Your Network and Start Empowering Your Business
You shouldn’t have to accept constant IT frustrations as a normal part of doing business. An unreliable network costs you more in lost productivity and missed opportunities than a professional installation ever will.
If you recognize any of these five signs in your Los Angeles office, it’s time to call in the professionals.
Contact ITTC today for a comprehensive network assessment. Let us transform your unstable network into your most reliable business asset. Call us at (844) 804-4882 or reach out through our Contact Us page to schedule your consultation.
