When we're designing a lighting scheme that will eventually utilise some smart devices or a lighting control system, the most important aspect is to ensure that the broadband is well distributed throughout the property both by cable and WiFi.  

One of the major failings of Smart devices is when they rely too much on the WiFi network as there's often so much traffic that some devices, especially those relying on streaming large amounts of data, simply cant find enough space to operate properly causing dropouts and buffering.

Wherever possible a wired system will always be better, so the more fixed devices, PC,s Apple TV, Sky Q, etc that can be cabled, the more space available for the WiFi only devices. This signal can then be spread to all corners of the house via carefully balanced WAPs (wireless access points) forming a mesh which re-transmits the signal to maintain speed.  Often several WAPs are needed in a large property.

However, don't confuse WiFi signal strength with broadband speed.  You definitely need good signal strength throughout your home and your lighting control system will work happily with that but for streaming video, etc a good broadband connection is vital.  Often a really good balanced network will be badly let down by a poor or intermittent broadband so its vital that your provider is made aware of your needs and equally important to monitor it on a regular basis to ensure that the speeds remain up to spec.  Sometimes the broadband can exhibit good speeds but with brief dropouts.  These dropouts can cause havoc with some devices.

So, no matter how good the network, the final speed will be dependent on the broadband connection and main router. -  Win this battle and you're there!

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