Three tips for solving bandwidth issues in small government offices

In the wake of the pandemic lockdown, many government agencies have reduced their physical footprints, using space for other purposes. Returning employees may find themselves in smaller locations.

As a result, when employees return to the office, more devices may compete for limited network capacity. Check out these potential pain points to solve bandwidth challenges.

1. Optimize your organization’s wireless access points

Wireless access points are often overlooked choke points when Wi-Fi signals are strong, but there’s more to the story than just signal strength. If too many devices are trying to use the same AP, signal strength doesn’t matter.

For wireless devices performing low-bandwidth tasks, such as sending email or browsing the web, a rough rule of thumb is 50 clients per AP to control collisions. Possible solutions to improve wireless network throughput include adding APs, improving channel planning, or using only the 5 GHz band.

2. Increase Internet bandwidth for government equipment

As the number of network devices increases, the internet pipe becomes more taxed. When the internet pipe has too many users to support, performance varies. Sometimes the network feels fast. Other times, frustrated users refresh the web page to get it to load.

Solve this problem with more bandwidth. Consider increasing the speed of your internet pipe or adding more pipes. For government campuses, consider one internet connection per building. This approach requires thoughtful network design and more security equipment, but it can scale well if your budget allows.

3. Monitor employees’ internet usage

A network monitoring system, or NMS, will help chart bandwidth usage at network links. However, don't assume that all poor performance is due to traffic overload -- it could be that the link is throwing errors. Error-prone links are a "gray" failure that can be difficult to isolate.

With monitoring information, IT officials can identify problems and plan budgets. Perhaps faster Internet will provide the agency with the greatest benefit, or perhaps more access points are needed. Perhaps a consultant should perform a network tune-up. Without monitoring, an agency won't know what it doesn't know.