Cabling & New-Build Mapping
Mapping infrastructure pathways in new architectural builds and renovations. Structured Cat6/6A, fibre backbones, patch panels, and discrete containment through heritage stone.
ABOUT MATTHEW & LAKES WiFi
20+ years of network and infrastructure engineering. Built around Cumbria.
I've spent two decades designing and supporting complex networks. Lakes WiFi brings that experience to homes, holiday lets and rural businesses across the Lake District. I founded Lakes WiFi with a singular purpose: bringing true technical rigour and genuine care to the homes, farmsteads, and independent businesses across our Lake District communities.
Based in Cumbria · On-Site & Remote
Matthew
Infrastructure & Network Systems Engineer
20+ years designing enterprise networks, structured cabling, firewalls, and cloud appliances.
The Experience Behind the Advice
Where high-stakes engineering meets rural reality.
Throughout my 20-year career, I have been responsible for designing, deploying, and supporting complex IT and network infrastructure where downtime simply wasn’t an option. Working across large corporate enterprises, private sector companies, and local government departments, I worked on the vital systems that keep organisations operating securely around the clock.
My hands-on experience covers every layer of modern connectivity: from mapping out network topologies and structured Cat6/fibre cabling in brand-new architectural buildings, to provisioning core managed switches, enterprise firewalls, commercial Wi-Fi access points, on-site server hardware, storage appliances, and hybrid cloud infrastructure.
That is the engineering discipline I bring to assessing the Lake District properties - using the information available to understand the network as a whole, rather than simply selling more equipment.
20+
Years in Infrastructure
Independent
Advice
Cumbria
Local Community Focus
Community First
Rural communities deserve the best service.
Why I take genuine pleasure in serving our local residents, trades, and independent businesses across the Lake District.
Standard ISP routers can work perfectly well in many homes. But larger rural properties, thick stone walls, multiple floors, extensions and separate buildings can present very different network challenges. That's where understanding the building and the way the network is being used becomes more important than simply buying more powerful equipment.
When connectivity breaks down here, it doesn’t just cause mild inconvenience. It disrupts a family running a small business from a converted barn, leaves a local farm unable to file statutory returns or process orders, or ruins the reviews for an independent holiday let.
I take great pleasure in supporting local people. Being able to visit a neighbour, diagnose the real root cause of years of frustration, and deliver a reliable, quiet network that just works gives me far more satisfaction than any corporate boardroom ever could. You deserve honest advice, fair prices, and technical excellence right on your doorstep.
No corporate jargon or upselling
Deep respect for historic stone fabric
Reliable connectivity for local livelihoods
Direct ongoing relationship with an engineer
Comprehensive Technical Breadth
Full-spectrum network & infrastructure capabilities.
From physical cable conduits to cloud appliances, every piece of the puzzle is treated with engineering precision.
Switching & Firewalls
Managed PoE switching architecture, strict VLAN network segregation (safeguarding private family traffic from guests and IoT smart devices), and resilient perimeter security.
Access Points & Wi-Fi
Commercial access point deployment calibrated to the physical building layout. Correct RF channel allocation, power tuning, seamless roaming and carefully planned wireless coverage.
Cloud & Appliances
Experience managing physical server appliances, network-attached storage (NAS), battery UPS backups, remote management controllers, and hybrid cloud integration.
Direct Engineering Advice
Have a project or property in mind?
Whether you’re planning a new build with an architect, need reliable Wi-Fi across an old stone property, or want to diagnose your existing network, I’m always happy to help.