Network Design
VLAN architecture, subnet planning, redundancy, and capacity sizing based on your current and projected usage.
Network Services · Vancouver, BC
Network Support Vancouver
Hexafusion designs, installs, and manages business networks in Vancouver. Firewalls, wireless, VPN, monitoring, and internet circuit management for SMBs across the Lower Mainland.
Network Design, Support, and Monitoring in Vancouver
Business networks fail in ways that are expensive and hard to diagnose. Hexafusion designs, installs, and manages the entire network stack for Vancouver businesses: internet connectivity, firewalls, switches, wireless access points, and VPN.
Firewall Management
Fortinet, SonicWall, WatchGuard, Meraki, and Palo Alto. UTM policies, intrusion prevention, web filtering, and VPN configuration.
Wireless Networks
Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti UniFi, Aruba. Site surveys, access point placement, guest network isolation, and roaming configuration.
Switching and Cabling
Managed switches, VLAN tagging, PoE planning, structured cabling coordination with trade partners.
VPN and Remote Access
Site-to-site VPN, SSL VPN for remote workers, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and split-tunnel configuration.
24/7 Monitoring
Bandwidth utilization, latency, packet loss, and device health monitoring with automated alerting.
Internet Connectivity and ISP Management
We act as your interface with Telus, Shaw, Rogers, and other carriers. Circuit design, failover configuration, SLA negotiation, and issue escalation when something goes wrong.
Network Security
Every network we deploy ships with defense in depth: next-generation firewall with intrusion prevention, web filtering, DNS filtering, network segmentation, and continuous monitoring. Security is part of every network engagement, not a separate line item.
Our baseline segmentation for any office of 10 or more users: separate VLANs for workstations, servers, guest Wi-Fi, point-of-sale, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices (cameras, printers, HVAC controllers, door access readers). Each segment has explicit inter-VLAN rules and its own outbound policy. This containment model means a compromised camera or guest laptop cannot reach a server. It also maps cleanly to what cyber insurance underwriters now ask for on their network-diagram questionnaires.
Our network design process
Network projects fail most often because of bad discovery, not bad gear. We spend the first week understanding your actual traffic, not your assumed traffic.
Step 1 · Site survey
Physical walkthrough. Document building type (concrete, brick, drywall), cable runs, existing rack locations, power, cooling. For heritage buildings common in Gastown and Mount Pleasant, this step saves real money.
Step 2 · Wireless heat map
Passive and active site survey with a proper heat-mapping tool. We measure actual signal and interference before quoting access point counts, not afterwards.
Step 3 · Traffic analysis
Where existing network exists, we run a one-week traffic capture. Peak utilisation, busiest applications, client-device distribution. This is how we catch the shadow IT or misconfigured backup job that is saturating your uplink.
Step 4 · Design doc
VLAN map, IP address plan, firewall rule base, wireless radio plan, power and PoE budget, cable run list. You sign off before any equipment is ordered.
Step 5 · Install
Swap windows are scheduled for weekends or evenings. We stage and pre-configure equipment offsite so cutover time on-site is minimised. For retail and hospitality we often split the install across two short windows to avoid missing service hours.
Step 6 · Tune & document
Wireless roaming tuned against real user patterns. Monitoring baselines captured. Documentation handed over. Network goes into managed operations under your monthly plan.
What we hand over
Every network we install comes with documentation you own. This is the single most common gap we find in networks built by other providers. If you leave, you take it with you.
- Network diagram with VLANs, subnets, and inter-segment rules
- IP address management (IPAM) spreadsheet with every static allocation
- Rack elevation drawings and cable labelling scheme
- Firewall rule base with comments explaining the business reason for each rule
- Wireless radio plan, service set identifier (SSID) purpose list, and guest network policy
- Change log of every modification from go-live onwards
- Vendor contact list with account numbers and support PINs
Common Vancouver building considerations
Metro Vancouver's building stock creates repeatable network-design patterns we've worked through many times:
- Downtown towers (Burrard, Howe, Seymour). Good cabling, multiple carrier fibre options, but shared risers that need coordination with building management for any new pulls.
- Gastown and Railtown heritage brick. Signal penetration is poor. Expect more access points than a modern office of the same size. Cable routing needs creative planning.
- Mount Pleasant and Main Street. Mix of converted warehouses and new construction. High ceilings are great for wireless; concrete floors between suites can block uplink.
- Kitsilano and West End low-rise. Older electrical infrastructure sometimes limits PoE budget. Plan access-point count accordingly.
- East Van industrial. Large footprint, metal-framed buildings, forklift and heavy-equipment interference. Outdoor-rated access points for yards and loading bays.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a network refresh take?
A typical office of 10 to 50 users takes two to four weeks end-to-end. Site survey and design in week one. Equipment procurement and staging in week two. Install window is usually one weekend or two evenings to swap core equipment. Wireless tuning and final documentation follow the week after.
Which firewall brands do you support?
Fortinet, Cisco Meraki, SonicWall, WatchGuard, and Palo Alto. We do not lock clients into a specific brand and will recommend based on use case, budget, and existing skill set. For most Vancouver small and medium businesses we lean Meraki for simplicity or Fortinet for deeper control. Palo Alto for regulated environments that need advanced threat prevention.
Do you manage our internet service provider?
Yes. We act as your single point of contact with Telus, Shaw (Rogers Business), TekSavvy, and other Vancouver-area carriers. Circuit design, failover, service-level agreement review, issue triage, and escalation when something breaks.
What is zero-trust network access (ZTNA)?
Zero-trust network access replaces legacy virtual private network (VPN) with an identity-aware per-application access model. Users get access to specific apps after device and identity checks rather than joining a flat network. We deploy Cloudflare Access, Zscaler, or Palo Alto Prisma depending on existing stack.
Can you install wireless in heritage buildings?
Yes. Heritage brick common across Gastown and Railtown blocks signal more than modern drywall. We do proper site surveys with heat mapping before quoting. Cable runs often need creative planning around exposed brick, plaster, and limited ceiling access.
Can you support multi-site networks?
Yes. Site-to-site virtual private network (VPN), software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN), or multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) depending on requirements. Most multi-site Vancouver clients land on SD-WAN with dual carriers for resilience.
Ready to talk?
A Hexafusion consultant will review your environment and respond within one business day with a scoped proposal.
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