Faster, better, stronger networks at ChipHQ
Making some improvements to our network
The more Chip grows, the more strain we are putting on our networking infrastructure.
In order to facilitate the growth of our teams, we are investing in beefing up our networking facilities for our London HQ.
One of the fun things about being a developer at a fast growing start-up is the variety of challenges you need to deal with. Unlike in a big company, if you don’t take initiative and fix it, no one else will (the upshot of this is stuff is probably actually fixed much quicker).
My job has evolved to become a bit of a “hacker in residence”, i.e. Chip’s official fixer. I love solving problems - whether it’s a mechanical issue with hardware, or fixing some code.
Drop us a line if you like solving problems and can code!
So when I decided I wanted to tidy up Chip’s network infrastructure, I received the full support of Alan Cole, our VP of Engineering, and everyone at Chip!
Productivity
We live in a digital era where the reliability of your connection to the internet can determine how productive you are.
Not only can it be frustrating to struggle through a s-l-o-o-w connection, it can also hinder productivity. Just about every discipline in the modern workplace (particularly in the tech and start-up sector) relies on fast, reliable internet.
Think fast
I researched into the best bang-for-buck solution for us as a company, Ubiquiti Networks offer solutions which include up-to-date hardware with super intelligent software.
Hardware
Ubiquiti Unifi AP AC PRO
Access points (APs to those of us in the IT infrastructure business) offer 802.11ac with 3x3 MIMO, water resistant design with Power over Ethernet (PoE), allowing us to extend our network to where is required (within reason).
They also have a very nice appearance, so will look good in the office (believe it or not). This is a big plus, given how most networking hardware aren’t going to win any beauty pageants.
But these APs tick both appearance and performance boxes!
Despite having multiple access points, we only have one network. This means we don’t need to remember multiple passwords, or manage many networks, as our devices seamlessly ‘hop’ between the access points.
UniFi® Security Gateway
To keep us protected from the outside world, we opted for a UniFi® Security Gateway. Not only does this act as our firewall, it also allows us to run multiple WAN connections to ensure we stay online at all times.
This level of redundancy is something we have had for a while, but it was two different networks previously. Now, with this hardware, we have one network.
This also allows staff to connect via VPN from off site locations (including our Latvia office).
Unified configuration
Traditional networking hardware usually has a configuration UI per device.
UniFi® hardware is a bit different in that respect, no device has any configuration utility per-say, it’s all configured centrally via a self hosted tool.
I guess it’s all in the name, ‘UniFi®’.
Developer note: The Unifi UI is actually built in Angular!
If you don’t want to get involved in hosting your own you can use a CloudKey.
The roll-out
The new network was rolled out along side the existing network setup to eliminate any downtime for staff. Feedback across the team has been great.
Here’s to fast & reliable internet!
