Winston-Salem at a glance
- Winston-Salem is the county seat of Forsyth County and North Carolina's fifth-most populous city, with 249,545 residents at the 2020 census.
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is the largest employer in Winston-Salem, and the city is headquarters to HanesBrands and Reynolds American.
- The Innovation Quarter, operated by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, covers 330 acres downtown and includes renovated former R.J. Reynolds buildings such as Biotech Place and the 1926 factory at 525@Vine.
- Downtown Winston-Salem is roughly 19 miles by road, about 25 to 30 minutes, from PDC's office on Eastchester Drive in High Point (route; approximate, varies with traffic).
Looking for managed IT beyond the network? IT services in Winston-Salem
Who installs Ubiquiti UniFi networks in Winston-Salem?
Preferred Data Corporation, founded in 1987 in High Point, designs, installs and supports UniFi networks for Winston-Salem businesses. PDC's office is roughly 19 miles from downtown, well inside its 200-mile on-site service area.
PDC handles the cabling, network, cameras and ongoing support as one project. For general IT services in the city, see IT support in Winston-Salem.
How do you get good WiFi in a converted factory or historic brick building?
Plan for the walls. Downtown Winston-Salem has many offices and labs inside former industrial buildings, including former R.J. Reynolds warehouses and factories in the Innovation Quarter, and thick brick, concrete and heavy timber absorb far more WiFi signal than office drywall.
- Place access points per room or per bay rather than relying on the vendor coverage figure; Ubiquiti notes that spacing depends on building materials.
- Check cable paths early: historic buildings may limit where new cable can run, which affects where access points can go.
- Use wall-plate or in-wall access points where ceiling mounting is not practical.
- Validate after install by walking the space with a device, not only by checking the controller.
Key takeaway: In a masonry building, the wall count between the access point and the desk matters more than the square footage.
What do Winston-Salem medical and research offices need from their network?
With a major health system as the city's largest employer, Winston-Salem has many clinics, practices and research tenants. They need clinical devices, staff computers, guest WiFi and cameras on separate network segments, dependable WiFi in exam rooms, and records of who changed what.
See medical office networks and PDC's healthcare page. PDC's network work supports, but does not by itself establish, any regulatory compliance program.
- Separate networks for clinical systems, staff, patients and guests.
- High-density access points such as the E7 for waiting rooms and lecture or conference spaces.
- Firmware kept current on a schedule, with configuration backups.
- Cameras and door access managed in the same UniFi console.
How does PDC support Winston-Salem networks after installation?
Through managed UniFi support: monitoring, firmware updates under change control, configuration backups, network changes and help desk, with technicians on site when something needs hands. Call (336) 886-3282 to start with a site walk.
Frequently asked questions
Do you come on site in Winston-Salem?
Yes. Winston-Salem is roughly 19 miles from PDC's High Point office and within its 200-mile on-site service area.
Why is WiFi so poor in our renovated brick office?
Thick masonry walls block much more signal than drywall, and a single access point in a hallway rarely reaches rooms behind two brick walls. The fix is usually more access points placed closer to where people sit, based on a site walk.
Can you set up separate WiFi for patients and staff?
Yes. UniFi supports separate WiFi networks and VLANs, with firewall rules that keep guest devices away from clinical and business systems.
Do you install UniFi door access in Winston-Salem?
Yes. PDC installs UniFi Access readers and hubs alongside the network. See UniFi access control.
What does a UniFi network cost for a Winston-Salem office?
Hardware prices are published; see the installation cost guide. Labor depends on the building and cabling, and PDC gives a fixed written quote after a site walk.