Removal of wired networking from buildings

The stake technology specialist told me that the wireless networks were being updated and they were removing ability to use the wired ports. This is unfortunate because using wired connections for broadcasts are hands down more reliable than wireless, my conversation with him started because of issues with wireless. This goes against every recommendation I have had with regards to broadcasting both at church and in my profession. Does anyone have any clarification on this policy change? The only thing I can think of finding wired ports on a laptop is becoming a rarity.

WE had similar concerns about this upgrade, which begins with 1300 bldgs in Utah. Here is the response we got back from a "lead" person for the upgrade.

Background
* In 2018 and 2019, new Meraki network devices were installed in every facility worldwide and will reach end of support in 2026 and 2027.
* The network equipment and cabling in many meetinghouses was not installed according to best practices, which creates an inconsistent member experience and makes it difficult to perform maintenance.
* The network infrastructure in most buildings does not fully support today’s desired level of digital access for gospel teaching.
* One of the most common complaints about our meetinghouses is about poor Wi-Fi coverage.
* When we go into each building to replace the aging Meraki devices, there is an opportunity to correct and improve the networks to enhance the member experience and network reliability.

Project Objectives
* Create standards for meetinghouse networks
* Wi-Fi devices, network devices and cabling types are uniform
* Minimum Wi-Fi signal strength throughout the building
* Well organized equipment spaces that meet code requirements
* Everything is clearly labeled and easily accessible
* Upgrade the networks in every meetinghouse worldwide in the next 4-5 years
* Wave 1 (2025): These first 1,300 buildings in Utah


FAQ:
"…a key objective of this initiative is to try to somewhat standardize the network setup in each building, e.g., install Cat6A cabling, patch panel, rack, the latest Meraki devices, and a network cable run to the rear of the chapel for a possible future camera.

Over the past 10+ years, the network setup in almost every building is different, and we want to change that. We want to ensure the best cabling (Cat6A) is used and is installed by certified Cat6A installers. In some buildings, the vendor may recommend relocating the network equipment/rack to a different place in the building to ensure it meets code and is not in a hot or dusty environment. And we want the equipment and cables to be clearly labeled and easy to work on for future vendors.

I’ve learned that some buildings are still using old computers and printers that are not Wi-Fi enabled. Now is a good time to upgrade that equipment, because the church is wanting Wi-Fi to be the standard connection type going forward (actually, I understand that it HAS been the standard for 5 years, but for whatever reason, some units are still using computers and printers that require ethernet).

Any work done by our network vendors in the coming weeks and months should not interfere with the AV equipment… we’re only updating the network equipment.”


“PoE Going away? The vendor will pull the old cabling and replace it with Cat6A, except for the cables connected to the clerks offices and printers… those cables will not be replaced. In fact, it’s possible that those cables will be pulled out, which effectively means that the computers and printers will need to run entirely on Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi has been the standard connection type in the buildings for around 5 years now. If the clerk computers and the printers in a building are still reliant on ethernet, now is a good time to update them with new devices that support Wi-Fi. Worst case, purchase a Wi-Fi antenna that can plug into the computer or printer.

Switch Going away? We will replace the switch with the latest approved Meraki model.

Update to new APs? We will replace all APs and add new APs. In most meetinghouses, the number of APs will approximately double. This should provide at least a -75 dBm Wi-Fi signal strength throughout the entire building.

New Firewalls? We will replace the firewall with the latest approved Meraki model. We will also add a patch panel and a rack, where needed. And we will run a network cable to the rear of the chapel for a possible future chapel camera, if one doesn’t already exist.

AP Placement moving? Yes, we will not simply replace APs… we are moving them to optimal places in the building to provide the minimum coverage. The church generated predictive heatmaps that show the vendor exactly where the APs should be installed. Additionally, the APs will be moved from the mezzanine to the ceiling, wherever possible.”



Hopefully this will answer some of your concerns.

I wonder if the networking department has factored in the clerk computers doing updates. Unless they're added to the NoSplash policy, they're not going to be able to update themselves when not in use. In addition, some locations shut down WiFi in the off hours to discourage leachers from hanging out in the parking lot when church is closed.

In most of our meetinghouses, the distance from the pulpit to the nearest Wi-Fi access point (usually in the foyer) is so far away that Wi-Fi is nearly worthless for streaming or most other other uses. Having a wired port at the pulpit has saved many a leadership meeting.

It would be unwise for that capability to go away. And if it does, I am certain that our general authority visitors will provide specific feedback through their priesthood channels, and everyone will be unhappy.

It raises a question of how to stream things like stake conference. Even back at the pandemic, we had some that were having trouble streaming over WiFi and a wired connection fixed it.

In our case, the stake center has an AP in the rostrum, so signal strength is good.

Agree, wireless is not a substitute for wired/fiber if you need the most reliable connection.
WiFi frequencies are limited and any interference, whether intentional or not, can have a massive negative impact on your connection throughout.

russellhltn wrote: Sun Nov 16, 2025 4:44 pm I wonder if the networking department has factored in the clerk computers doing updates. Unless they're added to the NoSplash policy, they're not going to be able to update themselves when not in use.

Wouldn't clerk computers be on the Lehi network, which doesn't have the captive portal / splash screen?

sbradshaw wrote: Tue Nov 18, 2025 12:40 pm Wouldn't clerk computers be on the Lehi network, which doesn't have the captive portal / splash screen?

That would be a pain. The Lehi network has to have it's password changed by the STS every 90 days or it's disabled.

This upgrade is coming to buildings in our stake now. Overall, it seems wonderful, except for removing wired network jacks. I have similar questions to those that have already been mentioned here. What have you observed since it's been several months since your upgrades?

lajackson wrote: Mon Nov 17, 2025 2:25 pm In most of our meetinghouses, the distance from the pulpit to the nearest Wi-Fi access point (usually in the foyer) is so far away that Wi-Fi is nearly worthless for streaming or most other other uses. Having a wired port at the pulpit has saved many a leadership meeting.

It would be unwise for that capability to go away. And if it does, I am certain that our general authority visitors will provide specific feedback through their priesthood channels, and everyone will be unhappy.

This is key to understanding the issues related to broadcasts and the chapel. It's real. If you do the site mapping software, you see the two foyer WAPs concentric circles meeting about 10 or so feet in front of the pulpit, making the STAND of the chapel the worst WIFI spot in the building. The Additional WAPs being installed are great, in the YW / RS / Primary areas are all great. Even mounting on the ceiling instead of the attic. What I understand, however, is the saving of costs of an additional switch to hook up the Wires is what was removed, technically, there is likely a couple of spots to plug them in. However, our stake or FM took away all access to the attic so we can't just to make the things work we need.

I'm glad I asked to get out of the Tech support world in the church, there is NO FUN anymore.

We have 3 buildings in our stake and the new upgrade has been completed in all of them. The contractors do a very nice job.

The techs came from a company in Utah. They told us they've been going all over California from the lower central valley to the Mexican border. I think someone drove a truck here that they drive from site to site. They work a 4-day week and fly home for the weekend. They're nice people. We managed to preserve a few wired ports, but that's no guarantee (we didn't get everything we would have liked). If you happen to have some boxes of CAT 6 available, they might be nice and pull some of it for you and terminate it at the patch panel and at the other end.

The approved system does have provision for a camera jack in the chapel. You potentially have some discretion about where that jack goes.
The approved system also runs lines to the audio rack and for door control (I didn't think Kindoo was network connected). Only one of our buildings has a new enough audio system that it's connected to the network, but they run the line to your audio rack so that it's there for whenever you get an audio system upgrade. At our stake center, video is in a different rack than audio, and they wouldn't run a line to the video rack.

They do eventually upload documentation and photos to CNM.

They later came back to one of our buildings and installed an additional AP in the overflow between the chapel and the cultural hall. It sounds like they're doing that on similar buildings. This particular non-stake center building model was built all over the place in the 1970s (slight floorplan variations and facade changes, but overall, the same thing). I've seen them in several states and even in Mexico. It's all brick, including the classrooms, so Wifi signals don't go far. But now we have good WiFi in the building.

It makes no sense to remove ethernet connections from clerk computers for wifi instead. Once the new network is installed, no one configures the computers or tells the tech specialists that it was even done or even plugs them into the new switches. All this does is cause problems getting past terms of service screens on Chromebooks since the computer can't get past the splash screen.

I guess if you can't be fired, you can do a bad job.

phruby wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 11:27 am It makes no sense to remove ethernet connections from clerk computers for wifi instead.

What's happening is that the new rack may be in a different location than the current location where the current ethernet lines to the clerk offices go. I agree it makes sense that the clerk offices should get wired jacks. We ended up with wired jacks for all of our clerk offices. When this project comes your way, you might have to get creative in how to achieve that goal.

For example, in one building, the new rack is in the library, but the cable modem is in a clerk's office (we're not sure why they didn't relocate the cable modem; it would have made more sense, but maybe they don't have coax). Since they had to pull a line from the clerk's office to the library, our facilities person got them to pull two lines. Then we plugged the second line into the new switch in the library and into the old switch that was in the clerk's office. This let us feed our old network with lines going to the clerk's offices. It'll work for now, but when our old switches die, I don't think HQ is going to replace them. Then it might be up to us to run some new lines from the clerk's offices to the library.

If you're trying to run your clerk computers off of WiFi: I learned there are some settings in CNM to allow you to enter MAC addresses of computers so they can bypass the Liahona agreement prompt (use the NoSplash policy: https://tech.churchofjesuschrist.org/wi ... p_Policies). But that's not a great solution, either, because these devices are on the Liahona network that might be disabled. If clerk computers are on WiFi, they really should be on the Lehi network, but then you have to change the password every 90 days. It doesn't appear they thought through how this new policy affects clerk computers.

Regarding Wi-Fi dead spots: When my wife and I were called as FamilySearch Center coordinators in Jan 2025, we quickly discovered that the FSC was a Wi-Fi dead spot. This was amazing to me since the cable modem and two network switches for the stake center are physically located in the FSC! I quickly asked the stake to create a request for the FM to add a WAP in the FSC. Life is much better now, especially for FSC patrons who bring their own devices (BYOD).

I have yet to hear of any buildings I help maintain (40+) having the wired network removed. If anything the FM has been ordering new 24 port managed Cisco switches so that we can accommodate whatever is wired in there right now, and I have personally installed several network ports in various locations in meetinghouses.

Also, when the sound systems get upgraded every 8 or so years, I've seen those A/V techs installing additional APs or ensuring an AP was installed to cover the chapel area. Most chapels do have a network jack up at the pulpit somewhere or somewhere on the stand and I would encourage you to reach out to your FM and let them know to please not have that jack removed or disabled, and that it is essential to ensure a good broadcast. Let them know wifi doesn't always cut it.

I'm STS for the Rochester New York Stake. We had a team come in and pull out all of the Cat5 cable and replace it with Cat6A. they installed 11 new 91721 AP's, an MX67 ,and an MS130-24. This upgrade has been going on for three weeks now and we have experienced several outages. One of the techs went in the Family Search Center today and announced that everything would be wireless from now on. Who's idea was that and why were we not informed? For that matter why did they pull all that cable if they don't intend to use it?

dwilliams wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2026 1:39 pm One of the techs went in the Family Search Center today and announced that everything would be wireless from now on. Who's idea was that and why were we not informed? For that matter why did they pull all that cable if they don't intend to use it?

I don't know how your Family Search Center network is managed. We have a larger center that is directly managed by the Family Search department. I don't know if the Family Search department manages all the Family Search centers in church buildings, or just select centers. Our FSC has tech people specifically called to support it, so I don't get that involved. There's a switch at the cable modem and one line goes to the FSC and the other goes to the stake center firewall. When our stake center networking was upgraded, they didn't touch the networking in the FSC. I haven't labeled all the APs in CNM yet, but I believe their AP is managed by the FSC network and isn't on the stake center firewall. If you have contacts in the Family Search department, you might ask them about the networking change.