Networking & Physical Infrastructure

Networking in Cameroon has to be designed for conditions that brochures rarely mention: voltage drops and power cuts, heat and dust in equipment rooms, internet links that can slow down or fail, and offices that grow faster than their cabling. Opesware designs, installs and maintains office networks for businesses, schools, clinics, hotels and public bodies in Douala and across Cameroon. Because we also build the software that runs on these networks, such as accounting, point of sale, school and hospital systems, we plan the infrastructure around the applications you actually use.

Many of the networks we are asked to look at grew one cable and one router at a time: unlabelled wires, consumer Wi-Fi boxes in every corner, a server under a desk with no backup, and nobody who remembers the passwords. Replacing that with a planned, documented network makes everything that runs on it more dependable, from tills and payroll to video calls with partners abroad.

• Site survey. A walk-through of the building to plan cable routes, Wi-Fi coverage, the equipment room, ventilation and power points.
• Structured cabling and Wi-Fi. Labelled cabling to desks, tills and cameras, and Wi-Fi planned room by room, with separate networks for staff, guests and devices such as printers and cameras.
• Internet resilience. Where the business depends on being online, we can set up failover between two internet providers so that traffic switches automatically if one link fails.
• Power protection. UPS units sized for the equipment that must stay up, surge protection, and a clean shutdown plan for servers during long outages.
• Servers and storage. Local servers or network storage where data must stay on site or keep working offline, with automatic backups and, where suitable, an off-site or cloud copy.
• Security systems. Firewalls, CCTV, biometric access control and attendance devices whose records can feed HR and payroll.
• VoIP telephony. IP phones and extensions across floors or branches.

A supermarket or pharmacy running CEMAC POS needs a stable local connection between tills and the back office, even when the internet is down. A clinic using OPES EMR needs reliable Wi-Fi in consultation rooms and wards and careful access control around patient data. A school running the School Management System needs the secretariat, bursary and computer lab connected without letting students reach administrative data. A hotel must keep guest Wi-Fi apart from the reception and accounts network while still reaching rooms, the restaurant and outdoor areas. We design network segments, user access and backup routines with each of these in mind, and offline-first applications keep working locally when the outside link fails.

1. Audit. We inventory existing equipment, test speeds and coverage, and list risks such as single points of failure, unprotected servers or missing backups.
2. Design and quote. A plan with equipment, cabling and work schedule, priced in FCFA and often phased to spread the cost.
3. Installation. Work scheduled to minimise disruption, outside opening hours if needed.
4. Documentation. Network diagrams, labelled ports, credentials handed over securely and a short list of what to check each month.
5. Maintenance. Ongoing support from Douala: on site in the city, and through remote support and scheduled visits elsewhere in Cameroon.

For security beyond the network itself, see our cybersecurity services; for domains, hosting and email, see business email and hosting. Request a network audit through the quote form.