Delivering Modern Connectivity to Heritage MDUs
in Old Montreal
LATYS was presented with a unique opportunity—and a significant challenge: delivering modern, high-performance internet to an older multi-unit building in Old Montreal without High capex investments, or disrupting tenants.
Many Canadian multi-dwelling units (MDUs), particularly in historic neighborhoods like Old Montreal, were never designed for modern communications infrastructure. Thick stone walls, outdated wiring, limited conduits, and complex floor plans make traditional ISP deployments expensive, slow, or technically infeasible. Residential plans typically provide 10–30 Mb/s per tenant—insufficient for video calls, remote work, and streaming—while ISPs demand high capital commitments (often $150,000+) to justify retrofits.
In the 24-unit building where LATYS deployed its solution:
Tenants previously experienced 10–15 Mb/s download and <1 Mb/s upload.
The building owner could not justify a $150,000 ISP upgrade, which would have taken 3–6 months and required access to every apartment.
Drilling, rewiring, and structural alterations were either prohibited or high-risk due to asbestos and fragile masonry.
Challenges
Infrastructure Limitations
Poor Wi-Fi coverage and dead zones inside units
Thick stone and brick walls blocking RF signals
Old internal wiring incapable of supporting modern speeds
Frequent service interruptions during peak hours
Poor upload speeds impacting remote work
ISP Roadblocks
Major internal cable work and new fiber risers per floor
Multi-day access to each apartment
Minimum $150,000 investment for any ISP deployment
Even after upgrades, performance capped at ~15 Mb/s per user
Physical & Safety Barriers
Drilling prohibited; existing conduits unusable
Stone/brick construction fragile to alter
Asbestos risk in ceilings and walls
Tenants could not be displaced or disrupted
LATYS Solution
LATYS implemented a fully non-intrusive, FOCUS-enabled hybrid wireless system:
1 Gb/s business-grade backhaul feeding the building
14 enterprise-grade APs for core coverage
4 LATYS FOCUS intelligent surfaces for line-of-sight and signal reflection challenges
Compact PoE network cabinet with monitoring and centralized control
Deployment Highlights:
Full installation completed in 4 days
Optimized FOCUS placement overcame partial line-of-sight, roof access limitations, and minimal power availability
How LATYS FOCUS Works:
Uses Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) to bend and amplify Wi-Fi signals around walls and corridors
Reduces AP count by ~40% compared to AP-only designs
Eliminates need for multiple intermediate switches or conduits
LATYS FOCUS TFR-1010
Results
The LATYS deployment delivered a significant improvement in performance, providing tenants with 40 Mb/s download speeds (config-limited, with up to 350 Mb/s possible) and 10 Mb/s upload speeds, along with latency of less than 10 ms to local servers. This performance is equal to or better than the residential fiber and cable options available in the area.
Bandwidth usage is highly efficient, as a single 1 Gb/s backhaul now supports all tenants, with peak usage remaining between 400 and 500 Mb/s, leaving a comfortable buffer.
For tenants, this has translated into streamlined video calls and remote work, zero complaints since installation, and internet speeds up to three times faster than previously available plans.
Building owners also benefit significantly, saving over $150,000 by avoiding ISP-driven upgrades, reducing rollout time by 3–6 months, and avoiding any disruption, construction, or structural risk to the property.
Scalability
This solution is highly adaptable and particularly effective for older buildings with thick walls, multilevel apartments or condos, and such heritage buildings. It is ideal for situations where fast installation is needed with minimal disruption to residents.
For future deployments, it is recommended to conduct line-of-sight surveys early in the project, and leverage LATYS FOCUS surfaces to overcome signal obstructions.
In larger buildings, adding a second backhaul can provide redundancy and ensure consistent performance for all units.
Conclusion
LATYS’s hybrid AP + FOCUS system uniquely enables high-performance connectivity in heritage and older MDUs:
Avoids costly ISP infrastructure upgrades
Provides faster, reliable internet for tenants
Reduces installation time, disruption, and complexity
Creates a replicable model with scalable revenue
Impact: Every building transformed becomes fully modernized digital real estate—at a fraction of the traditional cost. LATYS is unlocking a $180M ARR market in Canada alone, with global expansion potential.
Connectivity doesn’t have to be complicated, it just needs to be smarter.
