It’s easy to know who is winning when you keep score. To evaluate the quality of managed Wi-Fi solutions in Multi-Dwelling Units (MDU), property owners typically keep score by looking at the hard numbers that drive costs up. These include the following:
- Number of resident complaints about the Wi-Fi per month
- Hours of Wi-Fi downtime per month
- Hours of a technician monitoring the network per month
- Hours of a technician performing maintenance and repair per month
This is why it’s important to select a technology solution that will drive those hard numbers down and keep them at a minimum. But how do you achieve that? Which factors should you take into consideration?
High-Performance Wi-Fi for Tenants
Are all residents able to use the Wi-Fi for the applications they need? Is there sufficient bandwidth to support multiple streaming services in a unit for streaming conference calls on one device and concurrently streaming entertainment on others?
Seamless Roaming Across the Property
Are tenants able to roam the entire property without logging in multiple times? Does this include all indoor locations such as gathering areas, laundry and other facilities? Does this include outdoor patio areas?
Simple Onboarding of All Devices
Is it easy for tenants to add a new device without assistance? Each unit can have 12 or more devices, and new ones are added every day. Are their guests able to easily log in without a conversation with their host?
Secure Personal Networks
Is each unit’s traffic private and password protected? Can you ensure that other residents are unable to see a tenant’s activity?
Easy Monitoring and Reporting
How is the network performance monitored, and who monitors it? Does it require a skilled technician to look at the data on demand? Or is there a system that senses problems, makes adjustments and notifies an administrative person with no technical training when problems require attention?
Choose the Best Option for the Long Run
It costs time and money to handle complaints, describe problems and dispatch skilled technicians. When choosing a solution, remember that the initial cost is only the starting point. A few dollars saved on the front-end can be easily wiped out by a solution that simply does not work. It could drive the total cost of ownership through the roof with outages and repair costs – and ultimately a significant total replacement cost.
The RentalHousingJournal.com is an interactive community of multifamily investors, independent rental home owners, residential property management professionals and other rental housing and real estate professionals. It is the most comprehensive source for news and information for the rental housing industry. Their website features exclusive articles and blogs on real estate investing, apartment market trends, property management best practices, landlord tenant laws, apartment marketing, maintenance and more. Reprinted with permission.