Guest Blog by Tony Liebel, Principal Product Manager at Plume
Wi-Fi services for MDUs is one of most promising opportunities for ISPs and MSPs today. Here are the latest insights from one of the leading technology providers in this space, Plume.
Tony Liebel is a Principal Product Manager at Plume where he leads the Uprise team, working on solutions for owners, managers and residents of MDUs. Learn more about Uprise here. Tony Liebel will be speaking about how CSPs can work directly with property managers at the Wi-Fi World Congress USA 2024 in Sarasota, Florida, on Tuesday, April 23. Visit Plume at Booth 30 or schedule a meeting with Plume here.
The combination of growth in two areas – urban areas and Wi-Fi connected devices – has created a unique problem and also an opportunity for the communications industry. As population density increases in urban areas, more Wi-Fi connected devices are required for daily life – and this equates to compounding competition for airwaves.
For property owners and managers of the buildings that people inhabit, this presents a challenge. Traditionally, the onus has been on tenants to deploy their own networks or simply sign up with the Wi-Fi provider favoured by the building. While a preferred provider may simplify activation, it still means that many individual networks are stacking on top of one another, creating interference, thus diminishing the experience across properties for the residents.
Additionally, despite the presence of all that networking power and equipment, there is little benefit for property managers. Even if each individual tenant is content with their service, the landlords and building managers are left without much information, or the ability to use the networks for tasks such as security or access control. Worse, if they wish to implement a solution to solve these problems, they will encounter a market that caters to the largest buildings but not the more modest (and common) four-floor walk-up.
This presents both a problem and an opportunity for communication services providers (CSPs) and technology providers. The solutions in the market today serve a specific type of apartment building – big, shiny skyscrapers towering over the largest cities. But, in reality, 98% of multi-dwelling units are under one hundred units. CSPs can reach this large population by delivering a modern solution that is affordable, easily deployable, and provides a first-in-class experience for both tenants and property managers.
Tenants should have their own SSIDs, seamless connections, and peace of mind that their network is both secure and private. Networks should also be intelligently managed and deployed so that they are operating in such a way to limit interference. This is critical as, in addition to devices increasing as noted above, neighbouring networks are also on the rise.
According to Plume IQ between 2022 and 2023 neighbouring networks detected at locations with Plume services in the US grew by 9% to an average of 31 different networks fighting for airspace. A system deployed throughout an entire building eliminates the competition and improves the quality of experience for tenants.
Property managers can then harness this technology for whole building management. They can create a safer in-person, physical environment by limiting who enters the building, learning who they are, and tracking when they enter and exit the property. And they can do it without the intrusiveness of deploying numerous cameras to cover an entire property.
This is a valuable, but untapped, growth opportunity for CSPs. It benefits property managers as well by improving the experience for tenants who stay in place and provide property stability.
/Tony
