WiFi as a quality extra. What do you think?

[charles cawley]

A homeowner asked me if providing WiFi was worth it. She did not like the idea because: 'people may abuse it and I could lose my internet', 'it will be costly'; 'people come her to get away, they do not want the internet'. But WiFi will give you the edge over the rest who do recognise the selling advantage it provides.

A repeater can solve most of the problems and meet security objections. Examples of repeaters can be found at http://www.faculty-x.net/repeater.htm?g ... 2Aod8jGKig but we strongly advise you to shop around.

You can set them up so there is 'guest' as well as your own computer access. The 'guest' access will have different name and password. This will identify abuse. People staying will note the 'guest' aspect . On some repeaters, you can put a download limit on activity. (29-10-2010 I have since found this to be incorrect, the download limit on repeaters is not yet available; but there is a partial solution: see several posts below.)

A repeater can enable many users with only one telephone line so saving more money. They also extend the range of your WiFi. WiFi is fast becoming a quality 'must-have' for UK holiday lets.

[Mountain Goat]

WiFi is fast becoming a quality 'must-have' for UK holiday lets.

I think some of us might have said that 5 years ago. I have to incarcerate myself in relatively cheap accommodation in Bournemouth for 2 weeks next month. Searching for free, reliable WiFi included in the cost reduced the choice to 3 possibilities from 3 dozen. One place wanted £6/hr for WiFi ....

MG

[kendalcottages]

As I understand the law in the UK at the moment, the owner of the connection - not the guest - is the one who is ultimately responsible for what it is used for.

Stupid, I know, but the bill did get passed.

[Nuthatch]

We provide free wi-fi and monitor who uses it. Well over 90% of guests bring at least 1 piece of equipment that uses it, with the average being 3 items of equipment. One group brought 9 different items - and we only sleep 6!

[charles cawley]

Bournemouth in the Winter: Burrrr

It is surprising how out-of-date a very large number of holiday lets are. I recently went to one which was redecorated, annually, to the then very successful formula of the late 1980s.

There were bright pink walls throughout the ground floor plus busy 'cottagey' curtains etc:

To be fair, the let had just been taken over by new owners. Keeping up-to-date when doing all the work can easily cause you to take your eye off the ball.

[kendalcottages]

On the flipside, it's surprising how far self-catering has come in the last decade or so. There are so many really good quality properties out there nowadays, with some very savvy owners.

[Rocket Rab]

Bournemouth in the Winter: Burrrr

I must admit, Bournemouth might not be my first winter sun destination, even with the lure of free and reliable WiFi.

Add in the possibility of bright pink walls for two weeks and, um..... (have you checked, MG?)

What's wrong with Barbados?

[ccazes]

Ok so what is a repeater? In layman's terms please......!

[charles cawley]

Repeaters work by picking up a weak WiFi signal and then re-broadcasting this signal at full strength again. Some repeaters can control how much can be downloaded from the internet so greatly limiting the danger of being held responsible for illegal downloading. In effect, a repeater makes wireless internet practical over greater distances and even between some buildings.

Legal liability can be greatly limited by restricting downloading so visitors only use broadband for e-mails and surfing to find out about sights, attractions and activities.

I agree with Kendal Cottages, things have greatly improved. The market is, however, becoming more stratified. Top quality cottages now command better rates and occupancy with the majority either treading water or some even failing.

More so than ever, quality pays.

[Mountain Goat]

Add in the possibility of bright pink walls for two weeks

Is there something I should know about Bournemouth, Rab, there was no mention in the write-up?

One place was really frank - noisy rooms and totally unreliable WiFi, but I think I've hit the right one, and, if not, I'll commute the second week.

MG

[kg1]

I've been considering offering hardwired broadband internet access but not wifi, set up on a desk somewhere. This I think might at least solve the problem of iphones etc logging on 24/7 although wouldn't stop anyone downloading masses if they wanted to. My fear is someone logging on & leaving it connected for the entire stay. This is a road I didn't really want to go down but feel I'm being pushed towards it.

[charles cawley]

I've looked into this a bit more.

It appears that the modem is the best place to limit download speeds on a wireless network and, therefore, the size of downloads themselves. If you hardwire internet to your computer, you can bypass any restriction you choose for the speed of your wireless network.

http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/2787 ... n-wireless)

This could be a useful step, but it is not ideal.

The problem of controlling download amounts but not hitting speeds is something that appears still to be waiting a solution.

[Margaret]

We offer free WiFi in UK and Germany. In my opinion, you cannot control how it is used just request care. We stay in hotels with WiFi across Europe and most of them do not mention any restrictions on use. I realise that the law says we can be held responsible but other people live with it and so do we.

[vrooje]

The next time I am at our rental, I am definitely setting our DNS servers to OpenDNS.

Why? The full NYT article about it is here. It will provide a faster, safer browsing experience for guests, and the parental controls mean that I will know if one of them decides to download a terabyte of illegal movies. Not sure what I would do after that, but it would at least be proof of bad behavior. I'm also considering a clause in my contract that the guest takes responsibility for their internet usage while at the house.

I'm surprised that, in 2010, there's anything to debate at all about whether offering wifi is a valuable extra. Unless, that is, the debate is over whether it is really considered an "extra" anymore.

[greenbarn]

I'm surprised that, in 2010, there's anything to debate at all about whether offering wifi is a valuable extra. Unless, that is, the debate is over whether it is really considered an "extra" anymore.

Good point! I'd say the majority of our guests use it, and I'm sure there's a couple of bookings that we wouldn't have got without it (maybe sad, but it's true). Maybe the question is really how much longer before wifi is an expectation, in the same way as television. I don't think we've reached that point in the UK, but I don't think it can be far away. I'll hit the VB inspector with the question when she turns up in a few weeks.

One point maybe worth bringing up again: none of us has control over outages, so anything in your advertising that mentions internet access needs to avoid any wording that suggests it's a guaranteed service. It harks back to the old debate about charging for it - if it's not working, and guests believe they have the right to expect it, that's a recipe for trouble!
It just occurred to me that due to licensing, providing a tv probably costs more than internet access, but who'd think of charging for tv reception? (Actually I'd pay quite a bit to have a service that guaranteed a blockage on receiving Strictly Come Dancing, as long as OH didn't twig I'd paid for it.)