providing internet connection - uk

[Pete Wyatt]

What are peoples opinions on providing 'free' internet connection? I have a small 2 bed cottage on the yorkshire coast that i am considering having and advertising the cottage with 'internet available'
thanks
Pete

[Hells Bells]

pete, a good idea. I have done it in my French apartment. It is great for guests who want to find out weather forecasts, and also things to do in the area, as well as alternatives for if the weather doesn't work out the way they want.

[Pete Wyatt]

anyone in the uk offer internet?
Pete

[Sue Dyer]

Yes! We were already booked for most of this season before we advertised it though.

Our network is encrypted and we leave the code in the info binder. The wi fi reaches into the garden too which is handy.

We haven't yet but are adding a disclaimer in the T&C's re it is a free extra and we can't provide support or guarantee the service.

The only public internet in the village is at the community centre 10 a.m until 2 p.m week days so a bit limiting if you want to go online.

[e-richard]

Whether its UK or elsewhere, when advertising "internet connection" be sure to clarify what it is that you're offering.

We offer guests the capability to connect their own laptop to the internet - we do not offer (as one guest thought) a PC connected to the internet.

Also, I chose not to offer wi-fi (though I could) but simply a cable from the wall. Saves futzing around with security and passwords....

[Pete Wyatt]

Thanks for your replies.

I have decided not to offer internet to our guests. If some one really needs to get on line then there are other options!

(and I might open an internet cafe nearby!)

Pete

[Martha]

I must say I find it very useful on holiday for weather forecasts, finding restaurants, bus and train timetables and so on.

[Hells Bells]

Our summer guests have found it very useful too, to email me asking to book the same dates for next year

[Sue Dyer]

It would tip the balance for me if I was choosing between 2 similar cottages, I'd go for the wifi!

I agree that it is useful for info on nearby opening times, admissions, events as well as keeping in touch.

We use the cottage in the winter so it is useful for us too.

[J&J]

Strangely enough I really missed having the internet whilst on holiday in France this year. However during our week away at a rented property in Wales I didn't give it a second thought. I think it's because in your own country you know how to obtain the local information you need by other means and there are always newspapers readily available to catch up on things. It wouldn't sway my decision when choosing a UK place.

[Nightowl]

I'm really keen on offering it but my husband has all sorts of (ridiculous to my mind) worries that someone is going to come along and plug a phone into the line and make hundreds of calls abroad at our expense! I just don't see it and have said to him that if we had an account that we can view ourselves over the internet we can monitor it anyway and if someone has used the connection in a way that costs us a lot, we'd know who it was because we can see the times/dates etc and we could take it out of their deposit.

I've said to him that if we don't provide a phone to plug in then why would anyone bother buying one just in order to defraud us? Has anyone ever experienced any kind of fraud problem with their connections?

And how many of you have had any problems with your Wifi or Internet at your rentals that are sufficient for you to regret providing it? I can feel a poll coming on (I will start a thread).

I think he's also a bit worried that it's just another thing to go wrong (although he does work in IT so it's not as if he can't set it up or anything like that)

[kteee]

I provide a phone and wi-fi router, and have set up my PT account so that I can see all account activity online.

So far this season there have been two calls totalling around 0.70 cents, so no, no problems so far.

[Martha]

Nightowl, you can just put a block on the line to restrict it, and leave the phone for incoming calls, which is handy for some people. We have ours set to allow incoming, local and emergency calls.

[Hells Bells]

Our apartment now has a wifi connection that is available to all the apartments in the building. My share for this was about 70€. I have therefore disconnected the Orange wifi connection, and because no-one had bothered to use the telephone except for us, I have suspended the line for the time being. I can do this with France Telecom for a Maison Secondaire. We will reconnect it for our Christmas and New Year trip as we will use the phone lots then to call family and friends, and it is our son's birthday too.

[apexblue]

We have got bookings because we have wi-fi in Wales - just leave the code for access. When we rented a cottage we only looked for those offering the internet due to work and replying to holiday emails!

www.northwalesholidaylets.co.uk