Earlier this year, Asset Living made internet service provider Pavlov Media a preferred national partner for bulk managed Wi-Fi at its communities. We asked experts at both companies why more multifamily property owners are taking a hands-on role in how residents access the internet. The biggest reason is that turnkey broadband has become more than an amenity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can create an easier move-in experience when the resident shows up and their Wi-Fi is already working, so they don\u2019t have to call a third-party provider, get a modem and schedule someone to come out and install it. It\u2019s a huge value for residents,\u201d Walther says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other consideration for owners is the financial aspect,\u201d he says. \u201cWorking with a broadband provider like Pavlov Media, owners can provide residents an excellent value at a much lower cost than a typical third-party internet provider would charge, and the owner can keep some of that value ancillary revenue or increased rental rates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other benefits to network infrastructure include the ability to offer more competitive amenity packages featuring web-enabled appliances and other smart home technologies, Walther says. And property team members can do their jobs more efficiently when community Wi-Fi lets them update work orders, complete inspection reports and send images from mobile devices instead of trudging back to an office computer.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunity broadband is one of the best potential returns on investment for owners, with relatively low capital expenditure and options to finance or structure in different ways for a very healthy return,\u201d Walther says.<\/p>\n
Landlords Take Control<\/p>\n
In properties where residents make their own connectivity arrangements, service providers, connection quality and fees often vary from unit to unit within the same building. Overlapping signals from resident-owned Wi-Fi equipment and smart devices contribute to congestion and interference that can slow or disrupt a resident\u2019s connection.<\/p>\n
A property\u2019s approval ratings (and leasing and renewals) suffer when residents experience disappointing internet speeds or inconsistent streaming, even when management teams have little influence over their residents\u2019 connections. Opting instead for bulk managed Wi-Fi enables owners to ensure a more consistent, high-quality internet experience via network infrastructure configured to maximize speed and connectivity throughout the property.<\/p>\n
Walther advises multifamily owners who are considering a bulk internet strategy to vet service providers on their support capabilities as well as broadband expertise. A provider should respond quickly and directly to residents\u2019 service requests, resolving any connection issues without burdening property management teams with internet concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor third-party managers like Asset Living, one of the keys is having a full-service provider that\u2019s going to not just implement a system but provide support the entire time it\u2019s being used, leaving our onsite teams free to handle other duties,\u201d Walther says. \u201cThat partner should be the first line of support when there are issues with connectivity for any reason. Anytime the system is down, they should be able to troubleshoot, get service back up and manage communications to residents.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bryan_Rader_Pavlov_Media_100.png\")
Bryan Rader,
Pavlov Media<\/p>\n
Bryan Rader, president of MDU at Pavlov Media, says institutional investors are driving bulk Wi-Fi adoption in the multifamily sector, incorporating network infrastructure in nearly all new projects. He estimates as much as 15 percent of apartment properties today use bulk internet infrastructure, up from about 10 percent in 2020, as the industry emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn five years, I expect bulk adoption to be 30 percent,\u201d Rader predicts, adding that most new apartment construction incorporates Wi-Fi infrastructure, and more owners of existing communities will enter bulk arrangements as expiring ISP contracts allow. \u201cFor adoption to double in three or four years is significant. That shows how quickly the adoption of smart home technology, and bulk internet to support it, is occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walther contends that community Wi-Fi adoption is accelerating as landlords seek ways to better compete with new construction and early adopters that are using their infrastructure advantages to boost leasing and resident retention.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the early stages of it being adopted, but eventually community Wi-Fi will become commonplace,\u201d Walther predicts. \u201cSome other amenities look better on a flyer, but broadband community Wi-Fi is going to be a much more important tool for keeping residents, for getting renewals, for resident satisfaction, renewals and for maintaining and improving the property\u2019s reputation in general.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 By Matt Hudgins.\u00a0This article was written in conjunction with\u00a0Pavlov Media<\/a>, a\u00a0content partner<\/a>\u00a0of REBusinessOnline. For more information on Pavlov Media,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"165 Enterprising multifamily players are shifting the industry\u2019s views on community connectivity, elevating broadband from a stand-alone amenity…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80480,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[64,63,237,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-80479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-internet","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-internet","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}