About 10 years ago, the idea of property wide WiFi at an apartment community to increase tenant retention and build occupancy was a sound fiscal decision. However the way people use the internet today has changed and broadband technology has advanced tremendously. That's why property wide WiFi is a dead end, but strategic WiFi will add real value to your property.

#tbt (This is a blog that originally was posted in November 2009. It's a great look at how far WiFi has come.) What do Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have in common? They are all executing new plans to utilize Free managed WiFi access to connect people with information, gain bigger audiences and increase loyalty. To me, that seems like a pretty smart plan.

High speed WiFi where you live sounds pretty nice, doesn't it? I was reading an article in TechCrunch about how Multi-Family Real Estate is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country and how technology in this sector is trying to keep up with their demand. Today over one third of all new housing is made up of these multi-family units which should be a huge motivation for property managers to update and employ new technologies and amenities. The smart property management groups are doing exactly that.

Many apartment communities currently offer WiFi to their residents while others are looking at how they can profit from adding WiFi as an amenity. There is of course the property wide wireless model where wireless connections are beamed into the individual apartment units for the residents to enjoy. The other option is a bit more cost efficient and it can make the community center into a real social center for the apartment community