Dave’s Thoughts: Those Left Behind: Living in an Apartment Building Shouldn’t Mean Second-Rate Broadband.
Apartment complexes, large and small, are still falling behind when it comes to modern broadband connectivity. Many buildings haven’t had an Ethernet upgrade since they were first constructed. While there has been an emphasis on higher speeds to the single-family home, MDUs haven’t received the same attention.
Given the average broadband speed has exploded from a few Mbps to over 100Mbps in just the last ten years, it is safe to say most buildings are not meeting today’s demands.
This is compounded by legacy cable deployments. Today’s tenants expect connectivity in places like the laundry room, by the pool, in common areas, and throughout the property. Yet many of these locations have no infrastructure at all.
So, what are your options?
- Squeeze more bandwidth out of your existing cable plant
If it’s twisted pair, maybe more advanced modems can help, but they are hugely impacted by the quality of the copper and any taps, splitters or combiners on a given strand. - Re-wire your entire building
Clearly this involves time, money and massive tenant disruption. And what if your floor-to-floor riser is full, or not in the right place? Drill baby drill through that cement. That means more time, more money and more permitting. - Deploy a wireless ethernet backbone to quickly and easily upgrade your infrastructure
No construction. No drilling. No permits. No asbestos headaches. Just quick deployment and scalable, reliable connectivity to meet today’s demands
After Covid everyone was confronted with how much we all rely on ubiquitous high-speed connectivity and the integration of IoT into our daily lives. For single-family homes, the market responded with urgency and innovation. But in MDUs, tenants are still at the mercy of the property owner.
Now is the time for building owners and management companies to seize the opportunity to modernize their properties with wireless Ethernet backbone systems—without the cost, disruption, or delays of traditional rewiring. This is more than just an upgrade; it’s a competitive edge. Fast, reliable broadband is no longer a perk—it’s a priority. Invest in your infrastructure today to retain residents, attract new ones, and future-proof your property.