Posted on 10/10/2018 by David
Some people like to completely disconnect when they go on holiday, it's part of the whole experience. In this data fast age, our ability to completely relax and enjoy downtime has been almost totally eroded by the immediacy and availability of information for consumption - be it the on internet, email or streaming TV.
However, for many it's important to stay connected. Those who work remotely and those of us with data-hungry kids understand the need for a reliable WiFi connection, even on holiday. Furthermore, for the self-employed or freelancers working the gig economy, WiFi access could make the difference between taking a much-needed holiday or foregoing one. And, for many, access to WFi is actually downtime - watching box sets or surfing social media is classed as relaxation time.
As holiday cottage owners, "do I need to install WiFi?" is a question you'll need to ask yourself. For some of you, it will need little consideration. For instance your property may lend itself to the 'get away from it all' mindset, quite possibly it's part of the isolated rural charm of your cottage and guests may appreciate the enforced 'radio silence'. For others, it's an opportunity to weigh up the pros and cons of this additional service. The aim of this blog is to do just that and help you make an informed decision about whether or not to install WiFi in your holiday cottage.
We believe WiFi is a key service to provide guests with. NWHC's David says:
Whilst it's not as essential as running water or electricity, it's still something people expect to have these days.
Why do we think this? Well, we can't really argue with the statistics! According to Ofcom, the average time spent on the internet has doubled in the last ten years, with more than 20 hours per week being spent browsing the web. Having the ability to connect to the internet to check emails and social media is essential for many people for the reasons stated above and it’s likely potential guests will check if your property has WiFi before committing to book.
Considerations
When making your decision whether or not to provide a WiFi connection, there are a few things to think about. Primarily, you need to consider the cost, the risks and what to expect if you don't provide it.
Cost
Like all utilities, there is a cost associated with providing WiFi and it can vary enormously depending on the package you go for (see below). The main thing here is to weigh up the cost of not providing WiFi against the cost of lost bookings. Yes, it can be difficult to quantify but, as mentioned above, most people will actively check if a property has WiFi before they book. Very few want properties without a connection, although we acknowledge there is a small market looking to completely disconnect.
We think that offering WiFi optimises the chances of your property being booked, the proportion of lost bookings from those wanting to 'go off grid' being significantly smaller than those wanting to get online during their stay. For us, it makes sense - give people the option and leave it up to them to decide - most will thank you for it.
Poor connection
Because we live in such a beautiful and tranquil area, sometimes the local broadband connection isn't the best - this has a lot to do with how far your house is located from the roadside telephone exchange.
Standard internet connections use phone lines which run from telephone exchanges to roadside telephone cabinets, and then to your house. Most roadside telephone cabinets have a fibre connection, but the limiting factor is how far the house is from the cabinet. Why? Typically, copper wires are still used to connect the property with the roadside cabinet which means speed decreases quickly with distance (for example, 100MBPS near to cabinet and 15MBPS at a distance of 1500m).
If you're in doubt as to the strength and speed of your wifi connection, check it here using Ofcom's mobile and broadband checker.
Illegal downloads
The 2017 Digital Economy Act places a more stringent set of sanctions on internet subscribers who commit copyright infringements. There’s a common belief that this means that whoever owns the licence for the connection will be liable for content illegally downloaded using their broadband.
This seems to stem from a well-publicised case in which a pub owner was fined because someone illegally downloaded content using their open WiFi hotspot. The keyword here is 'open'; if your internet connection is equipped with password protection and other safety measures, you should at least have a reasonable idea of who is using it.
There are several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that now also offer website blocking; so, certain types of content would be blocked from view via your connection. Although not fool-proof, in theory, this should alleviate some of the worry about users viewing and downloading undesirable content.
Excessive usage
Given that people are spending so much time online, it makes sense that this translates into a fair bit of internet usage.
Some ISPs proscribe to a Fair Usage Policy, or usage limit. This means your connection is only allowed to process a certain amount of information up and down. For example, downloading or streaming a movie can use quite a large amount of your data allowance. Conversely, uploading a photo to Instagram or Facebook only uses a very small amount of data.
Many broadband providers offer a range of packages to suit users, both limited and unlimited. As you may have already guessed, packages with limited data allowance will be cheaper than those offering unlimited usage.
Within the terms of the Fair Usage Policy, broadband providers also have the power to limit your connection if it is being used excessively or at busy times - hence the term 'fair usage'. Heavy usage could constitute downloading films on a daily basis and busy times are, as you'd expect, evenings and weekends. As holiday home owners, you should be aware of this clause in your contract but not worry about it too much - guests one week may use the internet regularly but guests the next may use it sparingly. Equally, there are times when the property will be vacant and the WiFi will not be used at all.
Our advice is to purchase an unlimited broadband pack - that way you will be able to cater for every kind of guest without falling foul of the Fair Usage Policy or running out of data completely (which, of course, you can top up but is costly if you need to do it regularly).
How to manage the risks
As the broadband subscriber, there are a few ways to help yourself:
- Some Internet Service Providers offer Parental Controls or other content controls which can be activated to help protect your connection from any unwanted content downloads.
- Another way to manage the risk is to include some stipulations on internet usage in your booking terms, and lay them out clearly upfront so there’s no doubt as to what is permitted.
- It’s essential to secure your connection with a password; that’s part of the reason the pub copyright case mentioned above ended in a fine. This way you’re limiting the number of users on your network and keeping it secure. Most ISPs automatically enable WiFi routers with a password, so this shouldn’t be difficult to add.
A system such as eleven software could prove a useful addition too. Marketed as a 'guest WiFi solution', it requires guests to log in to use the internet, allowing you to keep track of exactly who's accessing it and what they are doing while online. There are several of this type of system on the market and are very popular with accommodation providers for the security they offer and the useful marketing data they provide.
So… should you provide wi-fi?
Of course, it’s completely your decision as a cottage-owner to choose whether to provide WiFi. As outlined above, there are certain considerations to make before installing a connection, but it is worth bearing in mind that you may be limiting the appeal of your property if there isn’t broadband for guests.
Need more information?
If you have further queries or questions about getting your cottage ready for guests, please feel free to get in touch using the form at the bottom of the linked page.