Wild About Wireless

A must for multifamily

By Erica Rascón on Jun 25, 2012 in News

As the multifamily housing industry booms amidst the slow recovery of the housing market, investors and developers are seeking prime real estate to seize the opportunities presented. To ensure the success of your upcoming project in a market flooded with competition, it is vital to consider even the smallest factors in tenant satisfaction.

Today’s renter expects effortless, ample, and speedy wireless connectivity. For many properties, meeting this demand is an afterthought. Retrofitting a property to meet advancing technological standards proves to be infeasible in some cases and costly at best. Keeping wireless communication in mind when selecting the location and building materials for your property increases your chances of a completing a project with a competitive upper hand.

Wireless Usage

According to reports released by Mobithinking, there are over 1.2 billion mobile-broadband users worldwide. More than 25 percent of US subscribers are mobile-only users. PCs grow dusty in the corner of the home office as their owners perform work tasks, banking, and shopping via feature phones and smartphones. The pattern shows no signs of halting. Nearly half of mobile phones in the US are internet-enabled; that figure is expected to rise by 60 percent by 2015.

It is clear that wireless is the future of communication. As users discover more tools and resources through their wireless devices, the demand for unlimited data plans will continue to rise. In addition to unlimited usage, wireless users are seeking faster access. For many devices, 3G capabilities come standard, with many enabled for 4G speeds.

Resident Expectations

As wireless usage grows in popularity, owners and managers risk losing business if they do not equip their properties with the best services. Multiple apartment search websites advise hunters to bring their cellphones along on the apartment search to check for coverage—and apartment hunters are listening. Cellular reception is perhaps seen as more of a necessity than on-site laundry facilities or a fitness center. Both of those services can be supplemented off-site but a strong connection to a tenant’s wireless service provider is irreplaceable.

The internet has become a vital appendage for many renters, replacing, in many ways, traditional methods of human interaction. Writing a check and handing it to a staff member in the leasing office is basically unheard of. By 2015, m-payments or mobile payments are expected to be worth $1 trillion. Tenants seek online services such as bill pay, community message boards, and even their residence’s presence on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Home automation is gaining popularity as well, allowing renters to control aspects of their rentals remotely. The property must be equipped to provide those basic services to survive in today’s competitive multifamily housing market.

Building Conundrums

Location is key to providing tenants with a strong connection to prominent wireless providers and consistent coverage throughout the property. The importance of location does not come as a surprise to any builder yet few have taken the time to consider it from a technical standpoint. Sites that can offer tenants the best coverage by multiple carriers are better prepared for success than sites with limited coverage. This includes everything from cell phone and internet to cable, satellite, and security providers.

Major urban districts furnish locations with the best multi-provider coverage. Unfortunately, these high-coverage areas may not be conducive to new constructions. In an age that favors building conversions, this may be a developer’s best option. The development team must then examine the building materials used in the construction of the preexisting structure to determine if those materials will interfere with wireless services.  While converted buildings have demonstrated success in the rental market, retro-fitting a site for superb wireless performance may be inefficient and costly.

New constructions are not without their own challenges. Sustainable building, for example, has its benefits but many ecologically friendly materials have adverse effects on wireless connectivity.  Certain types of energy efficient insulation and green roofing can weaken cellular signals or block them altogether. Natural topography of an area, which are preserved for highly desired green space, may also interfere with wireless performance.

The multiplicity of considerations is well-worth the time and research for the developers, builders, managers and future tenants. A property built for technological longevity will prove to be a lucrative investment, enabled to adjust to the changing demands of tenants for years to come.