Planning Your Campground/RV Park Wi-Fi?
What You Need to Know
More than 6 million North Americans have adopted the camping lifestyle, according to the 2018 North American Camping Report. But they’re not ditching the Wi-Fi when they go camping.
In fact, they expect reliable, steady Wi-Fi in the great outdoors. A whopping 97% said they take technology with them while camping. Plus, “4 out of 10 camper households overall say access to cell service or Wi-Fi impacts the amount they camp,” states the report.
As the demand of near-continuous Internet connectivity continues to increase, successful campground and RV park owners must provide this amenity to campers, RV park guests, and staff members. After all, free Wi-Fi ranks as the fifth most important campground amenity.
Before you start preparing your wireless network site plan for your campground or RV park, ask yourself these questions.
Where does the Internet service enter your property?
Understand how you are going to deliver Wi-Fi to your staff, campers, and RV guests. The location of the Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) equipment will help you determine what is needed, such as Ethernet cabling, network Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switches and/or wireless access points to deliver that service to your users.
How much bandwidth are you receiving from your ISP?
The amount of bandwidth you receive from your ISP determines the maximum speed you can offer your staff, campers, and RV guests.
More bandwidth lets more users to connect and allows you to provide higher-quality Wi-Fi services. Consider increasing your bandwidth to ensure a positive Wi-Fi experience for all guests.
What quality of service or level of access do you want to provide your guests?
When you know the quality of service to offer to your staff, campers, and RV guests, you can then determine the best placement for your access points. Common offerings include hotspot service, individual campsite/cabin/RV site service, and complete park services.
What is the construction of your buildings?
Wireless signals degrade when traveling through different materials. Concrete, wood, metal siding, fiberglass, and/or rebar can result in different levels of Wi-Fi signal degradation.
Understanding the construction of your walls, ceilings, and floors (in multi-level buildings) will help determine the quantity and appropriate placement of your wireless access points.
Do you have Ethernet cable running out to each building or desired Wi-Fi location?
Having the proper, shielded Ethernet cable already run to buildings or centralized locations makes the deployment of Wi-Fi very easy.
Don’t have it? Then implement a secure wireless link or wireless bridge to carry the signal to a designated location. Doing so will avoid the need for additional cabling and costs, and spare you the hassle of permits.
When considering a wireless bridge, use one that supports the same wireless speeds as the rest of your network. The more speed that the link provides, the better the experience for the camper.
To get more questions to help you prepare wireless network planning for your campground or RV park, download our free Wi-Fi Planning Guide: Campground and RV Park. It’s packed with…
• The latest wireless stats about well-connected campers and RV park guests
• Questions to help you assess their wireless network needs
• 10 campground Wi-Fi best-practices
If you want to find out more about what’s needed for a campground or RV park Wi-Fi, fill out this simple contact form, and we’ll get back to you very soon.
