In today’s student housing market, reliable high-speed internet isn’t just a perk—it’s an expectation. With students consuming more data than ever for streaming, working, gaming and online learning, property owners and operators must ensure their networks can handle increasing demand. But upgrading internet infrastructure isn’t just about keeping up with resident expectations; it’s also a strategic investment. Choosing the right broadband strategy with an experienced partner can help maximize property value, improve resident satisfaction and reduce costly future upgrades.
Now is an especially good time to consider these upgrades. With the slow adoption of Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6 technology is available at historically low prices, offering a cost-effective way to boost connectivity while preparing for the future. Additionally, integrating modern infrastructure during renovations or new construction can save tens of thousands of dollars in labor and materials. By planning ahead and making informed choices, student housing owners and operators can “future-align” their properties and ensure long-term efficiency in network management — meaning that they can include excess capacity and safeguards so the property’s network will be easier to upgrade down the road.
Student Housing Business asked two veteran client advisors at Pavlov Media, a Champaign, Ill.-based internet service provider, how they clarify broadband options for student housing operators and help them choose infrastructure for optimal value. Ideally, multiunit housing owners should adopt a broadband strategy that complements their investment horizon, explains Wendy Burr, Pavlov Media’s vice president of sales.
“Each property is a unique puzzle, and we look to see which pieces fit for each property and each client,” Burr says. “Is their goal to have the fastest connection in the city or to do an upgrade within a certain dollar amount? Or is their goal to hold on to this property long term and future-ready it as much as possible, so that upgrades five years from now won’t be as expensive?”
Puzzle Pieces — Determining Connectivity Needs
A student housing owner’s internet costs depend largely on how they distribute connectivity to individual dwelling units on the property. Common practice gives renters managed Wi-Fi connectivity in their units and increasingly throughout the common areas, grounds and amenities of the property. This distribution strategy also makes for a holistic approach to Wi-Fi access points and eliminates signal interference that can occur when occupants install their own wireless routers.
Whether a client is constructing new housing or upgrading internet service at an existing complex, Pavlov Media’s advisors help owners compare costs and capabilities of various technology and hardware configurations. Those discussions also cover opportunities for future alignment.
Student housing operators have several Wi-Fi protocols to choose from. The latest, Wi-Fi 7, supports more connections, and, at 2.5 gigabytes per second (Gbs), is faster than Wi-Fi 6’s top speed of 1 Gbs.
Wi-Fi 7 can also carry a much higher price tag for both equipment and cabling, observes Dorothy Kallmayer, Pavlov Media’s vice president of regional sales and promotions. For existing properties, the newest protocol’s much larger power requirements usually necessitate electrical upgrades and more robust cooling measures, adding to an operator’s cost.
Slow adoption of Wi-Fi 7 has opened a window of opportunity to purchase Wi-Fi 6 equipment at all-time-low pricing, Kallmayer says. Still being manufactured but no longer the newest generation, the standard offers excellent value.
“Wi-Fi 7 is expensive right now, and Wi-Fi 6 is still a great product that probably has a lot more longevity than any of the previous standards,” Kallmayer says. “On new construction, I will quote both of those options, and I will also give an option for Wi-Fi 6 with multi-gig switch gear and explain all of those elements to them.”
Designed for Wi-Fi 7, multi-gig switches in a Wi-Fi 6 network improve performance today and give owners a head start later when it comes time to convert fully to Wi-Fi 7. The strategy also helps clients spread out capital outlays and ease the impact of future upgrades.
For properties wired for Wi-Fi 5, which was standard from 2014 through 2020, wiring can be a limiting factor. A complex outfitted with this or older ethernet connections to the units could not benefit from switching to Wi-Fi 7 without also upgrading their cables and access points, Kallmayer says.
That’s why Pavlov Media encourages clients to coordinate network installation and upgrades with construction and renovation schedules. Taking advantage of opportunities to replace wiring when stud walls are open, for example, can save tens of thousands of dollars in labor compared with re-cabling a finished complex.
Future Alignment with Resale, Costs and Upgrade Needs in Mind
The advice of an experienced internet service provider can even help owners preserve or boost a property’s resale value.
For example, Burr recounts how a client constructing a new student housing complex tasked her team with fortifying the property’s network infrastructure for maximum longevity, so it wouldn’t be a concern for potential buyers in years to come.
Following Pavlov Media’s advice, the client became an early adopter of Wi-Fi 6, installing the best cables and hardware available. Between key points, the developer also installed conduit or micro-duct containing pull cords, which can be used to easily run new connections for future technologies.
As a result, the owner was able to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 about five years later using the original network wiring at roughly one-third the cost of a full-system replacement, Burr says.
By contrast, when a different client renovated about five years ago, Pavlov Media suggested upgrading network cables while the walls were open. The owner decided against spending the $50,000 to $100,000 that cable replacement would have added to the project, Burr says. Today, the complex is overdue for a connection upgrade.
“They’ve reached the point that they can’t do anything without replacing this wiring, so they’ve tripled their cost,” she says. “When you have to go in and post-wire everything, that’s a lot of labor.”
Readying for the future is a recurrent theme for Burr and Kallmayer. With more than 30 years of collective experience bringing connectivity to multiunit communities, they are committed to making their clients’ networking operations and upgrades easy.
“Very few things come up that we don’t know how to handle,” Burr says. “And we have access to the greatest minds in the industry at Pavlov Media. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll get to the answer.”
“Investing in high-quality internet infrastructure is no longer optional for student housing operators — it’s essential for long-term success,” says Burr. “By leveraging cost-effective solutions like Wi-Fi 6 while planning for future upgrades, property owners can maximize resident satisfaction, reduce costs and enhance property value.”
With expert guidance from industry leaders, strategic broadband decisions today can set the stage for seamless connectivity tomorrow.
— By Matt Hudgins. This article was written in conjunction with Pavlov Media, a content partner of Student Housing Business. For more information on Pavlov Media, click here.