Transformational opportunity for multifamily properties to change their service model from retail to managed, while also delving into smart community applications on the network.
The MDU market is generally comprised of multi-family units, student housing and senior living. In this paper we focus on the multi-family unit segment and will be looking at connectivity issues in high-rise, mid-rise and garden-style MDUs.
Multi-family rental demand is undergoing a multi-generational transformation. On one hand, millennials are moving to more spacious housing while on the other hand, baby boomers and seniors are moving back to cities and in smaller units…
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Despite the growing importance of Wi-Fi, however, most MDU residents still subscribe to high-speed internet the oldfashioned way, they contact their local service provider and order internet service. Each tenant plugs his or her own Wi-Fi access point (AP), used exclusively for his or her apartment. This decentralized and unorganized way of deploying WiFi creates a series of problems that decreases the overall quality of experience as we will see in the following sections.
Managing the quality of broadband experience in the home is a priority for service providers more than ever, and Wi-Fi is at center stage of that effort. As a result, service providers are now increasingly taking ownership of the Wi-Fi experience. Just as the diversity of wireless use cases and the demands they make on networks are exploding, so is the radical expansion of Wi-Fi capabilities underway to meet those demands. The centerpiece of this transformation is managed Wi-Fi which delivers a step change in Wi-Fi capabilities and performance.
In a high- or mid-rise building, typically one or two access points will be deployed in each unit based on coverage analysis: or, in a garden-style community, one or two per building. As shown in the exhibit below, this is in what is called the Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF). This is also where the switch is located. Examples of access points include the Ruckus H510 WiFi5 Indoor Wall Plate Access Point and the new WiFi6 Certified H550. For indoor common area coverage, the Ruckus R550 WiFi6 Certified wall/ceiling mounted access point is utilized. To cover common indoor areas, the R550 (a wall/ceiling mounted radio, is installed in hallways, corridors, or the lobby area.
In outdoor areas such as the pool or parking lots that require weatherproof access points, the IP6720 rated Ruckus T310 outdoor product is typically used. To connect buildings or IDFs in a garden style environment, the MultiHaul TG Terragraph certified radio from Siklu enables gigabit wireless backhaul of outdoor access points mounted on top of buildings using the 60GHz mmwave band (see section 4.3 for more details).