Is It Ok To Charge For Wifi, Should Campgrounds charge for Internet access? Options

[drmcleod]

Should Campgrounds charge for Internet access?

I would like to get other opinions on this.

My opinion is no! I have two reasons for this.

First, as a consumer. Having free internet access is actually one of the things I look for in a campground. It's a 'perk' if you will. If I have the choice between two, somewhat comparable, c/g's then I will choose the one with free WiFi. Heck, I'll even choose the one with free WiFi over one that is slightly nicer with fee for service.

Second, as a business owner (of which I am one). It does not cost more to allow the whole campground access to your broadband service. The only additional expense is the addition of the hardware. In some cases this might be more expensive if additional antennas are required and installation requires an expert. Also, a higher than basic internet subscription is needed. However, if the c/g is going to charge for its WiFi service, then all of this has to be done anyway. Therefore, consider it a marketing expense to drive more people to your c/g. Why do you think that places like Panera Bread and even McDonald's are offering free WiFi? I know I choose to eat there when I need a place to surf while I eat. In my case, I want more people to come to my place of business, so I make my wireless service available to all. It costs me no more, but brings more people to me.

What do you think?

[Kirk]

pianotuna,

I don't understand why a different view is agressive? I have no problem with truely free wifi, but I don't see the need for me to help to pay for yours. It is a fact that more and more people are going to services from the cellular phone carriers so the demand could be effected. It may not, but only time will tell.

I really do understand that those who rely on RV parks or other open wifi links for internet clearly would prefer to find it free. But it very seldom is actually free. I read an article in an RV magazine recently in which the author claimed that his survey showed that the average cost for "pay to use" wifi was $4/day and that the average increase in nightly fees for parks that claim to have it for free(actually it is built into the price of a stay) is more like $5/night.

By way of example, two years ago we were in Nashville and stayed in an RV park which had wifi but was charging $3/night to use it. I used it as the lazy way since my dish is a portable and it was easier than putting up mine for one night. We ran into folks who we knew that were next door in a park that supplies wifi for free and they chose that park because of that added benefit. But they were paying just over $6/night more than we, so our cost after paying for wifi was $3 less than they paid.

My point is that it generally is not free. And there is added cost to the RV park even when it is included in the cost per night. Good equipment which will cover all sites in a park is expensive to buy and far from free to keep working well. In addition, the links that such places use to supply this service do cost extra because the contract always limits the number of users unless you pay extra for services and they need a much wider bandwidth in order to supply a large customer base than to use for just themselves. One of the reasons that so many parks have such poor service is that RV park wifi use is mostly in a very limited time period and sits idle or near idle the rest of the day. A large RV park with more than 100 sites, must have many access points because you can't have more than 15 to 20 users per access point.

Add to that the fact that while there are theoretically 16 channels, they all over lap and to have totally clear channels with no overlap, there are only three. All of this means that there is additional cost to a quality service and it is far from free. Now add to that the cost of antennas that cover the park, even with trees fully leafed out you then complicate the problem even more.

It may well be that the parks with the most amenities will do best over the long term, but the bargain parks are also doing pretty well. If I were to build a new park I would either go with the full service park which had things like swimming pool, game room and wifi. On the other hand, if budget is limited I would go with the bare bones park that has little more than full hook-ups and perhaps a restroom/shower. There is a good market for both.

The survey was about which you would choose to use. I'm not the only RVer who will choose the bare necessities type of park.

On the other hand, if you park near me and take the time to introduce yourself, I often share the password with a neighbor or two who need access to the internet. Many dish users do this.

[pianotuna]

Hi Kirk,

I believe there are not 16 channels in use in USA but rather only 1 through 11. Of those, 1, 6, and 11 do not overlap at all.

Each channel can handle up to 253 connections with a common garden variety Lynksys wifi router (The default setting is 50 connections) Transmitter is set at 28 mw but can be "turned up" to 80 mw safely (max setting is 251 mw *not recommended for long life*). Good equipment for a large area need not be expensive. A single omni directional 15 DB antenna will effectively boost that 28 mw to around 700 mw (allowing for cable and connector losses) covering a 1/2 of mile radius (and that is from inside an RV). Put it on the roof and the radius would be larger. If more connections are required the campground could get a 2nd router and set it to channel 1. If still more are required a third router could be added set to channel 11.

My local telco provides 1.5 meg access for $19.95 per month. 10 meg access is $54.95 per month. I do not see why this would be considered a huge expense for a campground. The Antenna cost is $75.00, the router about $65.00, Antenna cable $2.00 per foot (for the very best low loss cable). I suspect the largest cost is installation. Even allowing for equipment for 3 routers and 3 antennas the out of pocket costs may be as low as $4.00 per day for the entire campground.

The problems with reception have more to do with the signal path to the antenna. RV walls are not very radio transparent--particularly for Class A units with their metal studs. If the campground puts the Antenna on a twenty foot mast it would do wonders for reception inside campers.

My neighbors are all on channel 6--so I've jumped to channel 8 this works very well for me. After doing some research for this email it looks as if I would be even better to jump to 11 or 1.

It's very nice of you to share your signal with others. Perhaps one day our paths will cross and I'll come knocking on your door and ask to share your signal.

I prefer the campgrounds I find at http://freecampgrounds.com/ which are extremely low cost and often have excellent facilities.

pianotuna,

<snip>

My point is that it generally is not free. And there is added cost to the RV park even when it is included in the cost per night. Good equipment which will cover all sites in a park is expensive to buy and far from free to keep working well. In addition, the links that such places use to supply this service do cost extra because the contract always limits the number of users unless you pay extra for services and they need a much wider bandwidth in order to supply a large customer base than to use for just themselves. One of the reasons that so many parks have such poor service is that RV park wifi use is mostly in a very limited time period and sits idle or near idle the rest of the day. A large RV park with more than 100 sites, must have many access points because you can't have more than 15 to 20 users per access point.

Add to that the fact that while there are theoretically 16 channels, they all over lap and to have totally clear channels with no overlap, there are only three. All of this means that there is additional cost to a quality service and it is far from free. Now add to that the cost of antennas that cover the park, even with trees fully leafed out you then complicate the problem even more.

<snip>

The survey was about which you would choose to use. I'm not the only RVer who will choose the bare necessities type of park.

[Lindsay Richards]

On the other hand, if you park near me and take the time to introduce yourself, I often share the password with a neighbor or two who need access to the internet.

This is something that I have never done or asked to have done. Just doesn’t seem right and not worth the $3. I am still of the opinion from talking to many campground operators that the actual cost is not as much as stated. I did talk to a installer of system in the redwood forest that had gone to extreme lengths to get WiFi to the park including miles of microwave type systems and lots of fiber optic cable. Mostly we have found inexpensive systems. We have countered this with our WiFi antenna.