docj wrote:
westernrvparkowner wrote:
Paulcardoza, Your view is a bit myopic. The fact is there is much more expense to convert to an ultra high speed wireless network, even if the backhaul is available. Most people are satisfied with either using their own mifi-type plans or are OK with the current wifi that is provided by many RV parks, you know, the type that are good for surfing the net, accessing e-mail and paying bills online. Only very few really feel the need to stream 100s of gigabytes of video a month. So the cost of that upgrade is really not spread across all the sites in the park, but rather only across the sites that would only be rented if such wifi was available. It doesn't make financial sense to spend hundreds or thousands a month to get three additional monthly renters paying $500 a month. It is the same reason most park cable TV doesn't carry premium movie channels, the cost wouldn't be justified by any additional business. People will stay at the park whether they have HBO or not. Same with or without ultra high speed, high capacity internet capability.
I know there is software for parks that can control bandwidth or total data usage. Is there any software that is capable of creating several high speed "pipes" within a framework of relatively slow speed access ports?
What I'm thinking of is something that would permit a park to have, say, 5 high speed streaming ports, while maintaining a basic level of service for everyone else. The park could sell access to the high speed ports sort of like "pay per view" movies. So someone could reserve a streaming port to use for a movie, say from 8-10 pm.
If a park had a decent bandwidth capability to start with, you could pretty easily estimate how many high speed ports could be allocated without overly degrading the basic service for everyone else. So, in theory, you could use this as a money maker without the necessity of increasing your internet connection costs.
I don't know if such network software exists, but I doubt it's outside the realm of possibility.
Something like this is exactly what I am speaking about when I say the return would just not justify the effort and expense. Such a system probably wouldn't attract any additional people, I mean how many people would go out of their way to stay at a park that advertised "high speed connection available for an additional fee"? More likely the regular guests would just get upset that the high speed connection wasn't available to them, that somehow the park was baiting and switching them by saying wifi was available but you have to pay to have a fast connection. I think such a system might help one or two customers but offend 50 others. The law of unintended consequences would strike.
