Does "free WiFi" ever work?
Just visited two different KOAs, two days, in a row, both offered "free" WiFi... I hate to say it like a complaint because it's not exactly something I'm going to loose sleep about... I'm just wonde...
Forum Discussion
Gene&Ginny wrote:holstein13 wrote:Bandwidth costs money. When I was in the business we got paid BIG bucks for an OC3 (155Mb) internet connection. How many campgrounds want to pay $1,000 per month so campers can stream video?
... After all, with today's technology, there is no reason why we shouldn't all be able to stream video simultaneously. ....
I was going to answer that one too. It is not the monthly costs that will kill you though, even though they are quite a bit higher it is the capital costs to build a network that does not yet exist. There is nothing stopping todays technology except: time, infrastructure, money, enough customers to make it cost effective. It is hard enough to get DSL or Cable to the boonies where the campgrounds are(and a couple of other neighbors that maybe able to leverage a new service build). Try squeezing 100 campers all trying to stream Netflix on a 50mbps Cable connection (hint Netflix at 2mbps per user x 100 users = 200mbps). This is not DSL or Cable speeds, it is Fiber optic speeds.
Now for me, local Telco costs to extend their fiber network have had 6 digit price tags just for 10mi of fiber. Imagine running it 100mi from the nearest town, now we are talking 7 digit numbers, all on the back of the campground.
As much as I would like to see a network that is more stable and can handle Netflix for everyone, I am not sure I want to have to pay a few hundred a night for a campsite so they can pay down a million dollar loan for decent internet.
