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
rwbradley wrote: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.
Why do we need fiber optics? Why not use a microwave link from a provider to the campground? Why not use a laser? WiFi, itself, can travel a few miles using antennas. Yes, you are correct that if we need to dig 100 miles or even 10 miles of cable, it would be prohibitively expensive, but why would you do that? Just use the unregulated bandwidth available through the airwaves or a laser router or just license a point to point solution. It's much cheaper.
Besides, you are only referring to remote campsites. I'd be happy if urban campgrounds had decent internet. They can easily connect to cable internet, Fios, or T1s. They have no excuse.
