88% of adults over 65, in 2023 use the internet, and 76% own smartphones, according to Statista. This “Baby Boomer” generation makes up about 22% of America’s population, and as they continue to age, the assisted and senior living industries need to cater to tech-savvy seniors.
Many will downsize and choose to move into multi-dwelling units (MDUs) like senior housing, assisted living, and retirement accommodations, and will demand high-performance wireless connectivity, at a standard they’ve been used to at home and in public places. Managers and building owners can attract these residents, and improve their satisfaction with managed Wi-Fi to deliver the ease, connection, and security necessary to meet requirements for a highly reliable, secure and high-speed service.
From retirement communities to nursing homes, let’s explore some use cases for Nomadix MDU Portal and its portfolio of MDU solutions:
Better for residents
Senior residents now expect reliable internet, just as they do electricity or heat. Depending on the community, Wi-Fi should provide bandwidth for simultaneous activities: Zoom calls or FaceTime with families, video/music streaming, social media and more. The service should also allow for multiple IoT devices, i.e. smart thermostats, lighting and wearables. Our MDU solutions offer a superior, secure connection throughout an entire building or community – from the cafeteria to the pool – without hiccups on the network.
Security and traffic segmentation is also important. Nomadix offers each resident a private VBN so they have their own password and credentials. Additionally, the service allows for a QR code so guests can log onto the residents network without sharing credentials.
Internet access can be offered to residents as a bundled service. This allows them to pay one charge for all their utilities and the convenience of not having to find and manage a separate internet provider. Internet access is immediately activated by the property manager the day they get the keys to move in….versus waiting hours or days for an external service provider to install wireless modem, test and assure access or buying their own wireless modem and setting it up by trying to follow the instruction guide or attempting to reach a remote person live over the phone.
Simpler for staff
Our MDU solutions also benefits staff members. Seamless connections throughout the building or property allow staff to stay connected and aware of residents, wherever they may be. Bandwidth can be allocated to staff wearables and functions like housekeeping, communications and security, without taking away from residents.
24/7 availability also makes it possible to support communities with monitored surveillance, asset and people tracking and emergency alerting services. Connected IoT devices such as smart door locks, cameras, hosted telephony and CCTV can be added to the same secure network to support the building’s security, facilities management and reception teams.
When the property manager logs in to the MDU Portal, they can easily manage the resident subscribers. We make it simple to add groups of new residents simultaneously with our batch subscription feature. Adding or removing residents can also be done individually as needed. Additionally, easy collection of subscription payments is available that aligns to residents’ different level of service.
Superior for owners
Adding managed Wi-Fi to a senior community enables property owners to add recurring revenue streams, increase NOI and property values and boost satisfaction and renewals.
Our MDU solutions provide the flexibility for a building or facility owner or operator to provide services tailored to each resident’s room, shared spaces and common areas. Property managers or their IT providers have control over the building network, they can easily add or remove and extend the service to new rooms or floors.
Bandwidth management gives them the ability to control the Wi-Fi capacity, ensuring that everyone has great connectivity and pays for what they use, at any hour. Additionally, the log-in portals can be easily branded to the property, perfectly communicating its values and enhancing loyalty.
Secure for everyone
Nomadix offers a highly-secure connection, with each resident’s traffic segmented and accurately billed so that residents are protected, maintain the privacy they need and only pay for what they use. And there’s the flexibility to provide more bandwidth if residents want it. Separate, guest Wi-Fi channels for visitors are also offered, segmenting their traffic and not compromising the user experience for permanent residents.
Any type of senior living space can benefit from our integrated solution for managed internet, which is easily extendable and equally as efficient as these communities grow.
Get in touch with a member of our team for more information about using Nomadix for senior living accommodations.
Mike Womack is Vice President of Partner Sales – the Americas.