How Elauwit's Managed WiFi Brings Apartment Owners Operational, Financial Advantages

Eighty-two percent of apartment buildings older than 10 years experience internet connectivity challenges. 

Considering the average age of an apartment building in the U.S. is 45 years old, it’s safe to say the majority of multifamily communities have internet struggles. These can include poor service, unreliable performance and old infrastructure that can’t accommodate modern equipment. 

In addition, many residents have little to no choice in what retail provider is available in their building. While that may not be an issue if the service provider has fantastic service technicians and fast, reliable coverage, this is not always the case. 

Residents will be unhappy with an inconsistent provider — and property managers have very little recourse over systems they do not own or control. 

“If a resident orders their own service and is paying retail, managers really have no ability to improve the service or ensure that the resident gets what they need,” said Taylor Jones, president, chief technology officer and director at WiFi provider Elauwit. “It ultimately looks poorly on the building and quickly fades into becoming a reputation-management concern.”

Jones said the property manager’s ultimate job is to provide residents with the best level of service possible. When a third-party internet operator is independently servicing residents, these parties handle things on their own timeline — for better or worse. 

Elauwit’s connectivity solutions, Jones said, are a completely different approach, replacing the need for legacy retail ISPs such as Xfinity or Spectrum. 

In contrast to retail ISP models, Elauwit’s managed WiFi gives owners control over their system, while Elauwit handles all of the design, installation and operations. The property owner owns the network, funding the system upfront for a significantly reduced operating fee, Jones said. 

This eliminates the finger-pointing between property managers, owners and ISPs over who is responsible when something goes wrong.

Elauwit’s managed WiFi also provides complete coverage across the entire property. This is a stark difference from retail WiFi, which residents pay for and only works within the bounds of their unit. Jones said Elauwit uses fiber-based connectivity to achieve fast speeds, providing up to one gigabit so residents can stay connected anywhere in the building.

The most convenient part? Activation for residents is immediate, simply requiring them to scan a QR code in their unit. Waiting for service technicians is a thing of the past.  

Constant, reliable connectivity impacts far more than just the resident, Jones said, including smart locks, security cameras and leak detection sensors. 

“It actually makes the buildings operate better,” he said. “We’re layering smart technology onto these networks to provide a better experience in every aspect of the building, making lives for both residents and staff much easier."

In a similar vein, Elauwit’s network-as-a-service is the company’s fully managed solution that provides hardware, infrastructure and service in one turnkey fee. In this solution, Elauwit owns the network and pays all of the install costs upfront — so there’s a massive upside to the owner in terms of the revenue.

“It really allows them to upgrade the services in the building without a capital outlay,” Jones said. “An older property, Class-B or Class-C, may be capital constrained, so they rely on older internet technologies and services. That doesn’t have to be the case anymore.”

Better internet service translates to better resident reviews. Better reviews drive a better reputation for the property, which positively impacts revenue, Jones said. 

Elauwit’s offerings can also help property owners create an additional revenue stream, which in today’s multifamily landscape is a massive added benefit. 

“By sourcing connectivity at our wholesale rates, owners can set their own technology fees above the underlying costs, retaining the difference and increasing their net operating income,” Jones said. “It’s a game-changer for multifamily properties."

The service also comes with customer support, with humans answering the phone in under 30 seconds, Jones said. Its customer service response time is so quick and consistent that it has a 93% positive rating among users, he said. 

“Reputation management is critical nowadays,” Jones said. “There’s been so much new supply hitting the market in many places across the country, so buildings really need to make sure they have the best reputation and the best services possible to get people into their buildings.”

In 2025, no more than 12% of multifamily properties took advantage of managed WiFi offerings. Looking ahead, Jones said more owners will continue to adopt this method of service because it’s simply an efficient, cost-conscious way of doing business.

Given that 90% of renters said they would steer clear of buildings without fast, reliable WiFi, there’s “no question” that managed WiFi is the future, he said. 

“There's a lot of people that are relying on the internet in their apartment to make sure that they can pay their rent and put food on the table,” Jones said. “Independent ISPs can provide poor service, and they often aren’t incentivized to improve it, so it really does end up hurting owners financially. With Elauwit, owners are letting us put our capital at risk and theirs at play. It’s a win-win all around.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Elauwit and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.