In Kasarani and across Nairobi, more and more apartment blocks are going up, and tenants now ask about internet before they ask about parking. For a landlord or property manager, a building with good connectivity is easier to let and easier to keep full. But getting it right takes a little planning before anyone drills a wall.
Decide how tenants will connect
There are two common models. In the first, each tenant takes their own line from the provider, so every household has its own account, router and package. In the second, the landlord arranges shared internet for the whole building and includes it in the rent or charges for it separately. Individual lines give tenants freedom to pick a package that suits them; a shared setup is simpler to advertise but needs more careful sizing and management.
Plan the cable routes early
The messiest part of any building is cabling added as an afterthought. Cables running along stairwells, through windows or across corridors get damaged, look untidy and cause faults that are hard to trace. If the building is still under construction or being renovated, ask for conduits or trunking from a central point to each floor. In an existing building, agree a tidy route with your provider before installation starts.
Think about where WiFi actually reaches
Concrete walls and steel doors are hard on WiFi signals. A router in a corridor will rarely give a good signal inside every flat, which is why a connection that looks fine on paper can feel poor in a back bedroom. A line that terminates inside each unit, with the router placed centrally, almost always beats trying to cover several flats from one point.
Questions to settle with your provider
- Is installation free, and who pays if extra cable or equipment is needed inside the building?
- Can each tenant sign up individually, and what is the monthly price for each package?
- Is the service unlimited with no throttling, or are there caps that tenants will run into?
- What happens when a tenant moves out, and how easily can the next one take over the line?
- Who do tenants call at night or on weekends when something goes wrong?
Common-area WiFi and building services
Many landlords also want connectivity in shared spaces: a reception desk, a caretaker office, CCTV at the gate or a card-payment device for parking. These are best treated as a separate small network from the tenants’ lines, so a problem in one flat never affects security cameras or the office. If you plan to run cameras, remember that uploading video to the cloud needs more upstream capacity than most people expect.
How WebSpace Internet can help
WebSpace Internet serves homes and businesses in Kasarani and nearby areas with PPPoE and Hotspot options, free installation, unlimited no-throttle packages from Ksh 1,500 a month, and 24/7 support. Tenants can take their own packages, and we can talk through cable routes with you before work begins, so the building stays tidy.
Managing a block or planning a new one? Call us on 0702 447 334 or visit our contact page, and we will help you plan it properly.