Top 5 Internet Complaints in MDUs - And How to Fix Them Before Residents Notice

Take a stroll through a modern apartment building and you’ll see a glow behind nearly every door. Smart TVs flicker in living rooms, voice assistants order dinner and streaming sticks hum in the background. The typical U.S. household now owns about 21 connected devices, so in a mid‑sized multifamily property those gadgets quickly add up to hundreds of clients competing for the same airwaves. It’s no surprise that more than two‑thirds of households reported Wi‑Fi problems last year.

For property managers and HOAs, connectivity has become a utility. Residents expect the internet to be instant, invisible and reliable the moment they move in. But conventional apartment‑by‑apartment contracts scatter consumer‑grade routers throughout the building; signals overlap, dead zones multiply and every support ticket lands on your desk. What follows are the five most common complaints we hear - and the proactive steps you can take to keep everyone connected and happy.

“The Wi‑Fi doesn’t reach my bedroom” - Tackling Dead Zones

We’ve all heard this one: “The Wi‑Fi doesn’t reach my bedroom.” Weak signal is the number‑one gripe. More than three‑quarters of people report unreliable Wi‑Fi in certain rooms, with bedrooms and home offices topping the list. In a dense building, the reasons are predictable: signals fade with distance, thick concrete and metal appliances block radio waves, neighbouring networks crowd the airwaves and older routers simply can’t push a strong signal.

What you can do: Don’t rely on a single access point per unit. Place enterprise‑grade access points in central and elevated spots, use mesh nodes in hallways or shared spaces to blanket the property and make sure each AP is tuned for the right channel and power level. Upgrading to dual‑ or tri‑band Wi‑Fi 6/7 equipment dramatically improves capacity and reduces interference. And remember to secure the network so freeloaders don’t sap bandwidth - strong passwords and a separate guest SSID go a long way.

“My video calls keep freezing” - Fighting Slow Speeds

Nothing torpedoes resident satisfaction like a lagging conference call. Often, it’s not the internet service itself but how bandwidth is divided up. Basic plans can’t sustain HD streaming and gaming simultaneously, and adding dozens of devices quickly overwhelms a consumer router’s processor. At peak times, providers may even throttle speeds or enforce usage allowances..

What you can do: Start by matching service tiers to actual demand - a network designed for 200+ devices needs more than an off‑the‑shelf connection. Use Quality of Service settings on your access points to prioritise real‑time traffic like video calls over bulk downloads. Keep firmware up to date, swap out older client devices when possible and schedule bandwidth‑hungry maintenance tasks (like system backups) for off‑peak hours. Wi‑Fi 6/7 access points offer features such as OFDMA and MU‑MIMO that let them talk to multiple devices at once, keeping speeds consistent even when dozens of tenants are streaming.

“Why does the internet drop randomly?” - Eliminating Drop‑outs

Intermittent connections feel maddening because they strike at the worst moments - during an online exam, in the middle of a FaceTime call or while uploading work files. In reality, the culprits are usually mundane: overheated equipment, too many devices on a single radio, scheduled maintenance or a device clinging to the wrong SSID.

What you can do: Keep networking gear cool and well‑ventilated, and avoid hiding access points in closets or behind TV cabinets. Balance the client load by spreading devices across multiple APs and bands; rename networks clearly so residents don’t accidentally connect to a neighbouring access point. And always have a simple reset path - a firmware refresh often resolves stubborn issues. While you can’t control every outage, planning for redundancy (for example, a backup fibre or cellular connection) minimises downtime. Industry estimates suggest Americans lose about fifteen hours of connectivity per year due to regional outages; having a failover in place keeps critical devices online when storms hit.

“Why did my speed plunge halfway through the month?” - Understanding Data Caps

Usage allowances sneak up on residents. Many broadband plans include monthly data limits: exceed them and you either pay extra or suffer throttled speeds. Interestingly, when providers temporarily lifted caps during the pandemic, network performance held steady, prompting regulators to question whether caps are truly necessary.

What you can do: If you purchase bandwidth in bulk for the entire community, negotiate for uncapped or high‑capacity plans and distribute that capacity intelligently. Educate residents about how activities like 4K streaming and gaming chew through data and provide usage dashboards so they can monitor consumption. Better yet, work with an ISP that offers unlimited community plans - our networks are uncapped by design, so there’s no speed penalty halfway through the month. For buildings still reliant on individual plans, encourage residents to choose offerings with generous allowances and schedule heavy downloads during off‑peak hours.

“Is my network safe?” - Securing the Connected Building

Cybersecurity isn’t just a headline; an unsecured Wi‑Fi network gives outsiders a free ticket onto your property’s digital infrastructure. Hackers love default passwords, outdated firmware and features like remote management or WPS that open back doors. Without encryption, strangers can see everything a resident does online.

What you can do: Standardise on access points that support modern encryption and authentication protocols and turn them on by default. Change every default admin password and SSID, and require strong, unique credentials. Keep firmware current - enterprise gear can be updated remotely, and many vendors push security patches automatically. Finally, disable unnecessary services like WPS, UPnP or remote administration and segment traffic so guests and IoT devices can’t reach your critical systems.

Turn Pain Points into Selling Points

The common thread across these five complaints is that they stem from networks not designed for the realities of modern living. Tenants expect rock‑solid connectivity; it’s as fundamental as plumbing or electricity. For property managers and HOAs, that means moving beyond consumer routers and adopting a holistic, property‑wide approach. By surveying your building, deploying enterprise‑grade Wi‑Fi 7 access points and building a resilient backbone, you can pre‑empt complaints and add value to your community. High‑quality internet lets residents move in with confidence, enables amenities like smart locks and EV chargers, and even opens up new revenue streams. Ready to future‑proof your property and reduce support tickets? Let’s talk about turning Wi‑Fi chaos into a competitive advantage.

Sources

• Telecompetitor. (2023). Wi-Fi connectivity problems persist for two-thirds of Americans: Survey.

• Seitz, L. (2025, August 13). Common home WiFi problems and how to fix them. BroadbandSearch.

• Nelson Jr., J. C., & Donahue, H. (2024, November 8). FCC issues NOI on broadband data caps. Davis Wright Tremaine.

• Bradford, A. (2025, October 10). Are You Ready for an Internet Apocalypse? SafeWise.

• Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). How to secure your home Wi-Fi network.