Wireless For A Condo Building On Palm BeachRecently a condo building on Palm Beach asked us how much it would cost to provide wireless internet to the building.
The idea here is that it's silly for all of them to pay internet separately ($40 * 100 = $4000). If they can share one internet connection, it will save them money ($x * 1 = $1x). As an added bonus they'll be able to do surf the web while at the community pool.
I wrote the response privately but decided to post the majority of it in case anyone else in the world is interested:
A hard quote can't be provided until a site survey is done. But here's a soft quote so everyone know what's involved.
There are 4 main parts to providing wireless for the building:
1. Internet Connection
One internet connection will be shared for everyone. The speed of this connection depends on the number of people using the internet and what they are using it for. COMCAST should be OK for regular office surfing and email. But some offices need an upgraded internet to a fractional optical cable / fiber line called a METRO E.
COMCAST: $100 per month approx
METRO E: $1,350 per month approx (36 month contract required)
2. Wireless Antennas & Network Equipment
Wireless antennas have to be place through out the building. These vary in cost depending on brand. Cisco enterprise equipment is on the high end at about $1000 per unit and small office equipment is on the lower end at about $150. The number of units required depends on the building itself. I'm guessing around: 15 units
CONSUMER-GRADE: $2,250
CISCO: $15,000
Other required network equip: $1,000
3. Wiring
The wireless units need to be actually wired together and meet at a central location. If no existing wiring is in place, then it will have to be installed. Ballpark is $250 per connection.
CONNECTION DROPS: $3,750
4. Configuration Service
After the internet is installed, the equipment is in hand and wiring is in place, the whole system needs to be setup correctly, taking a full day. Sometimes further support is needed for customer help (upgrading outdated wireless drivers).
SERVICE: $600
EXTEND: $600
To give a couple of scenarios...
One Palm Beach apartment complex used a DSL connection they had in place. They used 6 consumer-grade wireless units to keep costs low. They had their own on-site handyman wire the building. So the total cost was minimal about $1,500.
Another complex had a site survey done for 3 buildings. They needed all of the above. The total quote was around $37,000 and the project was scrapped.
A community center on PGA Blvd (45,000 sq ft) used an existing T1 internet connection (around $500 per month). The Cisco equipment, wiring and configuration cost around $10,000.
Pursuing wireless for a condo building on Palm Beach is decision each community will have to face depending on complex layout and funds available.