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WI-FI in HOA Clubhouse

Started by RuthN • 11 replies • 3113 views

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RuthN
Posts: 41
Posted:
Our HOA Board is considering offering WI-FI access in our clubhouse.Has anyone developed a policy statement concerning WI-FI usage? What are some of the things our Board should be concerned about in making WI-FI available in the clubhouse?
MelissaP1
Posts: 13,734
Posted:
Consider wi fi free access. Meaning you most likely can not restrict it to anyone. Will it fit into your budget? Have you gotten the opinion of the membership to see if they are okay with their money being spent on this? It will be community property. What would you want for the rules?
Former HOA President
DavidW5
Posts: 561
Posted:
We have free WiFi throughout our clubhouse. It is even accessible on the outdoor pool deck. We are a 55 and over community. We have no restrictions or rules regarding use of the WiFi service and I find it hard to imagine why you would want or need any.
RuthN
Posts: 41
Posted:

Becker & Poliakoff's Florida Condo & Law Blog's entry titled "Illegal Downloads Create a New Liability Exposure" (7/13/11) identifies several concerns re WI-FI being offered by HOAs. It would seem that there are concerns that need to be addressed.
SteveM9
Posts: 3,688
Posted:
Why bother making a policy that will not be followed?
MelissaP1
Posts: 13,734
Posted:
You now have to consider that they have just put a new rule/law in place about downloading amd sharing movies and other media. The new rule/law will give the person 6 warnings and then slow their internet connection down if they fail to comply. It is an attempt to stop or slow down pirating. Which could be a factor if you install your WI-FI and have someone abusing it.

There is also the very concern of downloading of porn of course. One poster on here had a concern with a man who would park at the clubhouse area to use the WI-FI and meet women there. He was a perv and had a history of being one. It was difficult for them to restrict his access as he was a member of the HOA.

So you do have odd ball situations. It's not always that simple. I see no problem with having the WI-FI. It could come in handy for many reasons. However, just be aware such issues can arise and have a way to deal with them. Restricting things don't help but enforcement of them does.
Former HOA President
LauraR5
Posts: 220
Posted:
Why not just put a password on it that homeowners and their guests would have but those parking outside your clubhouse to steal your wifi wouldn't? That way you know it's just homeowners on it, although you may have homeowners who use it for illicit purposes, but that would happen either way.

LauraR5
Posts: 220
Posted:
Why not just put a password on it that homeowners and their guests would have but those parking outside your clubhouse to steal your wifi wouldn't? That way you know it's just homeowners on it, although you may have homeowners who use it for illicit purposes, but that would happen either way.

ElaineS2
Posts: 47
Posted:
Let me guess- Becker & Poliakoff's blog is written by a law firm, whose partners would like people to be afraid of yet another legal minefield out there.

I'm with DavidW on this. We too have it in our main clubhouse and it's such a success that we've recently put it in all the clubhouses.

You can worry about everything until you attempt nothing. Or you can be confident enough to find a way to do this service for your community. Sounds like a great property value enhancer to me.

The great side effect of free wireless in central locations is that it tends to encourage a sense of .... community. Residents will be so used to hangin' out at the clubhouse that before you know it some greatful owner will actually wander into a BOD meeting!
RobertC14
Posts: 69
Posted:
setup a radius server and a content and protocol filtering firewall.

allow only http, https, pop, and imap.

this will allow email and web browsing but disallow downloading on peer to peer.

it can also be setup to present a challenge page with TOS stated on it and where you have to check off you agree to the TOS and can also be configured to have a single password to access or a per user password and username system where you can track what each user does and ban a user for violating the TOS.

this is easy and cheap to implement if you know what you are doing.

the hardware can be bought at a thrift store for next to nothing and there is free software available that does all these functions.
MelissaP1
Posts: 13,734
Posted:
We are not against a HOA having Wi-Fi. There are just risks and ramifications if you do have it. Be prepared for those incidents that may occur. Basically be a little proactive and not reactive when setting the system up to insure more happiness with the system. If you implement changes after someone has set everything up or has broken the law, it's much harder. I like the advice from the above poster from New Jersey. It offers the best solution with offering the protections you all may need but allowing Wi-Fi too.
Former HOA President
RobertC14
Posts: 69
Posted:
there are also services that offer radius server with content and protocol filtering for a monthly service fee and a small setup fee.

all you do is hook your router to an internet connection go under the radius (not all routers have this) menu of your router and point the router to the ip of your radius / filtering provider and off you go. much simpler method but more costly than the above DIY approach.

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