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In the not-so-recent past, offering residents WiFi positioned senior living communities at the forefront of the digital transformation.
Today is a different story. Reliable, secure, and high-speed internet has evolved from a luxury to a non-negotiable expectation. As Internet usage has soared, many communities relying solely on a guest WiFi network for residents have experienced issues like:
- Spotty connections – some people can’t get on it at all
- Long buffering times
- Limited connections (e.g., residents can only connect one or two devices)
- Limitations on hours or types of services accessible
- Printing only in public areas
- Data security breaches
Communities that used the same Internet connection to run their businesses felt the strain as well. Not to mention, it put their communities at risk for potential HIPAA violations.
Modern residents expect more. They want to stay connected to loved ones, access entertainment on demand, and manage personal tasks with ease—and they expect that experience to be seamless and frustration-free.
The solution is dedicated senior living internet designed for residents. These private connections allow older adults to access entertainment, communication, healthcare, and personal tools with the same ease and speed they’ve come to expect at home.
Why WiFi is Not Enough
Your networks are already strained. WiFi alone can no longer support the growing number of connected devices in today’s senior living apartments—from smart TVs and tablets to wearable health monitors and voice assistants.
What was once a foreign concept—accessing familiar services over the Internet—has now become commonplace. Residents are streaming, shopping, video chatting, and accessing medical services online, and they’re doing it across multiple devices, often all at once. From Alexa-enabled smart homes to Zoom calls with grandchildren, modern digital living is the new normal.
This level of usage is only expected to grow. The incoming generation of residents are high-consumption users, and your infrastructure must evolve accordingly.
To meet modern expectations, senior living communities need internet solutions that are reliable, secure, scalable, and resident-centric.
According to HealthTech Magazine:
“Growth of technology adoption among seniors has prompted senior living communities to implement new technologies designed to combat isolation and to keep residents’ minds and bodies active. Wearables and other mobile devices are also helping facilitate timely, targeted care. Data analytics is playing an integral role too. A modern senior living community is a robust tech ecosystem with interconnected devices aimed at improving quality of life.”
To support this ecosystem, you need a scalable IT framework with strong bandwidth. Resident-dedicated internet ensures uninterrupted access to services that make life more enjoyable and connected.
The Digital Lifestyle of Today’s Residents
Today’s residents are not passive internet users. They’re fully immersed in digital lifestyles. They’re bringing the same habits and expectations they had at home into your community.
Consider how residents use the internet daily:
- Streaming entertainment like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube
- Voice assistants like Alexa and Siri to manage reminders or ask questions
- Online shopping, food delivery, and banking
- Virtual wellness classes, music therapy, and faith services
- Telehealth and video appointments with physicians or counselors
- Lifelong learning through online courses, digital books, and webinars
With this level of activity, even a well-managed guest WiFi network can become overloaded quickly. To support their quality of life, dedicated internet access must be considered part of the core infrastructure, not just a nice-to-have.
Additional Bandwidth is Not Just a Resident Perk, It’s a Prerequisite
As staff continue to manage the various risks associated with COVID and the flu, fast, private internet access will become a basic requirement for operational efficiency. There are two options senior living communities can consider:
- Stronger WiFi connectivity across the entire community
- Wired high-speed Internet connections to each resident’s room
Providing the first option is no simple feat, and it might not work long-term. The speed and reliability of WiFi is dependent on the number of users accessing the service at the same time as well as the amount of bandwidth they are using. As more users and devices get added to the network (even an upgraded one), there will be an inevitable throttle on connections.
Option two is the simpler, more effective path. By adding a dedicated high-speed senior living internet connection to each resident’s room, you can provide the uninterrupted experience they expect without compromising staff systems or HIPAA-compliant networks.
Operational Advantages for Staff and IT Teams
Resident-dedicated internet doesn’t just improve the resident experience; it also reduces the burden on staff and IT teams.
Here’s how it helps your operations:
- Fewer complaints and service tickets from residents about slow or dropped connections
- Improved data security by separating resident and business networks
- Scalable infrastructure that can grow with new resident engagement platforms, telehealth tools, and smart systems
- Reduced interference with life safety and care coordination technologies
Ultimately, dedicated connections give your entire team more time to focus on what matters most: personalized care and community-wide performance.
Signs Your WiFi Capability is Lacking
So, how do you know when WiFi isn’t meeting your community’s needs? Ask if your residents are experiencing any of the following issues:
- Slow speeds when conducting a speed test?
- Varying coverage availability?
- Inability to run applications that require higher speeds (e.g. Netflix)?
- Slow open rates on internet pages (i.e., does it take more than one second)?
- Buffering?
If your WiFi has these limitations and doesn’t provide adequate bandwidth, it may be time to consider a new fix.
Making it Affordable with Sentrics
Increasing internet bandwidth sounds expensive, right?
It doesn’t have to be.
Many senior living communities have saved money by bundling their TV, internet, and phone services into one product. The result? Upgraded services, at better speeds, at a fraction of the cost of each one individually.
When combined with 24 / 7 / 365 managed services, you don’t have to worry about taking time away from resident care to provision services, troubleshoot technology issues or worry about data security. It’s all done for you so you can focus on the business of running your business.
Why Choose Sentrics?
Sentrics is the solution that makes entertainment and communication easier, smarter, and more affordable.
Our Entertain platform delivers a customizable infotainment experience that includes TV, internet, and voice services, all powered by fast, private resident connections.
But we don’t stop there. As part of the Sentrics suite of services, including Ensure (life safety) and Enrich (data-driven analytics), your community can:
- Deliver faster, more reliable entertainment and communication tools
- Improve resident satisfaction through personalized engagement
- Strengthen data security by separating resident and business systems
- Access real-time support and monitoring for peace of mind
When your infrastructure supports the full resident experience, everything from wellness to satisfaction improves.
Ready to Strengthen Your Community’s Connectivity?
If residents are frustrated by sluggish internet, limited device access, or constant buffering, it’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a signal that your infrastructure may be falling behind modern expectations.
Reliable, high-speed internet is essential for daily life in today’s senior living communities. From virtual doctor visits to streaming favorite shows, staying connected is no longer optional. It’s foundational to quality of life and operational success.
With Sentrics Entertain, you can deliver a dedicated internet solution designed specifically for the needs of your residents. Our fully managed service supports entertainment, communication, and safety without adding strain to your team.
Contact a Sentrics Sales Executive today to discover how Entertain can help modernize your community’s connectivity and elevate the resident experience.