Wireless Technology
Fragmentation holding back smart living in Multi-Dwelling Units, finds WBA
New guidance shows how fully managed Wi-Fi, open standards and IoT convergence enable scalable, secure consumer connectivity and create new revenue opportunities for stakeholders.
M
ulti-Dwelling Units (MDUs) have become an increasingly common accommodation option for
individuals and families.
According to the 2021 US Census, just under 25% of the population lived in MDUs consisting of four or more units. This expansion, combined with increasing resident expectations and a growing number of managed service providers serving the sector, is driving rapid growth in the MDU connectivity market.
Shipments of Wi-Fi access points to MDUs are forecast to more than double from 1.2 million units in 2025 to 2.6 million by 2030. While Wi-Fi 6 currently dominates deployments, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to overtake it by 2027*.
As Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs) contend with rising device density, expanding IoT ecosystems and growing resident expectations, a recent report from the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) recommends fully managed, open-standards- driven architectures as the foundation for delivering scalable, enterprise-grade performance, security and long-term operational value. The WBA’s new report, titled “Connectivity Strategies for Smart MDUs: Convergence for Connected Living at Scale”, provides a clear, standards-based blueprint for transforming residential properties into scalable, secure and fully connected smart communities. Drawing on industry collaboration across operators, property owners, technology vendors and service providers, the report addresses the growing fragmentation in MDU connectivity, where proprietary solutions, inconsistent standards and uncoordinated wireless deployments are limiting scalability and reliability. It outlines how convergence across Wi-Fi, IoT and property management systems can shift connectivity from a cost centre into a strategic, revenue-generating asset supporting premium SLA-based services while reducing operational overheads. For consumers, convergence will improve performance and reliability, and enable features such seamless onboarding and home automation.
“Convergence across Wi-Fi, IoT and property management systems can shiſt connectivity from a cost centre into a strategic, revenue-generating asset.”
Key insights
The report identifies critical insights on how MDUs can transform their connectivity strategies to support scalable, secure and future-ready smart living environments. These include key points for optimising Wi-Fi, IoT integration and building management systems:
Unified, scalable connectivity is foundational to smart living at scale – Fragmented networks cannot support the density, mobility and automation demands of modern MDUs. Fully managed, standards-based Wi-Fi architectures are essential to provide the reliability needed in these high-density environments
Open standards are critical to interoperability and long-term viability – Standards-based architectures reduce complexity, prevent vendor lock-in and enable ecosystem scale. Open standards such as EasyMesh, USP/TR-369, TR-181, MoCA/
G.hn and OpenRoaming play a key role in
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reducing fragmentation and ensuring long-term network viability
Fully managed Wi-Fi is required for enterprise- grade performance in MDUs – Unmanaged and quasi-managed models fail to deliver consistent performance, security and tenant isolation for their data and connections. A fully managed Wi-Fi network, coupled with a bulk billing ISP arrangement is the only sustainable approach for dense residential environments, ensuring high performance and seamless connectivity across all units
IoT convergence transforms MDUs into experience-driven smart communities – Integrated IoT elevates buildings beyond basic connectivity to deliver automation, safety and operational intelligence and enhanced tenant experiences. A seamless integration of IoT, building systems and connectivity under a unified managed architecture makes this possible.
Multi-Admin is a defining requirement for MDU connectivity – Secure, role-based access is essential to support owners, operators, MSPs, contractors and residents on shared infrastructure. Multi-Admin capabilities are necessary to ensure effective management while maintaining privacy and security across all users and devices. Several
ewnews.co.uk
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