Have you noticed the new wifi speed tool? Use it to help attract remote workers

Nick
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Have you noticed the new wifi speed tool? Use it to help attract remote workers

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Because wifi is one of the top-searched amenities on Airbnb this year, we’re excited to offer you a new tool that can help you showcase your wifi speed to guests. It allows you to test the speed of your property’s wifi—and display it directly on your listing page. 

 

After you take the speed test, you’ll find out how fast your internet is—along with what it’s capable of. For example, if your speed is 48 megabits per second (Mbps), your wifi is likely fast enough for your guests to hang out with friends and coworkers on a video call or stream multiple HD movies.

 

By sharing the results of your wifi speed test, you can help set realistic expectations about what kind of connectivity your space offers. 

 

Learn more about the new tool, and please comment to let us know what you think. 

 

Besides strong wifi, are there other ways you try to appeal to remote workers?

 

Thanks

Nick

23 Replies 23

Thank you so much @J-Renato0  this is really helpful.

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

For anyone who is looking to improve their Wifi connectivity, I ran across this great article today which talks about various methods, and the pros and cons of each. 

 

https://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/mesh-network-vs-wi-fi-extender-vs-access-points-which...

Kevin2172
Level 3
Oakland, CA

I noticed that the WiFi speed test works on an IPhone and Ipad but not on a Windows 10 laptop. 

@Kevin2172Thanks, I will try that! It did not work with my Win10 laptop, either. I did not even think to try it on my i-phone.

Ted & Chris
Paul7433
Level 1
Saint-Privat-des-Prés, France

wifi test tool wont work !! 

I agree, it does not work. Tried with my Android phone. "Start test" opens a message "Connect to your WiFi" (which it already is...) and a button "Show wifi details". The wifi name is correct, but nothing else happens after returning to "Start test". 

Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

Personally, I would never use this tool (and have never even input the wifi speed anywhere in my listing either for that matter), as long as Airbnb will refund a guest for a slow wifi complaint,

 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/50-refund-to-guest-for-quot-slow-wifi-quot-Hosts-be-warn...

 

Wifi speed can be highly variable and subject to fluctuations, so there is always the risk of it not performing as advertised in one’s listing. 

 

Pascal1259
Level 2
Montreal, Canada

I think Airbnb is getting it wrong with the Wifi speed business, and pushing the responsibility towards the hosts to offer what they consider as a viable connection is insane.

 

1. Airbnb is not a telecom engineering company and should avoid telling what can be achieved with such and such "wifi speed". For example, Zoom claims you can make videoconference over a 1,8 Mbps connection. Airbnb says you can browse internet. Furthermore, the speed measured at test time does not mean anything as the connection quality, network load among other factors are key for experience.

 

2. Airbnb does not put any constraints on the traveler in terms of equipment for connecting to the wifi, which basically means, if the traveler equipment is out of date, the traveler expectations are not managed.

3. Airbnb focuses on putting wifi as a primary necessity in countries where majority of people live on a day-to-day income. This is quite bothersome to receive complaints about wifi not fast enough when in the neighbourhood people are literally starving. This is unacceptable to push to privilege the internet upgrade over social improvements.

 

 

Basically, I've not published my wifi speed, as it is something that is extremely subjective, temporal, and meaningless.

 

Nicole2223
Level 7
Gouldsboro, ME

I'm not a fan of this tool as I live in an area that does not offer high-speed internet and the service we DO have is highly variable. So if at the time that I run the speed test we are having a good day, it will reflect information to a guest that is not necessarily going to be true during their stay.

 

I've been avoiding offering internet since we first started hosting in 2020, given the nature of our locale and the poor quality internet.  However, since we need it for home automation devices like the door lock and doorbell camera, people notice that we have it and ask for the password. Since internet data on the services in my area is not unlimited, I have just indicated that wifi is not available to guests. A recent change in our internet service has made it possible to get more than 25GB per month (yes, what some people can use in a day is what we get per month)...and since our home automation devices only use about 2 GB/month, I decided to start offering it to guests.  My main concern was that we would get complaints about the terribly slow speeds - especially if the monthly allotment is used by one group and the next group would suffer as a result.  So far, so good...but summer is coming!!