Best Practices: Installing Vilo in MDU Spaces

Installing Vilo in MDU spaces

The purpose of this guide is to provide best practices, suggestions, and prerequisites to be aware of when installing Vilos in multiple dwelling units such as apartments, hotels, condos, etc. While we lack POE support and an official Vilo-licensed wall-mount, we believe our hardware and software are primed for installation in these environments. 

How can this help you and your customers?

We’ve introduced multiple features to help maximize your time when it comes to the installation process. Utilizing our remote configuration suite in combination with our separate pre-mesh feature, ISPs can complete most of the leg work prior to installing Vilos on-site at a customer’s home. Once the Vilo has been configured, it can be installed remotely (as long as you are using a DHCP configuration and the firmware is on version 19, and the Vilo is plugged in and connected to the modem via the WAN port).

Pre-Setup & Installation

This section will help prepare you for the installation process:

  1. Be sure to scan all Vilos into the Vilo inventory. We suggest doing this as soon as you get your inventory.
  2. If the firmware version of the Vilo is lower than v197, you will need to manually install the Vilo via the app. This must be completed to configure Vilos remotely.  
  3. If you are using a DHCP configuration, our remote configuration feature allows you to set up a Vilo network with a Custom SSID and password prior to installation, eliminating the need for the Vilo app. You can do this for multiple Vilos using our Bulk Actions option. 
  4. If you are using PPPoE or Static IP, the remote configuration feature will not be an option. We suggest setting up the Vilos in a testing environment first when upgrading the firmware, eliminating the need to be completed once on site. With the Vilos scanned into inventory and the firmware up to date, this will cut back on installation times so that end-users can connect to the network without first having to wait for the firmware upgrade to complete. Other bulk actions that may be useful:
    1. Assign: You can use our assign function from the inventory page to associate routers with customers created on the Customers Page. This is exclusive to the portal and only serves as an organizational feature. It is not the same as assigning a network to a customer from the app, allowing them to download the Vilo App and manage the network themselves.
    2. Update Note: The “Update Note” feature allows you to create notes for different Mac addresses, such as addresses or customer information that you may find on the customer’s page. 

Scenarios & Reminders

This section will provide helpful reminders, as well as scenarios to keep in mind:

  • If you opted for one network that is shared between multiple customers, we suggest adding additional sub-Vilos where necessary to meet coverage demands. Reminder: Setting up a network in this particular scenario would disallow service for everyone on the network. The only workaround would be to block connected devices of the customers who have not paid. 
  • If you opted to install a single network per unit (hotel room, apartment, etc), then we suggest optimizing the Wi-Fi to address any Wi-Fi interference issues that may arise. This can be done in the Vilo ISP Portal or the Vilo App
  • While there is no official Vilo wall mount, we encourage the use of third-party options to get around this. Below is one example of a third-party wall mount provider.
These Vilo wall mounts were 3D-printed by Brian Gregory. For ordering and pricing information, email Brian at gregory3dcreations@gmail.com.

Post-Setup: Wi-Fi Networks & Bulk Actions

This section will cover the different ways in which our portal can help you manage your customers after installation. 

While there are more individual settings that can be viewed by clicking into each network, our bulk actions provide a list of tools to help with network maintenance and troubleshooting, while also making it easy to disallow service if necessary:

  • Network maintenance: Upgrade Firmware, Turn on/off Automatic Firmware Upgrade
  • Troubleshooting: Run Speed Test, Restart Vilos (Optimizes Wi-Fi networks) 
  • Billing issues: Allow/Disallow Internet Access  

Upcoming features:

  • VLAN Support
  • Setup Without Internet Connection

With more awareness of how our Vilo ISP Portal can help decrease installation times for MDU setups, we hope these best practices can help you reach more customers in less time, increasing your user base while ensuring your customers have hardware and service they can rely on.

Discover Vilo’s ISP solutions! 

Vilo Living provides complete Wi-Fi hardware and remote management solutions that empower ISPs of any size to delight your customers, reduce your operating costs, and grow your business. Schedule a demo today! 

Schedule a demo

Three CPE installation tips from TurnkeyISP’s David Dean

Three CPE installation tips

Installing customer premise equipment (CPE) is an essential part of providing internet services. There are so many variables when it comes to installations, though—everything from the equipment itself to the terrain internet service providers (ISPs) must navigate.

Since no two scenarios are alike, it is difficult to list universally applicable tips. But for someone like TurnkeyISP CEO David Dean, who has been in the industry for a decade and has taken part in over 7,000 internet installations, there’s a deep enough well of experience to draw at least three widely applicable best practices.  

“This is what I’m doing right now: I’m walking on a roof and I’m looking for towers.” As luck would have it, David was in the middle of an installation when he answered the phone to chat with the Vilo team about CPE installation practices. 

David founded three companies in the wireless internet service provider (WISP) industry; Sundial Communications in 2014, ISPApp in 2019, and TurnkeyISP in 2020. The latter is a fully remote ISP call center and remote staffing agency that focuses on helping smaller ISPs “scale up [their] business while maintaining the responsive and friendly customer service that made [them] successful.”  

David also built TurnkeyISP’s “on-demand remote support teams,” to remotely assist WISP installation crews. So, from the man himself, here are three best practices for installing CPE. 

Photos from a TurnkeyISP installation in Alaska.

1. The internet installer position is key 

While it may sound obvious to say, David emphasized the importance of having a competent internet installer. “The internet installer position seems like a pretty easy position, but it’s not,” David says. “There are various aspects of the position.” 

David noted how an installer must be above average in several areas including work ethic, physical abilities, technical knowledge, and customer service. “And individually those are all common,” he adds. “But when you combine all of those into a single person, it becomes actually a pretty rare set of traits.”  

If an installer is lacking in any aspect, crucial components could be missed, and the risk of dissatisfying customers increases, so it’s imperative to have a pro fill the role. 

2. Make the installer’s job as easy as possible 

Since proficient installers are hard to come by, David notes how their rarity makes them expensive, which leads us to our second best practice: Make the installer’s job as easy as possible. David was adamant that “anything that can be done remotely, should be done remotely.” This frees up your local team to work on the physical tasks and not be encumbered by auxiliary tasks. 

Explaining how this principle applies to tower top-hands too, he continues, “Anything that can be done on the ground, should be done on the ground.” Lightening the load of the tower top-hand helps them focus on what they are supposed to do.  

“And if it doesn’t need to be done at all, then don’t do it,” he laughs.

Automation is another excellent way to make the installer’s job easier. On the topic of automation, David mentioned Vilo’s appealing “plug and play” component and how it eliminates certain steps for the installer.  

“WISPs are using 5 GHz frequencies to bring internet to the property,” he says, “and if Vilo Living can separate the channels automatically—wireless backhauling within the mesh system without stepping on the wireless feed—there’s value in that because right now, most installers have that as one more step that they have to accomplish. So they have to set the local Wi-Fi to not step on the internet feed.” 

3. Understand what makes smaller ISPs special 

The third best practice doesn’t involve any sort of physical ‘how-to’ nor is it about promoting a specific product. Instead, David focuses on the intrinsic side of being a smaller ISP. “This is the most important thing,” he says, “and that is helping WISPs understand why they’re special.” 

When it comes to providing internet, mainstream ISPs like Comcast, Starlink, and T-Mobile have standardized everything. “So the role of the installer in Comcast is to go from point A to point B with a cable and plug in some equipment,” says David. 

“In the case of Starlink and T-Mobile, they ship you a box and hope it works. It’s called ‘best effort’ service,” he added. “They’ll say, ‘if it works, great. If it doesn’t work, oh well; we tried. We gave it our best effort.’” 

“But with wireless internet service providers, we’re engineering each connection, so that allows us to have guarantees that it’s going to work,” he continued.  

In contrast to larger ISPs, David says that the “WISP industry does what it takes to make sure your internet service works. They provide a fully engineered wireless connection. They survey your property to figure out where they can best provide service to your property, and then they do a professional installation and they make sure that it works and it’s fully supported.” 

“[And that’s] what WISPs can do to beat T-Mobile, Starlink, and Comcast,” he concludes. 

Recap

When it comes to CPE internet installations, David Dean recommends hiring the best of the best for the installer position, making their job as easy as possible, and internalizing what sets WISPs and smaller ISPs apart from their bigger competitors—providing service where others can’t because they are willing to do what it takes to make sure their subscribers have reliable, high-speed internet service.

To learn more about how Vilo’s mesh Wi-Fi solutions can make your installations faster and easier, click here!

Discover Vilo’s ISP solutions! 

Vilo Living provides complete Wi-Fi hardware and remote management solutions that empower ISPs of any size to delight your customers, reduce your operating costs, and grow your business. Schedule a demo today! 

Schedule a demo

Vilo News Digest for August 2022

Vilo News

Vilo made quite a splash on the world wide web this month! From back-to-school must-haves to top-rated picks of the year, our Wi-Fi mesh routers were featured in several publications. While we undoubtedly believe in our product, you don’t have to take our word for it, we’ve compiled a brief list of this month’s features so you can hear what the experts in the internet industry have to say about Vilo in this Vilo news digest. 

PCWorld: “Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6 vs. Wi-Fi 6E: Which router should you pick? 

On August 1, PC World, a publication dedicated to “helping tech users of all experience levels get more from the hardware and software that’s central to a PC-centric universe,” published a guide for selecting the Wi-Fi router that’s right for you. Leading up to its mention of Vilo’s Wi-Fi 5 routers, PC World makes a case for why Wi-Fi 5 retains its utility despite the recent advances of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E.  

“[T]here’s no inherent difference in reception range between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6,” the article states, “so you may be able to get comparable coverage with a much cheaper router.” PC World also noted how “most of your devices probably still use Wi-Fi 5 anyways.” 

After mentioning how readers can buy a “Wi-Fi 5 mesh system from Vilo for $100,” the article states that Wi-Fi 5 routers may be preferable for readers who are looking to extend coverage or eliminate dead zones. “[B]uying the best Wi-Fi 5 system you can makes more sense than getting an inferior Wi-Fi 6 system in the same price range,” PC World concludes. 

The Brothers WISP Podcast: “Vilo Sponsor Introduction and Highlight 

This month marks Vilo’s first podcast feature! The Brothers WISP podcast is all about “WISP, networking, Mikrotik, and other related stuff,” and Vilo is now one of their proud sponsors. Two of Vilo’s co-founders, Amie Hsu and Man Zheng, chatted with Brothers WISP host Tommy Croghan about Vilo’s ISP solutions. 

Before jumping into the nitty-gritty, Hsu offered a basic summary of what Vilo does, from its Wi-Fi 5 Mesh routers to its remote management portal for ISPs and Vilo’s subscriber-facing app. She also hinted at the development of Wi-Fi 6 routers at Vilo. One of the first questions the hosts asked about Vilo’s routers was how many can mesh in a single network. 

“We say theoretically, no more than eight nodes per network,” Hsu responds, “otherwise you might start to see degradation.” One Seattle-based WISP who was on the show asked if the same mesh capacity counted for routers that were wired together, to which Zheng clarified that there should still be a cap at eight routers per network, even if wired.  

To hear all the interesting questions and responses, be sure to check out the full podcast below!

PC Mag: “The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems for 2022 

Technically, this one came out in late July, but we were thrilled to see PC Mag mention us in their list for the best Wi-Fi mesh systems of the year! John R. Delaney, a PC Mag contributor with over 14 years of experience in the tech industry, most recently as the Director of Operations for PC Labs, wrote candidly about Vilo’s value. 

“If you need to fill in Wi-Fi dead zones but don’t have the money for a mesh system that uses the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology,” writes Delaney, “the Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi system will get the job done.” While he seemed unenthusiastic about Vilo not offering routers with Wi-Fi 6 technology (yet), Delaney was impressed with Vilo’s affordability and how easy it is to use. 

“At just under $60, the Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi System is the most affordable three-piece mesh system we’ve tested,” he writes. “[I]t is very easy to install and manage, offers good range, and comes with parental controls that let you schedule internet access times and allow or disallow internet access for any device.” 

Daily Mom: “24 Must-Have Back To School Supplies To Kick-Start Their Year 

Daily Mom is “a parent portal for women who are looking for information and education.” In their list of the most necessary school supplies for the 2022-2023 school year, they mention everything from Jurassic Park-themed notebooks to an LED study lamp. But second on their list is Vilo’s Wi-Fi Mesh router.  

After noting that back to school means multiple family members using devices to do homework simultaneously, Daily Mom warns about slow internet speeds and crowded signals. “Thanks to the Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi System,” the blog reads, “you won’t have to worry about internet loss or buffering!”  

In addition to whole home coverage and the ability to connect up to 120 devices with Vilo’s 3-pack, Daily Mom highlighted the Vilo App’s parental controls. “Parents, you’ll love the provided [app that allows] you to control the amount of screen time your kids can have each day. […] This is a critical item on your list of back to school supplies!” 

Digital Trends: “The best mesh Wi-Fi systems for 2022 

Vilo landed another feature on a publication’s top Wi-Fi mesh systems of the year on August 11, when Digital Trends published their picks for 2022. Digital Trends, the largest independent technology publisher in the world, prefaces their Wi-Fi mesh list by asserting it represents “the best on the market today.” 

Digital Trends highlighted our Wi-Fi 5 mesh system’s compact design, multiple ethernet ports, easy setup and intuitive app, and affordability when explaining why Vilo is one of the best on the market. “Like its more expensive competitors,” writes Digital Trends, “Vilo’s system benefits from an easy-to-use app that you will use to set up the network, establish parental controls, and create a guest network.” 

“Vilo’s app appears to be more advanced than some others on the list,” the article states before citing our app’s parental controls feature. One of the last benefits Digital Trends includes is Vilo’s firmware updates that download in the background “to ensure that everything runs smoothly.” 

Wi-Fi NOW: “Introducing Vilo: ISP-managed mesh Wi-Fi can be both affordable – and effective 

Another exciting feature from late July came from Wi-Fi NOW, “the world’s leading Wi-Fi event, news, and advisory organisation.” Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman, writes, “Seattle-based startup Vilo is taking on established Wi-Fi giants with a whole-home solution that uniquely combines affordability with manageability – and the platform is already making waves, specifically among WISPs.” 

Wi-Fi NOW’s piece reads like a news article as opposed to a product review blog. Hetting even mentions Vilo’s founders, Jessie Zhou, Amie Hsu, and Man Zheng, and how they formed Vilo as a solution to home Wi-Fi problems. He further recounts how we really hit our stride when Vilo shifted focus to partnering with smaller ISPs.  

Emblematic of Vilo’s partnership with ISPs is our product roadmap. Hetting notes how “anyone can comment or request new features” on Vilo’s trello board, where Internet Service Providers’ needs meet Vilo’s ongoing development of solutions.  

The Wi-Fi NOW CEO ends the article with an exciting announcement: Wi-Fi NOW’s partnership with Vilo. “Jessie and her partners are the kinds of people who make the world go around because they delight in creating and competing,” writes Hetting. “And they understand that technology and business innovation comes in many forms. We look forward to working with Vilo to promote and showcase their innovative Wi-Fi solutions.” 

To stay up to date with the latest Vilo news, like our pages on LinkedIn and Facebook, and follow us on Instagram @viloliving. If you’re an ISP curious to know how Vilo can help you accelerate your business, you can visit our “Vilo for ISPs” page by clicking here.  

Work From Home trends for ISPs in 2022

Anticipating your subscribers' needs

With more and more people working from home (WFH), having efficient and reliable Wi-Fi has never been more crucial. Understanding current WFH trends will help Internet Service Providers (ISP) anticipate their subscribers’ needs and ultimately, provide the best possible service. 

The volume of Americans who work from home has dramatically increased since the onset of the pandemic. While it was merely a temporary adjustment for some, WFH has become a permanent practice for nearly half of the country’s workforce.  

According to Gartner, a technological research and consulting firm, 48% of employees will work remotely or follow a hybrid model in the post pandemic world. On a global scale, a 2022 study from Owl labs found that 62% of workers between the ages of 22 and 65 claim to work remotely at least occasionally. 

Your subscribers need Wi-Fi that can handle telecommunication demands 

Telecommunication services like Zoom, Slack, and RingCentral are integral to any business’s success in the WFH era. This is evident in the stark increase of video-based communication use. For example, at the end of 2019, Zoom only averaged 10 million daily users, but come mid-2020, the average amount of daily users shot up 300 million. 

Zoom became so ingrained in the day-to-day of America’s workforce that the New York Times listed “Zoom” as one of the phrases that defined 2020, and TIME listed “on mute” as one of 2020’s defining phrases, which denotes a person speaking while muted on a Zoom call. Long story short, Zoom and other video-based communication platforms are ubiquitous in the WFH era. 

So, what does this trend mean for ISPs? While it’s obvious that ISPs should ensure they’re offering Wi-Fi that can run the minimal rate of Mbps that video calls require, subscribers may not think to divulge all the necessary information. For instance, a subscriber who WFH may tell you they use Zoom daily but glance over the fact that they also need to run their browser to take notes or screen share during their calls. Getting these details from your subscribers is an important step to providing them with adequate connectivity while offering the lowest possible rates. 

The rise of the freelancers 

The pandemic not only catapulted America’s workforce out of the office and into their homes, but it also changed the landscape of employment. In fall of last year, Forbes reported that more than 59 million Americans had performed freelance work that year. That means that more than one-third of working citizens are independent contractors, most of whom rely on the internet for their labor.  

The bulk of these freelancers (75%) are artists. What does that mean for ISPs? Of course, most creative design software programs, like any one of Adobe’s applications, don’t require internet to operate. However, most freelancers have to upload their completed projects online in order to deliver them and ultimately get paid. That means that any freelancer working from home will require fast uploading times (unless they want to wait 22 hours for their Premiere Pro project to upload to Google Drive). 

On the flip side, high downloading speeds are equally important for freelancers. Creative applications periodically need to update, and it’s not uncommon for freelancers to collaborate on projects, which can require downloading files.  

Vilo Living for ISPs 

Understanding your subscriber’s specific needs is essential to providing unparalleled internet service. If you’re looking for a way to provide consistent Wi-Fi throughout a subscriber’s home so that they can work from their couch or their kitchen, Vilo Living’s Wi-Fi Mesh System is the most affordable mesh system on the market.  

Vilo Living’s ISP Portal allows ISPs to quickly check to see which devices are using the most bandwidth, which will come in handy if you have a subscriber trying to do freelance work in a home with Fortnite-playing kids. The Portal also gives you network insights so you can resolve certain issues without a truck roll. To learn more about how Vilo Living can help you accelerate your business, click here.  

Anticipating your subscribers’ needs in 2022 – Vilo Living’s Wi-Fi Mesh System

Five common misconceptions about home connectivity  

Five common misconceptions about home connectivity

Let’s say it’s five o’clock on a weekday—everyone’s home from work or school. To decompress, you all reach for your Wi-Fi devices of choice. But with everyone online all at once, the connection starts faltering. HBO Max keeps pausing to buffer, the PS5 game is lagging, and nothing’s loading on Instagram. In a scenario like this, the solution may not be to buy a more expensive router or pay for the fastest internet speed available. Every household’s internet needs will vary and finding the right fit for your home can be confusing. To help clear things up, we’ve compiled a list of five common misconceptions about home connectivity. 

1. I need the fastest internet possible 

When it comes to internet speed, faster is arguably better, but paying for unnecessarily high internet speeds means throwing money away every month. Internet speed, the time it takes for data to transfer from a server to your device, is measured by megabits per second (Mbps). Five to 10 Mbps will typically give you a smooth viewing experience with YouTube or Netflix. But if you want to stream something in 4k or HDR, your internet will need to operate at a minimum of 15 – 25 Mbps.  

The best place to start is assessing how many Wi-Fi devices are in frequent use in your household and what kind of tasks they perform. From there, you can estimate an appropriate speed for your home and avoid overpaying for frivolous megabits per second.  

There are plenty of online resources that can help you decipher your household’s optimal internet speed, like highspeedinternet.com’s “What is a good internet speed?” chart. 

2. A more expensive router means better connectivity 

And that brings us to the next common misconception: A more expensive router means better connectivity. Of course, this principle of higher prices equating to better services has never been a good rule of thumb, but especially not when it comes to internet services.  

If you’re getting the appropriate internet speed to your household and are still having issues with connectivity, a more expensive router won’t fix it, but a Wi-Fi Mesh system will. A Wi-Fi Mesh system uses several wirelessly connected routing devices to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal throughout an entire home. This consistent spread of signal eliminates dead spots and lets you roam free without having to connect to a different network or resort to using cell data. 

When it comes to Wi-Fi Mesh systems, Vilo Living is the best in the business, offering an excellent mesh system at an affordable cost. The Vilo App is also ideal for household connectivity as it lets users monitor their devices, has an intuitive parental control feature, and more.  

common misconceptions about home connectivity
Vilo Living’s Wi-Fi Mesh system eliminates dead spots and allows you to roam free.

3. My device won’t connect so it must be a problem with my internet  

Since routers represent the only physical manifestation of internet in your home, it’s easy to see them as the source of all connectivity-related problems. Another one of the common misconceptions about home connectivity for many internet users is that if their device won’t connect, it must be a problem with their internet. While there are scenarios where this might be the case, there are plenty potential issues you can resolve without having to contact your internet service provider (ISP). 

If you have a device that won’t connect to Wi-Fi, try focusing your efforts first on the device itself. Often the solution is as simple as turning the device off and back on. You can also reset your device’s network’s settings or have the device “forget” your Wi-Fi and reconnect a few seconds later.  

4. Bigger ISP brands means fewer complications 

Let’s face it, convenience sells. It’s why Starbucks made almost 30 billion USD last year—people don’t want the hassle of making their own cup of coffee. For consumers, the less complicated the better, and Wi-Fi is no exception. Many internet users don’t care to know what type of Wi-Fi they’re getting, and not even necessarily what speed—just as long as it works.  

That’s one of the reasons why so many internet users prefer ISPs they’re familiar with like COX, Comcast, and Xfinity. They know the name means they’ll get to watch Netflix and shop online. What many fail to consider, though, is that smaller ISPs offer the same, if not better network quality for more affordable prices.  

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of these smaller ISPs is that they offer more personable services. In other words, when you call your ISP with an internet issue, a real person will answer the phone. Forbes reported in 2019 that the majority of customers prefer speaking to a real person on the phone, as opposed to an automated assistant. While the prospect of having a personable internet service experience may be new to you, it will be a welcomed change of pace. 

5. All Wi-Fi is the same 

For many people, Wi-Fi is a mysterious invisible force that connects their devices to the cyberworld, so it’s understandable when someone assumes that all Wi-Fi is the same. But in reality, Wi-Fi signals come in the form of 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz frequency bands. Wi-Fi networks use either of these frequencies to transmit data between routers and smart devices. 

The most common Wi-Fi frequency band is 2.4 Ghz. The only problem is that other devices in your home, like your microwave or television remote control, often use this same frequency which can interfere with your connectivity.  

Wi-Fi operating with 5 Ghz frequency bands was developed to overcome this interference problem, but there’s still a list of pros and cons between the two frequencies. For instance, the 2.4 Ghz frequency has a wider range than the 5 Ghz, but the 5 Ghz is significantly faster.  

Any way you want to spin it, though, the Vilo Wi-Fi Mesh system provides the best of both worlds with its simultaneous dual band design. So if you’re still unsure which kind of Wi-Fi is best for you, you can be reassured that you’re getting the best of both options with Vilo Living.  

Still, in some extreme instances where Wi-Fi may be insufficient, you might need hard-wired internet connection, otherwise known as “Ethernet.” While Wi-Fi and Ethernet have their pros and cons, the bottom line is that Ethernet is more reliable and will transfer data from the internet to a computer faster than Wi-Fi. So, if you’re a professional online gamer and can’t risk losing connection even for a second, having hard-wired Ethernet connection might be the best option.  

Get the internet that’s right for you 

Every household’s internet needs vary. For some, connectivity is simply a means to an end, for others, their livelihood depends on it. Whatever the case may be, clearing up these misconceptions about home connectivity is a great first step to understanding your unique internet needs and, ultimately, getting the internet service that’s right for you.