Providing Internet for Affordable Housing is Critical

Providing Internet for Affordable Housing is Critical

Over the last two decades, the internet has truly become the fourth utility, next to water, sewer and electricity. Most people have WiFi calling, use WhatsApp, or rely on some form of over the internet calling in their day-to-day lives.  Those without a phone service can use free voice or video calling applications to stay in touch with friends, relatives, and others.  

The internet, like electricity, needs to work with the flip of a switch and, like water, must flow consistently once it’s been turned on.  However, this isn’t always the case for those who live in low-income housing. This underserved population needs a solution with easy and ubiquitous internet access. Otherwise, they may be cut off from learning and work opportunities, further increasing the digital divide.  That’s why Dojo Networks® has come up with a sustainable and frictionless solution where everyone wins.   Dojo Networks® has worked hard to become a leading expert on New York City's revised design guidelines from the Department of Housing Preservation (HPD) related to broadband internet.  

Our High-Speed Internet Solution for Affordable Housing Properties 

We start by working with property owners and developers to build the infrastructure into their affordable housing properties, just like they used to install cable lines (RG6) or phone lines (Cat3/Cat5).  Depending on what the developers need, we assist them or even build the infrastructure ourselves, so that the only components left to be added are the electronics.  These electronics include managed battery backups, switches, routers, and cloud-managed wireless access points (APs/WAPs) that are further integrated with ElementoTM.  The property owner then owns the infrastructure, giving them negotiation power as they select the best provider for their building.  Our goal is to keep the construction and equipment prices as low as possible, without compromising coverage or quality, and then to deliver the best possible support and service at the lowest possible cost.  This provides a sustainable model for both the property owners and the residents.  We have worked with the Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) in New York City and many of their constituents.  

How We Provide High Quality Internet for Affordable Housing Buildings  
Each apartment needs to be provided with the following specs: 

• Battery backup system 
• 100Mbps/100Mbps as a minimum bandwidth  
• Upgrades available to residents who want faster speeds 
• A managed WiFi system (meaning controller-based access points, such as RUCKUS) 
• The ability to connect building management and control systems (IoT) to the WiFi network 
• At least one Ethernet port per apartment (Dojo Networks® provides at least four) 
• Secure private VLANs for each apartment 

• Dunn Development 
• Goldfarb 
• Brisa Builders 
• McKinney Properties 
• Landmark 
• Core Spaces 
• Greystar 
• GN Associates 
• Apartment Store 
• Opus Development