Is it worth offering WiFi on your campsite?

Should I provide WiFi at my campsite?

The question of whether or not to provide WiFi at your Hipcamp can be quite the dilemma. On the one hand, the very point of a camping holiday for some people is to get offline and enjoy the simpler things in life. Long walks, campfires, the stars. But on the other hand some of us need a helping hand to do that and an internet connection can help you access great resources. Things like walking routes for the local area, tips on how to start a campfire, and handy apps that can identify constellations in the night sky.

If the area your Hipcamp is in has no mobile internet connection, guests at your camping, glamping, or caravan site might become frustrated by not being able to get online. By providing WiFi, you can soothe away those irritations and, what’s more, a guest who’s having a wonderful time might just want to post about it on social media. And, of course, that kind of free publicity is only possible when connected to the internet.

So, should you provide WiFi at your campsite? It’s really up to you as an individual Hipcamp host but, perhaps, it comes down to the kind of site you are running or wanting to run. On a site with static caravans people are usually looking for all the mod cons of home—that will include a good internet connection for browsing and streaming. But many Hipcamps are smaller affairs, operated with the intention of helping people spend more time outdoors, where the idea of providing WiFi might be jarring.

If you are looking to provide a back-to-basics experience, you might want to forget the WiFi and encourage people to switch off. Make it one of your selling points. If your site is home to high-end glamping accommodation, however, you might want to think about your guests’ experience and expectations. Decisions, decisions… Check out a list of pros and cons below to help you make the choice.

Advantages of campsites WiFi

• Campsite WiFi might broaden your campsite’s appeal
• WiFi may give you a competitive edge over other nearby sites
• You can charge for WiFi connection
• It fills a gap if your mobile internet and phone signal is poor
• WiFi allows guests to research the area
• It allows and encourages guests to post on social media—that’s good, free marketing for your Hipcamp
• Added connectivity can encourage longer stays
  
• Some types of WiFi connection allow for data capture (ie: an opt-in system for campers to join your mailing list)
• Great WiFi can make running your Hipcamp easier (e.g. taking card payments and checking online bookings)
  

Disadvantages of campsite WiFi

• Providing WiFi is an added expense
• The set-up process can be time consuming and disruptive—particularly if you need a new fibre connection (and want to apply for funding to do it)
• Charging campers for WiFi can be seen as a hidden cost
• Depending on the set up, the infrastructure (aerials/masts) can be added clutter on a campsite
• WiFi can go wrong and fixing it can be time consuming or even costly to fix
• If it does go wrong, it can be cause for complaint
• Some people come for a digital detox so having WiFi could be off putting

How does WiFi on a campsite work?

There are several different ways that WiFi on a campsite can work. If you already have an internet connection on site, either because you have an on-site office or you live on site, you might think that the easiest option is just to dole out the password for your existing WiFi. We strongly recommend against this. Allowing anyone access to your network can allow access to all connected devices so it is a security risk—even if the guests themselves are trustworthy. Malware and viruses can be accidentally spread this way. At the very least you need to set up Guest WiFi; this means it will connect through a separate access point in your router (but it’s not possible with all routers so check with your provider). If you are able to do this, it will only work in a small radius from the router. To provide WiFi across the campsite, you will need something more robust.

In order to have WiFi coverage across your entire Hipcamp, you will need to look at having extra hardware put in to boost the signal. If you are in an area of poor connectivity, you may have to have better connections (fibre) put in from the nearest off-site connection point to your site as part of the upgrade. Government grants are sometimes available to help with this through Project Gigabit. Within site, you are likely to also need some antennas or other boosters to send better signal around the Hipcamp. An engineer from your chosen provider will likely need to come to the site to assess which system will work best in your location, taking into account buildings, trees, and other obstacles. There are some systems which can be self installed.

Some WiFi systems in hospitality settings, including camping, glamping and caravan sites, are designed to be free at the point of use. This will mean you pay the bills and your campers can just log on when you provide them with the username and password. Whether or not you choose to charge them for this is up to you. Other systems require a login directly with the WiFi provider and for the customer to pay directly—usually for a unit of time; an hour, a day, or perhaps even a week. With this system, campsite owners do not make any additional money from the service directly. But it’s more than likely that they do not have to deal with any connectivity issues either as a support package should be included in the deal.

A list of campsite WiFi providers in the UK

Hipcamp is not in a position to recommend particular internet providers. Below is a limited list of some of the popular and well known providers in the UK.

• Camping Connect; campingconnect.co.uk
• Infinium; infinium.co.uk
• Campsite Wi-Fi; campsitewifi.com/for-campsite-owners
• Redway Networks;  redwaynetworks.com/caravan-park-wifi
  
• Fusion WiFi; fusionwifi.com/solutions/campsite-wifi
• Wi-Fi Antennas; wifi-antennas.co.uk
• BT; business.bt.com/sme
• Highland WiFi; highlandwifi.com 
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  This article was created by the Hipcamp team based on our years of experience, research, and local understanding. However, please note that this is still only our interpretation of UK regulations and does not constitute legal advice. Hipcamp does not accept responsibility for errors and omissions. Different conditions may apply depending on your individual circumstances and we recommend seeking professional advice on implementing the rules.

  This article was first published on 18th March 2023.