Wi-Fi in Senior Living Facilities – The 5 Most Common Challenges and Proven Solutions

1. Inconsistent Coverage in Resident Rooms and Common Areas

Senior living facilities located in older buildings may have thick walls or outdated infrastructure, which can negatively impact Wi-Fi coverage. This often results in frustrating video buffering, dropped connections, and interruptions—whether residents are using the internet for daily tasks or streaming entertainment.

Solution:
High-performance access points (APs) designed for dense and complex environments. RUCKUS® access points equipped with the BeamFlex+® adaptive antenna system deliver reliable, seamless coverage throughout the property—including outdoor areas.

2. Congested Networks

Today’s seniors are more connected than ever: 68% of baby boomers own smartphones[1], and adults aged 50+ use an average of seven connected devices daily[2]. Unfortunately, traditional legacy networks can’t intelligently prioritize traffic or manage bandwidth across hundreds of connected devices. This becomes especially critical when a resident is in a telehealth Zoom session or loses connectivity to a smartwatch monitoring their heart health.

Solution:
Smart traffic management and Quality of Service (QoS) controls, designed for high-density environments. RUCKUS solutions support high device density and automatically prioritize critical applications, while ensuring fair bandwidth distribution for all users.

3. Complex Onboarding and Access Management

Providing secure network access for residents, guests, and staff can become a logistical challenge—especially when it requires manual setup or IT involvement. Even worse, when private passwords are shared, revoking access later can create further complications.

Solution:
Cloud-managed networking and self-service onboarding portals. RUCKUS offers solutions like the Cloudpath® Enrollment System, which enables secure, user-friendly login experiences and separates user groups to simplify network administration.

4. Privacy and Data Security

Privacy is a top concern in senior living environments. Weak Wi-Fi security—such as outdated encryption or unsecured devices—can put sensitive medical data at risk. Legacy guest devices, staff tablets, IoT sensors, and healthcare systems often share the same network, meaning that a breach in one device could compromise the entire system.

Solution:
Dynamic PSK™ (Pre-Shared Keys) and role-based access control that segments traffic by user type—residents, guests, staff, and IoT. Built-in security features such as network segmentation, policy enforcement, and automated configurations help protect data across all devices and user levels, reducing risk and giving your staff greater peace of mind.

5. Limited IT Resources

Many senior living communities don’t have a dedicated on-site IT team, which means troubleshooting, configuration, and software updates can overwhelm staff or result in delays—leading to frustration among residents and their families.

Solution:
Simple, centralized network management with zero-touch provisioning. RUCKUS offers a range of cloud-based solutions that support remote monitoring, automation, and AI-powered issue detection—often resolving problems before residents are even aware of them. This allows staff to focus on care, not connectivity.