RV Resort, Park, & Campground Owners Turn to WiFiRV for Help in 2008

Increased Demand for Wireless Internet makes it the #1 Amenity for Park Visitors

WiFiRV, the premier provider of WiFi Internet services in the United States for the outdoor recreational hospitality industry, reports continued growth for 2008 and a new budget of $1,500,000 to invest wireless services for the RV industry in 2009.

The tough economy has increased demand for WiFi technology. It’s the most economical way to get Internet to campers but WiFiRV warns property owners and managers; WiFi is not without challenges if not planned well in advance. Choosing a technology partner that educates and has nationwide coverage is important if you seek reliability. Once a WiFi amenity is installed there is no turning back – campers demand it to stay happy!

Consistent high-speed WiFi Internet access is what property managers want but this not easy to accomplish without proper planning. RV parks, campgrounds, and resorts were geographically located so people could “get away from it all” but now they want to be away from it all and take it all with them too. WiFiRV has prioritized where to invest through affiliation with property owner, management, and financial investment groups in the RV industry.

Benefits through alliances garner access to thought leaders and in turn offer options to provide group discounts, wise financial planning, and technology selection diligence.

“In 2002 we started WiFiRV when we recognized a need to help travelers stay connected on the road,” stated John Borg II, CEO and Founder of WiFiRV. “We created simple Do-It-Yourself-WiFi systems, complex managed bandwidth amenities, and everything in between to give owners a choice.”

Since founding WiFiRV, Borg has seen the benefits of WiFi amenities in RV parks, resorts, and campgrounds. Properties consistently report increased occupancies and loyalty. To date WiFiRV has invested $2,500,000 in capital, labor services, and equipment to bring parks online and continues to support the market.

When considering WiFi usage, demographics, terrain, and weather all need to be factored to ensure reliability. Designing the right amenity for the environment is critical to success. Not all properties are a good fit for a WiFi solution, despite what the RV travelers and patrons may demand…

WiFiRV Reports Steady Demand of Wi-Fi Usage by RVers and Travelers

#1 Provider of Wi-Fi Services to America’s RV Parks and Campgrounds Helps Park Owners Increase Revenues and Improve Customer Satisfaction

WiFiRV, the premier provider of wireless Internet services in the United States for the outdoor recreational hospitality industry, reports the demand by RVers shows continued growth through 2008, making it the number one requested amenity at RV parks and campgrounds.

With over 8 million RVs on the road traveling an average of 4,500 miles a year, finding hotspots has become a “must have” for 94% of RVers. Resorts, RV parks, and campgrounds are starting to realize the value added benefit of offering the amenity and in many cases have uncovered a new source of income.

“WiFiRV’s wireless Internet service package for RV Parks and Campgrounds not only increases revenues for park owners, but helps drive occupancy and increase customer satisfaction,” says John Borg II, CEO and Founder, WiFiRV. “Park owners see the value of our Internet service offering as we can demonstrate a fast ROI and consistent, reliable service for their customers.”

Holiday Travel: 10 Ways to Keep Your Laptop and Privacy Safe

– Thomas Wailgum , CIO

If you're planning on traveling with your laptop this holiday season, you might want to travel prepared. The statistics are overwhelmingly bad: According to Gartner, one laptop is stolen every 53 seconds.

U.S. airports, in particular, have become black holes for business travelers' laptops: 12,000 laptops are lost at U.S. airports every week, and 70 percent of those laptops, which good Samaritans and airport employees return to lost-and-found departments, are never reclaimed, reported the Ponemon Institute.

Increased security measures have created longer checkpoint lines and a more stressful environment. More than 70 percent of business travelers feel rushed when trying to get on their flights, noted the Ponemon research, and 60 percent worry that delays due to security checkpoints will cause them to miss their flight. It's not surprising, then, that according to U.S airport representatives, the most common airport locations where laptops are lost or missing include security checkpoints (40 percent) and departure gates (23 percent), the Ponemon report found. (See "8 Laptop Bags That Will Help You Speed Through Airport Security" to help make your travels more efficient.)

Add a couple of screaming kids and millions of others trying to "get home for the holidays," and you've got a recipe for laptop loss. "The stress of rushing to catch a flight," notes the Ponemon report, "combined with the number of items business travelers typically carry (such as laptops, cell phones, PDAs, briefcases and luggage) creates a situation that is conducive to property loss."

10 Tips to Avoid Laptop and Data Loss
To help ensure a safer and less hectic holiday season, Absolute Software, an asset- and data-protection and recovery vendor, offers these 10 tips:

1. Back Up Valuable Data Before Traveling. Travelers should back up their data as often as possible to minimize the risk of data loss in the event that their laptop is stolen, the Absolute Software report urges. "Use an encrypted thumb drive to back up sensitive or valuable files and keep it separate from your laptop," notes the report. "Because the information stored on the laptop is often more valuable than the laptop itself, it is important to treat the data with as much care as possible."

2. Use Laptop Recovery and Data Protection Software. "Laptop recovery tools are highly effective in the event thieves do make off with your gear," according to the report. In addition, the security vendors' software solutions, such as Absolute Software's Computrace LoJack for Laptops, can help track down the laptop.

3. Don't Put Your Laptop in Your Checked Luggage. Travelers should always keep their laptop with them at all times. "Apart from not having your valuable and expensive gear under your control, baggage handlers don't know what is in your bag. You run the risk of having your laptop broken or stolen in transit," notes the Absolute Software report. "Keep your laptop inconspicuous."

While Absolute Software goes so far as to advise you to carry a laptop in an inconspicuous bag, such as a tote, we at CIO.com don't. You want a laptop case that's protective and padded. (For some good options see, "10 Laptop Bags You'll Love: From "Green" to Gucci.") Drop a laptop in a tote bag on a hard floor at the airport and that laptop will be useful only as a doorstop.

4. Clearly Label Your Laptop to Distinguish It from Others at Security Checkpoints. The report advises that when going through the metal detectors, you should hold on to your laptop until the last second. "Clearly labeling the laptop itself will help you find it among other laptops once through the metal detectors," states the report. "Make sure to put your name, contact information and address on the label, as most airport lost-and-founds won't power up the laptop to find out whom it belongs to."

5. Ask to Put Your Laptop in the Hotel Safe When You're Not Using It. Most hotels have a safe that guests can use in their room or at the front desk. It's a good idea to check with the hotel when making a reservation. If there's no safe in which to stow your laptop and you can't take the laptop with you, the report states that you should place it in a secure cabinet in the hotel room.

6. Do Not Log On to Unsecured Wireless Networks. This seems like a no-brainer, but if the wireless network you're logging on to doesn't require you to enter a password, don't use it, notes the Absolute Software report. "Unsecured networks are a two-way street. While anyone can access the network, anyone on the network may be able to access your laptop, and subsequently your information."

7. Do Not Access Financial or Bank Records While Traveling. Another good rule of thumb from the report is to avoid accessing financial or banking records while traveling, especially on public wireless networks.

8. Deselect "Remember Me" When Browsing the Internet. Clicking "remember me" on websites, or allowing the Internet browser to remember passwords or usernames, negates the security those username and passwords offer, according to the report. "If a thief gets a hold of your laptop, they will have the ability to easily steal your online (and possibly offline)."

9. Clear Your History and Cache After Using a Web Browser. "Web browsers remember everything about your session even after you've logged off," states the report. "Before ending an Internet session—particularly on a public laptop—clear the private data (cookies, history, Internet files) stored in the browser. This can be accessed through the 'Tools' menu on most Internet browsers."

10. If You Are Using a Public Computer, Be Aware of Keyboard Loggers and Trackers. The report notes that identity thieves will often install keyboard loggers on to public computers (like those in hotels or public libraries). "These programs invisibly track the keystrokes of unsuspecting victims," the report states. "A thief can come back at any time and see where you've been on the Internet and gather the usernames and passwords you've entered."

RVS BY THE NUMBER

Recreational vehicles include everything from folding camping trailers to truck campers to luxury motor homes. 8 million = Number of U.S. households that own at least one RV 400,000 = Number of RVs sold in record-setting 2006 58% = Increase in RV ownership since 1980 49 = Average age of an RV owner 4,500 = Average number of miles an RV travels a year $1.6 million = Price of a 45-foot Country Coach Prevost motor home displayed at the RV Rally 2008 $15,000 = Price of a 15-foot Serro Scotty Hilander trailer on exhibit at the show Sources: Recreation Vehicle Industry Association and USA TODAY research

RV Internet Users by the Numbers

Last year, Workamper News Info, found that 94% of survey responders use the Internet. Here is how they connect:

Dial-up phone line: 5%
WiFi: 40%
Cellular Air Card: 28%
Satellite: 5%
Cable or DSL: 12%
Go to local library: 10%

Professor of RVing Reports on losses in the RV industry

This week SunnyBrook RV, makers of towable RVs, laid off half of its workforce and the largest Jellystone RV park filed bankruptcy. Meanwhile attendance at the opening day at the prestigious National RV Trade Show fell 37% from what it was last year.

The dealer attendance was even worse and are you surprised? After all, we’ve lost so many RV manufacturers and dealers this year I’ve lost count.

I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know a trend when I see one. With the big three automakers up against the wall and begging congress for a bailout is it any wonder discretionary spending categories like boats and RVs have fallen off a cliff? The present RV industry is a dinosaur destined for extinction.If you believe the RV market is going to turn around any time soon you’re from another planet. The fact is we will continue to see more RV manufactures, RV parks, RV dealers and RV related businesses tank in 2009. Call me a wet blanket or call me a pessimist, in fact you can call me anything you want, but it doesn’t change the facts. The RV industry is dying and I’m writing the obituary now.

You’ll hear pundits say things like, “The RV industry has gone through tough times before and we survived and we’ll survive it this time as well.” I have some advice for the pundits, “Go see a psychiatrist while you still have health insurance because you’re living in a fantasy world.”

The RV industry as we know it will not recover this time. If the largest U.S. auto makers can’t make it without you and me giving them a monster loan through our taxes, then what makes the pundits think the RV industry is going to survive?

Every CEO in the RV industry knows the end is near. They’re fearful and doing desperate things like quietly looking for buyers like Coachmen successfully did last month. They’re trying to fend off bankruptcy by negotiating with their investors while not being able to make interest payments on their loans like the manufacturer Fleetwood and the largest Florida RV dealer Lazydays.

Seriously, this time next year you’ll be saying, “The Professor of RVing was right, the RV industry really did tank…I wish I would have listened to him and had that warranty work done while my dealer was still in business.”

Thinking about joining one of those RV park membership systems? I would think twice before I committed any money into that sink hole.

Thinking about purchasing a new RV? Do yourself a favor and buy a quality used RV instead because it is likely that most of the warranty work has already been done and the majority of the bugs worked out.

If you insist on purchasing a new RV subtract at least 40% off the already marked down price. If they don’t want to deal, give them your phone number and tell them to call you when they get serious and walk off the lot. You might as well get the best price you can because you’re not going to be able to get any warranty work done after they’ve gone out of business. Better yet, wait until the bankruptcy court appointed trustee holds an auction and sells the same RV for pennies on the dollar.

The main stream media has fallen down on the job of reporting the facts that we are entering the most serious global depression in history. Just this week we learned the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007. You didn’t have to wait for the mainstream media to tell you the RV industry was in trouble because I told you back on December 2nd, 2007 in the article entitled, “RV industry in financial crisis.” Now I’m making another prediction: The next few years will be the worst catastrophe in economic history and the RV industry will not be spared. The worst part of our current economic crisis is yet to come!

I caught a lot of flack from my December article but it turned out to be true. I suppose I’ll catch even more flack from this article, but as a journalist covering the RV beat I would be professionally negligent if I did not tell the truth and report the facts as they emerge.

This coming year our world will be shaken to the core and it will never again be the same. I doubt there will even be a National RV Trade Show in 2009 and if it does happen it will be a much smaller event, unrecognizable from its former grandeur.

Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing
To read more of what Twamley says, read his blog at http://www.rvnow.rvtravel.com .

Surveys reveal behavior, habits of RV enthusiasts

By Chuck | December 9, 2008 - 10:23 am

If you want to know about the habits of RVers, you’ll find it at RVtravel.com, where once a week for five years the editors have surveyed their readers to learn their likes, dislikes and behaviors. On average, about 1,500 to 2,000 RVers respond to each weekly survey question.

“I think that statistically our readers represent pretty closely all RVers,” said RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury. “They are the owners of small travel trailers, large motorhomes and everything in between. Twenty-five percent paid less than $25,000 for their RVs and half less than $50,000,” he said. “Twelve percent paid more than $150,000.”

Here is a little of what Woodbury and his staff have learned about RVer behavior and habits from their surveys.

•More than half of RVtravel.com readers say their perfect size RV is between 26 and 35 feet. Only three percent believe an RV longer than 40 feet is the best size.

•Fifty-four percent of the RVers have stayed a night for free in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Most Wal-Mart stores welcome overnight stays in RVs, although more all the time are banning the practice because of abuse by some RVers.

•Only 19 percent of RVers always shut off their propane at the tank when traveling. More than half never do so. RV fire and safety experts recommend propane always be turned off while an RV is on the road.

•When dumping their holding tanks, nearly half of all RVers wear disposable gloves. Twenty-two percent use a work glove, and 28 percent wear no glove.

•Most RVers, 84 percent, have never had anything stolen from their RV or campsite. But 16 percent have. The most-often mentioned thefts occurred when RVs were in commercial storage facilities.

•One quarter of RVers have had a pizza delivered to them at their campsite.

•One out of five RVers attend church services every week while on the road. Nearly half never attend services while traveling by RV. Others attend occasionally.

•If a chipmunk wandered into an RVers campsite looking for a snack, 40 percent of the critters would go away hungry: the RVers would not feed it. Others might or might not feed it.

•The RVers surveyed by RVtravel.com get lousy gas mileage. Two-thirds get less than 10 miles per gallon, and only nine percent do better than 14 miles per gallon.

•Even though NASCAR races attract many RVers who camp at or near the track, NASCAR racing isn’t all that big with the readers of RVtravel.com, where only 13 percent have ever attended an event.

•RVers may be a generous lot, but they are not keen on lending their RVs to a close friend. Only seven percent would gladly do so, and nearly half would never do it. The others might or might not.

•The best beverage for starting a day according to 63 percent of RVers surveyed is with a cup of coffee. Juice is the second favorite at 17 percent, followed by tea at seven percent. One percent prefer beer.

RVtravel.com is in its eighth year of publishing its weekly online newsletter, read by nearly 100,000 RVers each issue.

20 Crazy Things People Do to Get Wi-Fi Connections

From: www.cio.com – Thomas Wailgum , CIO

In their quest to get Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, people have done some pretty desperate things over the years.

Driving around in sheer panic looking for a Starbucks (but hoping for a Panera, which offers free Wi-Fi) or hopping on a neighbor's unsecured signal has become commonplace. (To read about the Wi-Fi strategies at Starbucks, Panera, McDonald's and Borders, see "Should Retailers Offer Free Wi-Fi to Customers?")

But then there's a whole other level of desperation that comes while some people are searching for the almighty Wi-Fi access point. The evidence: an August 2008 survey of 300 remote employees who work on company-issued laptops. (The survey was commissioned by mobility vendor Fiberlink.)

The survey asked these road warriors: "What interesting or out of the ordinary things have you ever done to get connected to the Internet and/or company network, when working remotely?" Of the open-ended responses, here are the most noteworthy:

"Stolen Wi-Fi from a neighbor."
Editor's note: Nothing says "Howdy, Neighbor!" more than "I'm stealing your Wi-Fi!"

"Had to climb on my mother's roof once. It was so fun. I actually saw a naked neighbor girl."
Editor's note: Is that considered a two-for-one?

"Drove 15 miles away from Old Faithful Geyser to achieve a complete Internet connection, due to static from Geyser emissions energy."
Editor's note: I hate it when that happens.

"Driven to the local coffee shop and purchased a muffin to use their wireless."
Editor's note: That seems reasonable.

"Gone to coffee shop without buying coffee."
Editor's note: Cheapskate!

"Had to 'hack' into a phone line at a hotel to get dial-up to work (many years ago)."
Editor's note: Easy does it, Mitnick.

"I have plugged my laptop into a hospital Ethernet line because the wireless was down."
Editor's note: Glad it wasn't the oxygen line.

"I have researched hotels that do not provide Internet but are nearby wireless hubs to get connection freely."
Editor's note: A little too much time on your hands, sir?

"Plugged into the back of a cash register."
Editor's note: Really? You can do that?

"I went up to the top of a mountain and worked for a week from a tent."
Editor's note: Grizzly Adams meets Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame).

"Turned someone's TV antenna into a wireless internet antenna."
Editor's note: Now that's talent.

"Logged into hotel conference rooms to get the connection for free."
Editor's note: Who hasn't done that?!

"Paid for a cab ride while I worked on the Internet."
Editor's note: That seems a bit "unfare."

"Plugged into electricity from the city of Seattle that was on a pole on the sidewalk, but only for a few minutes."
Editor's note: Well, as long as it was just for a few minutes.

"Held my laptop out a window to get the Wi-Fi next door so I could send an important email."
Editor's note: Hope it was one of those rugged notebooks.

"Sat outside an airport for 4 hours so I could use the free wireless across the street."
Editor's note: Good thing her flight was delayed.

"I've done a lot of crazy things but I'll never be able to admit it or I'd lose my dignity."
Editor's note: Tease.

"Moved throughout my home because of connection problems, I found myself sitting in a ducky chair in my toddler's room because that is where I got the best connection."
Editor's note: That's just quackers.

"Using dial up."
Editor's note: That's desperate.

"I think a laundromat is the strangest one I ever hooked up to."
Editor's note: We agree.

RVs beckon baby boomers despite fuel costs

By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY

PERRY, Ga. — At the nation's largest gathering of recreational vehicle enthusiasts, talk inevitably turns to the versatility of Velcro and the challenges of toilet maintenance.

One topic that isn't getting much focus — on the official program, anyway — is the meteoric rise in gas prices. Hard-core RVers, which include many of the 8,000 attendees at the four-day Rally 2008 that ended Monday at the Georgia National Fairgrounds here, will tell you an RV isn't just a vehicle. It's a lifestyle. And a little thing like $4-a-gallon gas isn't going to put the brakes on a way of life.

Fuel efficiency isn't a hot topic among the 300 vendors here, either. Over at the Born Free Motorcoach exhibit, for instance, the spec sheet inside a spanking new 32-foot $174,015 President model offers details on cabinet finish (cherry), toilet type (porcelain) and upholstery (leather) but is mum about what it costs to actually drive the thing.

It's something that gets talked about enough without you pointin' it out," says sales manager Jerry Ehrhardt.

As if on cue, an elderly man in a brown polyester jumpsuit strolls up and asks, "What kinda mileage does this get?"

"Ten miles a gallon," Ehrhardt responds.

"Ouch," the man says and moves on.

Would it make you feel better if I said 20?" Ehrhardt calls out after him.

Sales of RVs, which run the gamut from humble folding camping trailers to luxury motor homes, peaked at 400,000 in 2006. The industry attributes the subsequent drop in sales to 354,000 last year to the overall economic slump rather than rising fuel costs. But with the first wave of 79 million baby boomers poised for retirement, industry experts are betting that boom times are on the horizon.

The 1,000 or so factory-fresh rigs on display at the fairgrounds, with names such as Renegade, Conquest and Dynasty, speak to the notion that you can take it with you. Super-deluxe models can cost in the seven figures, and even more modest rigs (starting, say, in the $250,000 range) sport 42-inch-screen TVs, surround-sound systems and granite countertops.

"As baby boomers age, they clearly want more than their parents had," says Mike Schneider, president of Affinity, sponsor of the rally and owner of RV-related clubs and publications. "Their parents were do-it-yourselfers. They're the do-it-for-me generation."

They're people like Ken and Mona Bram of Chester, N.Y., who are ensconced inside their 45-foot Newmar Essex motor home over in Lot 5, Row 112, Space 30. She hates hotels (the germs). He hates airports (the hassles). They both love road tripping. So the 6.5 miles per gallon they get when towing their 6,500-pound Hummer on the open road isn't an issue. They paid about $400,000 in August for the used, low-mileage rig, which has antique-white cabinetry, creamy leather sofas, four flat-screen TVs, marble floors, tasseled window treatments and a king-size bed. ("We weren't going back to a queen," Ken declares.) The only thing it lacked was a satellite dish. They just bought one at the rally.

It's an elaborate set-up, all right, but hardly the top of the RV hierarchical heap.

"The guys who really stand out are the Prevosts," says Ken, 65. "I wouldn't be comfortable in one. They're too over the top for me."

"I would," says Mona, 46. "They're beautiful."

Prevost, a Canadian bus manufacturer, sells the shells for about $500,000; several U.S. companies customize the interiors. The cost can climb to "whatever your bank account allows," says Matt Martinez, a motor-home salesman from Knoxville, Tenn. The one he's showing (by appointment only) goes for a cool $1.6 million.

It's parked on a bed of Astroturf, and its chocolate, rust and gold-swirled exterior paint job glistens like a rich confection. Inside, the ceilings are mirrored. The floors are heated. There are hand-tiled backsplashes and a seated shower, two walk-in closets and a built-in pressure washer. Everything from the window shades to the sound system operates via remote control.

Sales of mid-priced RVs, which Martinez puts in the $200,000 range, have slowed, he says. But the market for top-end models such as Prevost remains strong. Martinez's dealership sells 20 to 25 a year.

Buyers "have made their money, and they're going to enjoy it," he says.

Behemoth motor homes dominate both in the exhibit area and on the fairground fields, where 3,500 RVs are parked side by side. American flags, pinwheels and placards that read "Hi" and "Somewhere it's 5 o'clock" lend a touch of individuality to a monotonous landscape. After all, as a T-shirt worn by one rally-goer proclaims, "Home is Where You Park It."

For Robb and Carole Isaacs of Springfield, Ill., home for seven-plus months of the year is a 38-foot "fifth wheel" trailer hauled by a 30,000-pound semi that guzzled about $20,000 in fuel last year. The couple is among a small subset of RVers who tow their rigs with commercial trucks that have been converted to RV status (doing so drastically lowers insurance rates, among other benefits). Their trailer has many of the comforts of home, including a remote-control fireplace. So does the semi cab, with its microwave, refrigerator and roomy bed tucked behind the driver's seat. Robb, 67, bought Carole, 69, a port-a-potty for Christmas. She plans to install lace curtains.

The rig gets 11 miles a gallon, about twice what the big motor homes get, and even at a mind-boggling $800 for a fill-up, Robb considers it an "economical way to travel."

Bob Livingston, publisher of Affinity's RV publications, takes that pronouncement a step further and declares RVs "champions of the environment."

"Do they get good mileage? No," he says. "But when is the last time you took a 6-gallon shower or flushed the toilet with a quart of water? Plus, you use less electricity than if you were at home."

In this sea of opulent rigs, Gloria Schmitten's existence in a pop-up tent trailer seems positively bohemian. The Youngsville, N.C., resident will become a citizen of the road — or "full-timer" in RV parlance — when she finalizes the sale of her house next month and moves permanently into the trailer. In doing so, she'll join an estimated 400,000 modern nomads whose primary residence is their RV, according to Recreation Vehicle Industry Association estimates.

"It may last three months or three years or forever," says Schmitten, 61. "I'm doing this because I can."

While Schmitten plans to move between national parks and other wilderness areas, many longtime RVers are flocking to purpose-built luxury resorts. Though Livingston once sought out backcountry areas, he says the social aspects of the RV lifestyle now supersede merely being in the great outdoors. These days he's more likely to steer his rig toward an RV resort in a spot such as Palm Springs, Calif.

"It used to be hamburgers and beer. Now it's ahi and fine wine," he says.

Indeed, RVers are a social bunch, judging from those at the rally, anyway. There's an enthusiastic turnout for the morning "singles mingle" sessions. Saturday's dog show costume contest (theme: Southern Culture) brings a parade of canines in Gone With the Wind getups. An attempt to capture the world's record for Most Couples Dancing propels 2,356 attendees into the fairground's arena. Afterward, a ballroom dance competition awards three winning couples.

The prize: a $50 gift certificate for gas. It's something any RVer would treasure.