Hi Frank,
That phrase was not intended as an insult, it was more an attempt to be humorous, I'm sorry it didn't come across as such.
You are 100% correct that they don't tell you this at check in..or anywhere else...unless, you get to talk to one of their 'hired tech's' who regularly comes to the resort to troubleshoot.
This is how I learned what the deal is/was. You could not have known about this, neither could I, but the tech guy was telling me specifically that "the prob" was people doing streaming...my reply was intended to be of help to you in answering the question.
It's alright. Listen, in my prior career I was a network administrator, so I know exactly what you're talking about. I was just taken aback, since I'm not the type person to continuously try do something on a network if the network isn't providing the bandwidth.
However, I have to say this...knowing now what you've told me. The problem is *not* at all guests attempting to stream. It's DVB not doing one of two things.
The first option is merely a bandaid....but they could, at the very least, inform people that bandwidth at the resort is limited. Then they should require guests to accept an internet policy that prohibits streaming video, citrix/ssh connections, downloading software/music, etc. In the event that a user attempts a bandwidth intensive activity, they should be throttled or their access temporarily revoked.
The second option is to increase bandwidth. People will always have an expectation, like I did, that there is sufficient bandwidth at a hotel/resort connection to allow citrix connections, downloading and yes, streaming. I'm not going to be that guy that goes "I pay more than enough in member dues, room rates, etc" but like it or not, that's going to be a solid expectation of 95% of the resort guests. As a society, we're becoming more connected, not less connected. Our devices are requiring more bandwidth not less -- which I have to say, could be part of the issue as well. They could have painfully underestimated the bandwidth they were going to need at the resort when they installed the WiFi in 2009. Think about it. 1 out of every 2 smartphone users did not have a smartphone 2 years ago. significant growth of wireless devices should've been anticipated.
Personally, the second option is the only viable one, long term. I strongly suspect that they haven't taken the first option because of the fear of member and guest outrage. Unfortunately, doing nothing and doing option one has that same result.
Regardless, the fact that the resort is not doing one of the two above things is the problem. You can't expect people to accept responsibility for a problem that shouldn't be placed on their shoulders in the first place. Most families travel with a laptop now a days. If not because of a family member trying to remain connected to work, it's because of guests wanting to remain connected with family back home. Pictures/videos get uploaded to FB, flickr, etc
Anyway, thanks for the information. Knowing that the bandwidth issue at the resort hasn't been addressed is better than showing up there hoping or expecting an improvement and being disappointed that there has been none.
