Knightvest Case Study

Knightvest Boosts NOI and Resident Experience with Aerwave’s Managed Wi-Fi

Case Study | March 2026

The Challenge: Build a Modern Connectivity Foundation that Lifts NOI

Since its inception in 2007, Knightvest has invested over $10 billion and acquired more than 55,000 apartment homes across Texas, Arizona, the Carolinas, and Florida. As the portfolio expanded and smart home technologies proliferated, Knightvest identified a critical need: a property‑wide connectivity foundation that could support end‑to‑end managed WiFi, improve resident and associate experience, and boost property performance.

“At Knightvest, we view offering community-wide WiFi as a way to enhance the resident and associate experience,” said Jeremy Woldert, Vice President of Asset Management. “Beyond making physical improvements to our properties, we are always looking for ways to boost property performance. Managed WiFi has become an asset to our portfolio when buying, renovating and selling our properties.”

Rising resident expectations, device counts, and reliance on smart property technology made it clear that legacy retail internet and traditional providers were no longer sufficient. The biggest challenge was finding a partner with modern technology, strong customer care, and deep retrofitting expertise.

The Solution: Aerwave’s Next-Generation Managed Wi-Fi Platform

After evaluating multiple providers, large and small, Knightvest selected Aerwave for its next‑generation connectivity platform, industry expertise, and partnership approach.

Aerwave is a market leader in managed wi-fi for Multifamily, they are in 28 markets and have more than 200 communities and 60,000 units on their platform. They were also awarded Multifamly Partner of the Year by Broadband Communities. With 100% retention and 99.8% uptime, they were the best option.

“We’ve dealt with the big corporations like Comcast, AT&T and Spectrum,” Woldert shared. “To construct a solid connectivity foundation and achieve what we were striving for, we had to find a new solution that knows the industry as it is today, not what it was years ago.”

The underlying RUCKUS wireless infrastructure enables seamless roaming across the property, allowing devices to maintain connectivity without drops or reauthentication. This capability supports mobile use cases for onsite teams while also delivering the always‑on experience residents expect throughout the community.

Aerwave delivered:

Fiber-based mesh network & proprietary software providing instantly accessible, gigabit internet and seamless community‑wide WiFi from clubhouse to the farthest unit with no dead zones, no frustration. The network architecture was supported by a combination of RUCKUS selected access points H350, H550, R550, R650 and T350, strategically deployed to ensure reliable coverage from individual units to shared indoor and outdoor amenity spaces
Flexible commercial models including managed bulk and roll‑to‑bulk, allowing Knightvest to match deployment to each asset’s strategy and optimize NOI and adoption.
Scalable, resident‑centric support with a clear implementation plan tailored to retrofitting existing properties, aligning perfectly with Knightvest’s business model.

By the end of 2025, Aerwave had achieved a 90% resident satisfaction rating on support, validating Knightvest’s decision and confirming that the lived experience matched the promise.

Operational Excellence: Reliability, Support, and Move‑In Experience

Aerwave’s performance quickly exceeded expectations across reliability and service:

Uptime: 99.8% across the Knightvest portfolio in 2025, improving to 99.9% year‑to‑date in 2026.
Support: 24/7 domestic support team with an average answer time of 42 seconds, far surpassing the 120‑second SLA and significantly reducing escalations to on‑site staff.

Move‑in became a major differentiator:

Equipment is pre‑installed in every unit.
Residents no longer wait 2–3 days for third‑party appointments or need to purchase equipment.
New residents simply scan a QR code, complete a brief registration in under 5 minutes, and can immediately connect all their devices.

Our iPads have phone plans today, but we could cancel those and save money by connecting them to guest Wi-Fi, so there would be some savings associated with that, and it would eliminate cellular coverage gaps ,” said Woldert.

“Our teams consistently hear that this ‘day one WiFi’ experience is one of the amenities residents value most,” Woldert noted.

From a performance standpoint, Aerwave has also future‑proofed Knightvest’s assets. With up to 1 gig of bandwidth per unit, the network comfortably supports the modern smart‑home lifestyle, often 17–20+ devices per household, including laptops, phones, TVs, gaming consoles, and IoT devices.

“For us as owners, that combination of robust infrastructure, flexible economics, and very high resident satisfaction has made Aerwave a core part of our connectivity and operations strategy,” said Woldert.

The Results: Higher NOI, Hassle‑Free Connectivity, and a Better Resident Experience

With Aerwave’s platform in place, Knightvest has rolled out managed WiFi to 15 properties, covering 4,823 apartment homes.

Key outcomes:

Increased asset value: Knightvest owns the equipment at the end of the agreement, creating a compelling value-add for future buyers.
Competitive economics: Aerwave’s cost per unit is competitive with other providers, while delivering superior service and support.
Transparent partnership: Weekly property updates, proactive communication on challenges and solutions, and a customer success team that supports Knightvest from start to finish.

“Residents appreciate that they don't have to go get the equipment or set anything up—it’s seamless,” Woldert said. “Like us, residents love the great customer care Aerwave provides. They’re very hands-on and available, and they are growing and evolving, getting more sophisticated as our partnership goes on. The team is transparent and really makes you feel like they're giving you all their attention when interacting with them.”

Knightvest continues to see growing resident adoption at Aerwave‑enabled properties, with steady sign‑ups from both new leases and renewals. “I get weekly updates on each property and how many people have signed up, both new residents and renewals, and it just keeps growing,” Woldert added. “It is really an amenity, and providing it to our residents is improving the rental experience as well as the value of our properties.”

Bottom line: Aerwave’s managed Wi-Fi has helped Knightvest boost NOI, streamline operations, and deliver a differentiated, hassle‑free connectivity experience that residents love and investors value.