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December 3, 2021 Small Biz Spotlight

Wi-Fi systems installer Spot On Networks reaps rewards of sticking with New Haven

PHOTO | Liese Klein CEO Dick Sherwin (right) with Provisioning Specialist Mike Branch at Spot On Networks’ headquarters in downtown New Haven.
By Liese Klein

New Haven’s growth in recent years has made for good business for Spot On Networks, a firm based at 55 Church St., downtown that installs in-building Wi-Fi systems.

More young professionals moving to the city means more talented engineers and technicians applying for jobs at Spot On. More new buildings means more opportunities to sell Wi-Fi networks to developers.

And the new Avelo Airlines nonstops to Florida that started in November from Tweed New Haven Airport mean less time getting to customers down south.

“For us, what it means is our techs can get to Florida cities much more easily now,” said Dick Sherman, CEO of Spot On Networks. “I think it’s just great.”

Commuting time and New Haven’s population of skilled workers played a role in the company’s decision to move to the Elm City in 2007, soon after its founding in Norwalk in 2005.

“We moved up here because we had a talent pool that was more up here than down there,” Sherwin said.

A New York-born electrical engineer trained at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sherwin first came to Connecticut to work for IBM in the 1970s. He soon left to join the nascent cellular telephone industry, set to explode after a series of technical breakthroughs.

“It kept on evolving and evolving,” Sherwin said of cell technology, which transmits voice — and now data — using a network of low-powered radio transmitters each covering a “cell,” or discrete geographical area.

Technological advances prompted Sherwin and some other cell-network veterans to form Spot On, seeking to expand on expertise they used to install wireless systems in the former Soviet Union. Most housing in the former USSR consists of large towers made of concrete that blocks external radio waves, so in-building wireless was needed.

“We started as a science experiment,” Sherwin said. Their first client was AvalonBay Communities, a Virginia-based real estate investment trust that hired them to work on a Stamford tower. The company then signed them on for projects nationwide.

Spot On’s team soon perfected installing the wireless networks, which consist of multiple access points installed at key locations within a building. Those points form an “umbrella” of wireless coverage that boosts external signal strength to provide coverage both inside apartments and in hallways, basements and other common areas.

“Each building is different because the amount of radio-frequency penetration you get is dependent on a number of characteristics,” Sherwin said. “We actually fit the network to what the owner wants in that particular building.”

After installation, a team of Spot On technicians based in New Haven monitors and maintains the networks.

After some rough patches following the 2008 financial crisis, the company found its footing and developed a range of clients including private developers, public housing authorities and senior communities.

Now the company’s annual revenues top $7 million and the staff of about 25 is steadily expanding to meet increased business. Spot On systems operate in nearly 1,000 buildings across the country.

Advanced technology needs

With more cities and towns mandating Wi-Fi networks in new housing — along with customers’ need for seamless and affordable service — Spot On sees increasing demand for its products. The sobriquet “smart building” has become a selling point in higher-end real estate.

The importance of good Wi-Fi in upscale housing was clear in the April announcement of the completion of a Spot On project at 130 William, a luxury 66-story tower in lower Manhattan developed by Lightstone. Apartments in the 242-unit building started at $1.3 million at the time sales began in 2019.

“The need for advanced technology has never been as important as it is in today’s multifamily environment,” said Lightstone Senior Vice President of Development Scott J. Avram. “Through this partnership we are also enhancing an integral part of 130 William’s smart building operations.”

Senior housing is also a big growth area for Spot On, Sherwin said.

“We also see a huge senior-living marketplace because Baby Boomers are starting to move into 55-and-over [housing],” Sherwin said. “The new occupants of these senior-living complexes are using technology big-time.”

In addition, increasingly popular “green building” features like heat-blocking low emissivity glass for windows and solar panels on the roof tend to interfere with cell signals and heighten the need for in-building networks.

The pandemic has also sparked housing authorities to prioritize Wi-Fi in affordable apartments to help lower-income students access education during lockdowns.

“Affordable housing is a big deal for us,” Sherwin said. “We do well by doing good.”

The Internet of Things (IoT) boom has also led to more wireless amenities like keyless entry, wireless HVAC and other home devices requiring reliable and seamless coverage.

In-building networks can also ensure communication for first responders. In October, Spot On announced deployment of its Radioboost Public Safety DAS (distributed antenna system) in a 360-unit, waterfront development in West New York, New Jersey.

“We ensure that the buildings we serve have the coverage necessary to protect residents, tenants and emergency responders,” Sherwin said.

Growing industry

Sparked in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global market for in-building wireless is expected to grow 10% a year over the next six years to $20.3 billion by 2026, according to Global Industry Analysts Inc. As of this year, the U.S. market for in-building wireless is already valued at $4 billion, the company said, and growing by 12% a year.

Spot On has about a dozen direct competitors but mostly faces challenges from the reluctance of some landlords to invest in a building-wide network. Many come around, however, when they see the appeal for tenants and how much easier it is for maintenance workers and building staff to communicate.

“Our approach is to provide efficiencies to the building owner,” Sherwin said.

Looking ahead, Sherwin sees more opportunities for Spot On and prizes its freedom as a small private company answerable only to investors.

“We like remaining independent,” Sherwin said. “We remain nimble. We’re profitable so we don’t have to rely on anything.”

As for New Haven, Spot On hopes to continue to thrive along with its adopted city.

“We have no plans to do anything but stay here and continue to grow,” Sherwin said.

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