Holiday cottage has WiFi but requests no streaming ,no Netflix,no U tube

[peridito]

The request is because it would use too much data .
Is it just me or is this unusual ? Don't most people have unlimited data on their home wifi ?

I'm not au fait with all this so perhaps I'm misjudging .

we are a mile from excahnge with no fibre just copper wire the max we can get is 14 MBPS mostly it averages at 10 you can watch netflix or iplayer but 3 people can't do it at once on 3 different devices it doesn't bother us but if my sister and family come and visit we have to watch it because then there can be 4-5 devices all trying to do stuff
This is about bandwidth not stinginess because unless I use satelite I can't get more MBPS by paying more

WiFi can be rubbish in rural areas. We have 3 holiday lets and put in Wispire which works from church spires and also a satellite connection so that guests can stream and access the internet. It’s that important !

I would cancel a booking upon being told this!

I would have thought if you were going to a cottage somewhere rural you might realise this could be a problem. Bit like not having a mobile signal. Isn't that part of the point of going somewhere rural to get away from it all.

Or maybe it is because we live somewhere rural (but not remote) and we are more used to it.

Bit like when PP on MN expect everyone to have access to Uber and Deliveroo

I did post this on another forum. However according to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Act ALL conditions must be available for consumers to examine before they enter a contract for a good or service. Any that are only introduced or revealed after the fact are invalid.

I would go ahead and use the wifi as you do at home. If not available (ie too little data) I would demand a refund from the hirer. None forthcoming, approach your card company to do a chargeback.

But WIFI is available.

I have a friend who has a similar sign for one of his Airbnb sites (houseboats). The reason for it is that the WiFi is not connected to a phone line and has an absolute maximum number of GB you can download a month. If you download movies or videos you can leave the guests visiting on the next 20 days with no access to internet at all.

Is this cottage a bit remote?

i went somewhere couple of years ago with this problem the speeds were just very slow also couldnt even get it in some parts of the house

you think they would have boosters put it in but thankfully it was only a long weekend there

Same here....

Wifi was terrible untill afew months back when something was fitted / installed...
Took a long time...

No take aways deliver here
No "deliver roo"
No "Just eat"

Nearest bus stop in 30 minutes walk down a 60mph country road with no path and no street lights

Nearest train station is 20 miles away down a motorway

I had the Uber Problem.

Was wondering how to get from point A to point B for a party without a ruinously expensive train/taxi ride and was told by MN to "just get an Uber". IT DOESNT EXIST WHERE I LIVE!!!!

Guess what? There is a whole world outside London, Birmingham and Manchester!

I always like how Estate Agents say our nearest town has a train station. Always forget to mention it is only a tourist line that travels about 5 miles and only a few days a year on special occasions!

The problem is likely that they also use their home broadband, and the speed of the broadband isn't very good.

Streaming services are constantly downloading and uploading so they're constantly using a large portion of however many Mbps the line can handle.

If they're rural it may be any where from 1Mbps to 15Mbps, and streaming non JD services usually uses around 8-12 Mbps, plus you lose some speed when using WiFi over a wired connection. Because of this, if their devices at home are WiFi and they're trying to have enjoyment from it, they've probably asked you don't stream as not to interrupt their connection.

But yes I agree that if it's advertised with WiFi then you should be able to use it as you see fit and they should absolutely get business broadband. It doesn't mean their speed will be better but they should have the product that suits their purpose.

....but they should have the product that suits their purpose.

As far as we all can tell, they do.
Wifi is available. There is no false advertising.
Normal wifi, for that part of the world, is available.
As said previously, if superwidth broadband needs to be available when you are on holiday, then you would make it a priority to check that before you made any decisions about booking.
Overwhelming, people that book cottages by the sea / in the mountains, do so for a relaxing peaceful break and don't tend to need a high speed. In the same way if it is important you can park two cars - you check. If it is important you can walk back from the local pub - you'd check. We all have things that are more or less crucial to us when we book - the crucial ones you check.

I'm surprised that it wasn't mentioned in the advertising information about the cottage. We have booked numerous places with these kind of restrictions in the past (UK and abroad)and its always been clear from the outset. If we know that DH is going to have to do some work when we are on holiday we ask specifically about the broadband before we book. (Though I actually prefer it if there isn't a great connection as it limits how much of our break he can spend working!) It is a bit unfair of the owners not to tell you in advance though, as if you live somewhere with fibre optic broadband you might not be aware of the potential problems that occur in other places.
I agree with those who have said it is likely to be a bandwith/connection speed problem rather than a restriction on data.We don't have fibre broadband in our village and its not good if multiple people in a household are trying to use the internet simultaneously. Its fine under normal circumstances but during lockdown we've had issues as the whole family has been on the internet a lot more. Our connection is good enough for one person to make a video call or stream something, and sometimes we get away with two at once depending on exactly what we're doing, but there are other people in our locality who can't watch Netflix etc at all.
Even if you decide to disregard the request and try to stream films etc you may find that the connection simply isn't good enough so I would be inclined to take some alternative entertainment to be on the safe side. If you are planning to take a laptop or tablet you could download some films, games and music before you go. Is there a DVD player? (Sorry, I can't remember if you said.) If so, you can pick up second hand dvds for very little these days, so maybe buy a few of those. Board games are a good idea too - perhaps some card based games as they don't take up much space, or puzzle books or quiz books? It sounds like you will have internet for other things, just not enough for films etc so you should still becable to access email, social media and so on. Hopefully you will get decent weather and be out and about enough that it won't be too much of an issue. I hope you enjoy your holiday anyway.

This would be a huge issue for us. I hate card games and board games. We did have a similar experience once where they promised wi fi and when we got there it was unusable. We did leave a review saying that afterwards, at least be honest.

@TheMotherofAllDilemmas

I have a friend who has a similar sign for one of his Airbnb sites (houseboats). The reason for it is that the WiFi is not connected to a phone line and has an absolute maximum number of GB you can download a month. If you download movies or videos you can leave the guests visiting on the next 20 days with no access to internet at all.

Is this cottage a bit remote?

^ This is exactly why our holiday let wifi was rationed. The guests the previous week had two teens with them and burned through >75% of the month’s data allowance in the first week. It was in the back of beyond, so not on broadband.

I posted for information and to broaden my understanding .And I've now got lots of information !

It wasn't clear at the booking stage .My DP booked it .I would have investigated more prior to booking if it had been me .I also would not have booked a place where the sleeping arrangement for the third person was a sofa bed in an open plan lounge with an external door and open staircase ..
But that is for another thread .Probably in "relationships"

I'm not interested in justifying why I would prefer to have fast ,reliable internet or why I'd hate thinking we were causing problems for the other cottage or the owners .I just wanted to understand what the situation was as having phoned and asked the owner ,it wasn't clear .

The cottage is on a farm and 2 miles distant from a market town .

Ah OP, my sympathies. I am the only one in this house with a forensic eye for holiday cottage detail. Although I did slip up last year with the Shower In The Spidery Outhouse debacle (to be fair, it was extremely well hidden in the description and reviews)
Internet speed is important to some people and that isn’t a judgment call on how they spend their leisure time. I’m fine with a load of downloaded Kindle books (or even better, a pile of real books) and the wind howling around outside the only noise. Other people in my family don’t spend their down time like that and that’s also ok. If they are coming with me it’s unfair to book the remote cottage with no internet even though it’s my ideal week away.
I hope you manage to find a work-around like a hotspot. Giffgaff do sim only deals, maybe even data only? But your phone provider might well have similar.

Oh Saucery

I’m fine with a load of downloaded Kindle books (or even better, a pile of real books) and the wind howling around outside the only noise

oh that sounds like heaven .Possibly add in driving rain and a fire .

Phone provider will be contacted today .

It doesn’t even need to be rural...we’re in a market town an hour from London and max out at 0.8MPS. You CAN download and stream but don’t expect to sit and watch a show until a couple of hours later. We have 4G dongle for the days it dies completely.

@peridito

Oh Saucery

I’m fine with a load of downloaded Kindle books (or even better, a pile of real books) and the wind howling around outside the only noise

oh that sounds like heaven .Possibly add in driving rain and a fire .

Phone provider will be contacted today .

Are you me? When the Internet Generation has left home and DH has retired so no work emails I will exclusively be holidaying in the arse end of nowhere.

I stumbled on this one once & ruled it out because there is no wifi and no mobile phone signal, but it sounds like it might suit some of you perfectly: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/hemmick-cottage-cornwall?HolidayMapClick=011105

[quote Beigeisthenewblack]I stumbled on this one once & ruled it out because there is no wifi and no mobile phone signal, but it sounds like it might suit some of you perfectly: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/hemmick-cottage-cornwall?HolidayMapClick=011105[/quote]
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/rose-castle-cottage-lake-district
Or this one. Not even a TV. Keep that wood burner going if you want hot water and water may be in short supply at certain times of the year!