Key points
- The guest wants to be online in the next few minutes. For many of them it is not about Netflix.
- Write these down once per apartment. If you host several units in one building, most of it is the same for all of them.
- The first reply is almost always the "let me check" version, because it contains the steps that fix most cases.
On this page
"The wifi is not working" is the most common problem message a short-term rental host receives, and in most cases nothing is broken. The guest typed the password wrong, joined the neighbour's network, or the router has been on for ninety days and needs thirty seconds off. The reply that solves it is not clever. It is specific, in the right order, and sent fast. This page gives you that reply and the facts you need on file to send it.
What the guest actually wants
The guest wants to be online in the next few minutes. For many of them it is not about Netflix. It is a call with the office in another timezone, a child's homework, a video call home, or checking in for tomorrow's flight. They are worried that you will take hours to answer, that the fix will involve waiting for a technician, and that the whole stay will be like this.
So the first reply should land fast, assume nothing is broken yet, and walk them through the two or three steps that fix most cases. Tone matters: calm and practical, no apology spiral, no technical lecture.
Questions to answer for yourself first
Write these down once per apartment. If you host several units in one building, most of it is the same for all of them.
| Fact | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The exact network name and password | Including capitals, zeros versus the letter O, and spaces. A photo of the router label in the house guide saves half of all wifi messages. |
| Where the router is and what the lights mean | "Under the TV, the small white box. Green light means fine, red means no internet." |
| How to restart it | Unplug the power cable for thirty seconds, plug it back in, wait two minutes. Say the two minutes; guests give up after twenty seconds. |
| Who the provider is and how to report an outage | In Thailand, the provider's app or LINE account often shows outages by area. Know your account number. |
| Is there a backup? | A mobile hotspot in the drawer, a prepaid SIM, the cafe downstairs. Even one option turns a bad hour into a small inconvenience. |
| What speed did you promise? | If the listing says "fast wifi for work", guests will test it. Know what the line actually delivers. |
One more decision: who can go to the apartment if a restart does not fix it, and how soon. A cleaner nearby who can be at the door within an hour is worth more than a technician who arrives tomorrow.
Three replies you can paste
The first reply is almost always the "let me check" version, because it contains the steps that fix most cases. No greeting; they already said hello when they arrived.
Let me help you get back online. Two quick things first. The network is TOWER_1204_5G and the password is on the sticker on the router under the TV, it has a zero not the letter O. If that does not work, unplug the router's power cable, wait thirty seconds, plug it back in and give it two full minutes. Tell me what the light does and I will take it from there.
Great, glad you are back online. If it drops again, the restart usually does it. Sorry for the hassle, and enjoy the evening.
I have checked and the provider has an outage in this area right now. They expect it back within a few hours. In the meantime there is a mobile hotspot in the top drawer of the desk, already charged, the password is on the back. The cafe on the ground floor also has good wifi. I will message you the moment the line is back.
If you have no backup and no outage information, be honest: "I cannot fix this from here. I have asked someone to come and check the router this afternoon and will tell you when they are on the way."
Mistakes hosts make
A password nobody can read. The number one cause. If your password has an uppercase I, a lowercase l, a zero or an O, change it to something unambiguous, and put a clear photo of it in the house guide.
Sending a technician before a restart. A restart fixes most cases. Ask the guest to do it first, with the two minute wait spelled out.
Guessing the cause. "Maybe the building has a problem" sounds like a shrug. Check the provider's status, then say what you know.
No backup. A hotspot in a drawer costs little and turns an outage into a non-event.
Overpromising speed. "Fast wifi for remote work" invites a speed test. State a number you have measured, or say "good for calls and streaming" and nothing more.
Slow replies. A wifi message answered after two hours arrives when the call is over. The fix is simple, so the reply should be fast.
How Tokay handles it
Wifi is one of the questions every guest asks, so it is part of Tokay's setup from the first call. You say the network name, the password, where the router is and how to restart it, in plain sentences, once. Pam, the front desk agent, then answers wifi questions in the guest's own language at any hour, with the exact steps in the right order. That includes the restart instructions and the two minute wait, which is the part guests usually skip.
If the first steps do not work, or the guest sounds frustrated, Pam does not keep guessing. Anything upset or unusual comes to you first. If a fact is missing, for example you never told it where the router is, it asks you rather than inventing a location.
When a visit is needed, Sam, the operations agent, is the one that keeps the cleaning brief current and reaches cleaners and contractors on LINE, so the person who goes to the apartment has the context. Tokay does not fix routers; it gets the guest the right steps fast and gets the right person moving when steps are not enough.
Questions hosts ask
What should the first wifi reply contain?
The exact network name, where the password is and any confusing characters, and the restart steps with a thirty second unplug and a two minute wait. Ask the guest to report what the router light does. That one message resolves most wifi complaints without anyone visiting.
Should I give guests a backup?
Yes, if you can. A charged mobile hotspot in a drawer, or a prepaid SIM, is cheap compared with one bad review from a remote worker. If you cannot, know the nearest cafe with reliable wifi and say it in the outage reply.
What if the guest says it is slow, not broken?
Ask what they are trying to do and on how many devices. Suggest the 5 GHz network if the router has one, and a restart. Then be honest about what the line delivers. If the listing promised more than it gives, fix the listing; that is the only way to stop the complaint repeating. See also "something is broken": from guest message to fixed.