Frequently asked questions
Property owners, local businesses, brands and event organisers ask different questions of the same install. Search below, or start with what goes into the unit.
The service
A managed 4G/5G router broadcasting free public WiFi, a captive portal that promotes local businesses and paid advertisers to everyone who connects, and a printed display in the window. Optional cameras and environmental sensors run on the same router. Everything is monitored 24/7 from our console and supported by our team.
No. The router connects to the strongest mobile network at the address, so there is no line to order and no wayleave. It needs a standard power socket and nothing is fixed to the fabric of the building. Install is usually done in a single short visit.
That is the last thing we want. Viewings carry on exactly as before, the space stays clear, and the window looks cared for rather than abandoned. The WiFi is often a small plus on a viewing. When you find a tenant we remove the kit within days, or leave the WiFi running for them while their own line is on order.
Terms are agreed in writing before anything goes in, and there is nothing to pay before the unit is live. What you pay depends on the property and which extras you take: cameras, sensors, extra coverage for large floors, or keeping the WiFi after letting are priced separately and quoted up front.
Yes. The client dashboard shows each unit's status, uptime and WiFi usage, and we keep a record of what ran in the window and on the portal. If a router drops offline we are alerted, and so are you.
They are available on any install rather than fitted as standard. Cameras sit on a private, password-protected network separate from the public WiFi, with remote access for you and your agent. Moisture and temperature sensors suit unheated or at-risk units. Ask at the site check or add them later.
Retail, office, industrial and mixed-use units anywhere in the UK, from a single shop to a portfolio. The main practical test is mobile signal at the address, which we check before we quote. We will tell you plainly if a unit does not suit.
Often, yes, with your landlord's agreement. The same install works in leased space and can be a useful conversation to open at renewal or when floors sit empty. Talk to us and we will help you frame it.
Advertising
Independent local businesses. Apply once with your details and the area you trade in, and we match you to vacant windows nearby as they come up. We design and print the window display and add you to the WiFi portal at no cost.
The screen people see when they join a free WiFi network, before they get online. On VacatAd WiFi that screen carries local businesses and paid advertisers, with a link straight to the advertiser's page. It runs on every VacatAd router, so a placement can be one street or the whole network.
No. The window is a printed display we design, print and install. Digital advertising on VacatAd runs on the WiFi captive portal, not on a screen in the glass. LED and SMD shopfront screens exist as a different product; they need power, mounting and a longer install, and they do not come out in two days when a tenant signs. Empty units need something that goes in without works and comes out cleanly, which is why the window is print and the digital half is the portal.
You choose where: a town, a postcode, a single street or the whole network. We run your creative in the window, on the portal, or both, for the period you book. Monthly terms, a quote up front, and a campaign report from the routers: sites and dates, WiFi sessions, portal views of your placement, and clicks after people connected.
Paid campaigns include a written report for the booking: which units carried you and when, confirmation the window was live, WiFi sessions at those sites, how many times your portal placement was shown on the connect screen, clicks through after people joined, and router uptime for the period. The numbers come from the equipment, not a pavement count. Independents on the free tier are told which windows carried them. There is no advertiser login; we send the report.
Yes. The network name people see when they open their WiFi settings can carry your brand, at every site or in a chosen area. It is a distinctive placement and it works alongside the portal.
For free local placements, days from approval of the design, subject to a vacant window near you. Paid campaigns are scheduled to your dates.
WiFi services
Yes. The same managed 4G/5G routers work in marquees, site cabins, pop-ups and short lets. Tell us where, when and roughly how many people; we configure it, deliver it and collect it when you are done. Days or months, no long contract.
Each router covers up to 10,000 square feet and comfortably handles a room of people browsing, paying and streaming. Large crowds or heavy uploads need more than one device or a different approach, and we will tell you honestly which before we quote.
Both. A branded portal shows your logo and colours on the connect screen and can include a sign-up form, a survey or a mailing-list tick box, with a privacy notice so the data is collected properly. Or choose plain WiFi with no portal at all.
A quote within a working day, and kit on site within days. Small jobs can be posted with a return label.
Empty property rates
A tax on non-domestic property in England and Wales, based on the rateable value set by the Valuation Office Agency multiplied by a government multiplier. It is normally paid by the occupier; when a property is empty, liability falls on the owner.
In England, most commercial property gets a short relief period when it becomes empty (three months, or six for industrial), after which full rates are payable. A property that comes back into genuine use for at least thirteen weeks, then falls empty again, starts a fresh relief period.
While our service is running the property is in real, commercial use, and that matters for how it is treated. Many owners see holding costs fall as a result. Each billing authority decides how it treats each property, so we assess every unit first and do not guarantee outcomes.
Yes. We notify the billing authority when we take a unit and describe the service plainly. We keep records of the equipment's uptime and usage, what ran on the portal and in the window, and which businesses were promoted, for the whole period.
No. There is a business running in the unit: advertising is sold and displayed, WiFi is used by the public, and live equipment is monitored throughout. We think an empty unit should be doing something useful, and that is what we install.
Still have questions?
Tell us about the unit, the campaign or the event and we will give you a straight answer.