I manage properties
Standardize the doors your team hears about most.
Start with one property, not a portfolio. Shield is billed to your owners, and you're paid to administer it.
For property managersNorthern Michigan vacation-rental technology · north of Grayling
A Wi‑Fi outage isn't a complaint. It's a refund.
Airbnb treats loss of internet as a Covered Issue—guests who report it typically get around 30% back, and the review outlasts the refund. JackLine Technologies tests the systems guests actually depend on, fixes what's broken, and documents the rest. Start with one property for $149.
If the audit doesn’t surface at least three fixable issues, there’s no charge. The $149 fee is credited toward approved corrective work booked within 30 days.
Modern rental technology, rooted in a Northern Michigan family legacy.
On-site diagnostic work Room-by-room testing
I own a rental
Know how your rental's technology is supposed to work.
Especially if you're four hours away in January. Documented, tested, and understandable by whoever is closest.
For ownersThe friction
Beautiful property. Avoidable technology problems.
Technology should support the stay—not become the manager's late-night troubleshooting assignment.
01
Wi-Fi works in one room, but not where guests actually use it.
02
Televisions, inputs, remotes, and streaming instructions differ in every property.
03
Devices and accounts have no clear owner—or reliable restart process.
04
Property alerts reach the wrong person, or go untested before winter.
What you actually get
A written scorecard, not an opinion.
Every audit ends in the same document: seven categories, each marked fix-now, plan-it, or holding, with what was measured and what to do about it. Here is a real one.
Redacted from an actual audit. Four bedrooms, lakefront, Northern Michigan.
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Internet source and provider equipment
Plan itModem is owner-supplied and six years old. The provider account is still in a former manager’s name, so no one on site can escalate an outage.
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Wi-Fi coverage and guest network
Fix nowOne router at the front of the house. 240 Mbps at the router, 8–14 Mbps in the bunk room and on the lower deck. No guest network—guests and the owner’s storage share one SSID.
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Backup power and supported failover
Fix nowNo battery backup anywhere. A twenty-minute outage takes down internet, the lock’s Wi-Fi bridge, and the freeze-sensor hub simultaneously.
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Television, streaming, remotes, and instructions
Plan itThree televisions, three different input paths, two remotes missing. The printed instructions describe a soundbar that is no longer installed.
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Entry workflow and backup access review
HoldingSmart lock is current, codes rotate per booking, and the lockbox backup is documented. Batteries changed in January; next change noted for August.
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Freeze, leak, temperature, and device-alert routing
Fix nowFreeze sensor is installed and reporting, but alerts route to an inbox nobody monitors. A test alert sent at the start of the visit was still unread ninety minutes later.
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Accounts, labels, inventory, and recovery documentation
Plan itNo device inventory. Router password on a sticky note behind the television. The cleaner has no restart instructions and has been calling the owner directly.
How it works
Evidence first. Then work. Then a record.
Audit
Test one property under normal conditions and find the actual failure points.
Correct
Approve only the work and equipment the scorecard says the property needs.
Document
Leave a record the owner, manager, and cleaner can all use—then decide about ongoing support.
What it costs
Three steps, priced with clear boundaries.
Hardware, subscriptions, travel, cabling, permits, licensed-trade work, and third-party charges are separate unless a written proposal says otherwise.
Step one
STR Technology Reliability Audit
$149 per property
Credited toward approved corrections booked within 30 days
A 60–90-minute on-site review of everything guests and managers depend on, and a written red/yellow/green scorecard delivered the next business day.
What's includedStep two
Approved Corrections
Quoted from the scorecard
Labor from $249; hardware, permits, and licensed trades separate
You approve only what the audit found. Nothing is sold before it is tested, and no property gets a package it doesn’t need.
What's includedStep three
JackLine Shield
$149 per property, per month
$399 onboarding · $1,639 prepaid annually (eleven months for twelve)
Ongoing support for the owner or manager once the property is documented and working. Optional, and only worth buying after the corrections are done.
What's includedFamily technology legacy
New technology. A familiar Northern Michigan work ethic.
A jackline is the safety line run the length of a boat's deck—the one you clip into so you don't go overboard. It's also what Jack's Telephone Company ran, one line at a time. JackLine Technologies carries forward that standard: show up prepared, solve the real problem, and leave the customer with a system they understand. Founder Kody Bigelow brings more than 15 years of low-voltage and hospitality technology experience to Northern Michigan vacation properties.
Straight answers
Questions people actually ask.
No vague package promises, hidden hardware assumptions, or unsupported guarantees.
How much does a vacation rental Wi-Fi and technology audit cost in Northern Michigan?
A JackLine Technologies on-site audit is $149 per property. It runs 60–90 minutes, covers seven systems, and produces a written red/yellow/green scorecard delivered the next business day. The fee is credited toward approved corrective work booked within 30 days, and if the audit doesn’t surface at least three fixable issues there’s no charge.
Who fixes Wi-Fi and guest technology in Northern Michigan short-term rentals?
JackLine Technologies is a specialized vacation-rental technology service covering Northern Michigan, north of Grayling. Larger projects are considered further afield, including the Upper Peninsula. It is independent of any internet provider, booking platform, or property-management company.
What happens if an Airbnb guest reports the Wi-Fi doesn’t work?
Airbnb treats loss of internet as a Covered Issue under its Rebooking and Refund Policy, so a guest who reports it can receive a partial refund taken from the host payout, and severe amenity disputes can reach a substantial share of the booking. The review usually costs more than the refund. Testing coverage where guests actually sit, separating the guest network, and documenting a restart procedure are the practical defenses.
Does a vacation rental need a separate guest Wi-Fi network?
Yes, in almost every case. A single shared network puts guests on the same segment as the owner’s storage, cameras, and personal devices, and it makes a password change disruptive for everyone. A separate guest network with its own name and password isolates guest traffic and lets credentials be rotated without touching owner equipment.
How do you keep a vacant Northern Michigan rental from freezing in winter?
Freeze and leak sensors only help if three things are true: they have power and connectivity during the outage that usually causes the problem, their alerts route to a named person who is actually available, and that person has documented instructions. Testing the alert path matters more than the sensor. Device alerts supplement professional winterization and insurance—they never replace them.
Does JackLine work in Michigan's Upper Peninsula?
For project work, yes. A full network build, a multi-property install, or a portfolio standard justifies the drive across the bridge — St. Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie, Manistique, Munising, Escanaba, Marquette and between. A single $149 audit does not; routine service stays north of Grayling in the Lower Peninsula. Travel and lodging are quoted in the proposal rather than absorbed.
Should a property manager or the owner pay for rental technology support?
The owner. At typical Northern Michigan rents, a per-door monthly technology plan costs more than most managers net on that door after their management fee, so a manager-paid plan rarely survives the math. JackLine bills ongoing plans to the property owner and pays the manager $20 per enrolled door per month to administer it.