Our customers tell us we’re genuinely different to other IT companies.
Get in touch today to find out more.
Or call us today on 01225 426 800
Providing customers and clients with guest Wi-Fi access has become ‘the norm’ in recent years. In fact, a recent survey found that 53% of respondents were highly unlikely to return to a hotel if their Wi-Fi fails to meet expectations.
Most guests also said that they wouldn’t stay at venues that charge users to access the guest network.
Whilst a free guest Wi-Fi network would have given you a competitive edge 10 years ago, it’s now an expectation.
If you don’t have a guest Wi-Fi solution in place, it could be holding you back.
In this blog, we look at 5 things to consider to provide great guest Wi-Fi for your customers and clients.
Providing visitors with access to your main network is never a good idea. Whilst they’re unlikely to do anything malicious, they could have a virus on their machine that inadvertently spreads to your system.
Or they may accidentally cause a conflict with your server.
Most Wi-Fi systems now let you keep visitors on their own independent network whilst sharing your internet connection. If anything malicious happens on your guest Wi-Fi network, your main network is protected.
You might also want to ask visitors to sign or accept a user agreement which sets out your expectations.
Technology has become incredibly intuitive, especially when devices can see other devices connected to the same network. This feature can enable users to access each other’s hard drives and file libraries.
But don’t let this put you off providing a guest network.
This is a very easy fix. All you need to do is switch on ‘Client Isolation’ (also known as Wireless Isolation or AP Isolation) in your guest network settings. This will also stop viruses from spreading from machine to machine.
In smaller buildings, a single wireless access point and a couple of signal boosters can be all that’s needed. But if your guest Wi-Fi network needs to cover a larger area, it’s important that your network can ‘self-heal’ if one of your access points breaks.
Most business-grade Wi-Fi systems form a mesh between all Wi-Fi antennas. This means that if one disconnects, the mesh uses signals from elsewhere to ensure there isn’t suddenly a coverage blackspot.
It’s always worth keeping a spare onsite too just in case.
This is best left to your IT provider.
They will be able to help you to decide if your wireless network needs to be b/g/n, ac, single or dual band and where the antennas should be placed for best performance.
This factor gets overlooked more often than you’d think.
It’s great to have a top-level Wi-Fi system, but if your internet speed is poor then you’re no better off.
When investing in your network, you should always take the time to explore your options for internet access and speed.
With so many options to choose from, it can be overwhelming, but we can help clients choose the right one for them.
We hope these tips help when thinking about a guest Wi-Fi system for your hotel, shop, school, office or restaurant!
Guest Wi-Fi is a business essential nowadays. Not only from a customer experience point of view but also from a cybersecurity perspective.
It’s also important to ensure you have the right infrastructure to support a guest network and that your users are protected.
And PLEASE, don’t give your guests
Over the years, the Systemagic Team has designed and installed many Wi-Fi systems for a variety of organisations, including schools, hotels, warehouses and business suites.
If you’d like to explore your Wi-Fi options, our friendly team are always happy to chat.
Feel free to give us a call on 01225 426800 or email us at info@systemagic.co.uk.