Guest Wi-Fi is widely used in offices today. Many companies offer free Wi-Fi access to clients or visitors of their company’s premises. It can be a good way to keep customers happy with easy and fast access to their data, as well as keeping your main staff network secure and isolated from cyber threats. Today we will talk about the top 5 reasons for implementing guest Wi-Fi for your business or home office.
Guest Wi-Fi Security
By providing a separate guest network, you can keep your main network and its devices isolated from potential security threats that may be introduced by guests. Guests often have devices that may not be adequately protected or may unknowingly access malicious websites, so segregating their traffic helps protect your primary network and sensitive data from cyber threats. This separation ensures that guests cannot access your private files, shared drives, printers, or other resources on your main network.
By enabling guest network isolation, also known as client isolation or guest mode, devices connected to the guest network cannot communicate directly with each other, adding an extra layer of security.
Wi-Fi Bandwidth Management
Something business owners may not think about is bandwidth management on a wireless network. Setting up a guest Wi-Fi network enables you to control and limit the amount of bandwidth allocated to guests. By restricting their access, you can ensure that your primary network’s performance and speed are not adversely affected by guests’ heavy usage.
You should implement traffic shaping techniques to control the flow of data and optimize bandwidth usage by prioritizing or throttling specific types of traffic based on predefined rules and reserve a certain portion of your available bandwidth exclusively for critical devices or applications. This can be done on your primary Wi-Fi network as well. By setting restrictions and rules for your Wi-Fi networks, you can ensure a smooth experience for your staff and guests.
Convenience for Guests
Providing a guest network demonstrates hospitality and convenience for visitors. They can easily connect to the internet without needing to ask for your main network’s password, which can be especially helpful in situations where guests may need internet access for work, communication, or entertainment purposes.
Visitors who connect to the Internet via a device other than your own will be able to communicate more easily with each other. This means you may get feedback from them about your products and services, which could lead to repeat visits or referrals for future business as well.
Monitoring, Control, & Analytics
By setting up a separate guest network, you can implement monitoring and access controls specific to guest users. This allows you to track their usage, apply content filtering or parental controls if needed, and maintain a higher level of control over guest activities. You can also reveal powerful metrics such as visitor capture rate, user visit time, and repeat visits by listening for wireless devices on your guest Wi-Fi. This information can be extremely beneficial with marketing, sales, and general analytics.
Network performance optimization
Segregating guest traffic helps optimize network performance for your primary users. When guests connect to a separate network, it reduces congestion on your main network, ensuring that your own devices and applications have the necessary bandwidth for smooth operation. You can also identify which applications are being used on the network, and then prioritize critical apps while limiting recreational apps.
Guest Wi-Fi Conclusion
If your business doesn’t already have guest Wi-Fi implemented, contact Pennyrile Technologies today to get started. We work with all of the major manufacturers including Ubiquiti Unif Access Points, Meraki MR/CW Access Points, Aruba Instant On, and more. We can also help optimize existing guest wireless networks, implement monitoring and filtering, ensure best security practices, or help with visitor metrics.
