Your guest wifi supplier should be the expert in their field. They should also be guiding you and proposing a guest wifi system that is setup accordingly to your sites requirements.
What if you don’t know what your sites guest wifi setup requirements are?
A lot of accommodation managers don’t and there’s nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to be an expert in guest wifi to make an educated decision about the end outcome.
However, there are a few key points to be aware of which may help you decide which supplier to engage and procure their guest wifi system and services.
There are two main system setup configurations to be aware of:
- Multiple *SSID’s – where every unit or room has their own secure network name If you have 20 units, there will be 20 unique network names.
- Single SSID – where the complex has one signal and one password for the whole site.
*SSID stands for Service Set Identifier and is your networks name. If you open the list of wifi networks on your laptop or phone, you’ll see a list of SSID’s.
We get asked this a lot and thought we would clarify it for you. Below is a list of pro’s and con’s for both guest wifi system setups.
Multiple SSID’s Pros
- Secure Network within the unit or room – each unit and room has its own unique password – like what you have at home.
- Foxtel iQ is easy to setup and install
- Secure casting to televisions – easy to plug in a Chromecast and have them work immediately so people can watch their own subscriptions without having to enter their login details onto the television
- Easy and seamless connectivity of all wireless devices – any wifi device can connect easily as they do at home
- Guests can bring Smart displays and speakers eg: Google Home and connect them easily
- No need for expensive casting solutions as normal Google Chromecast and TV’s with built in casting devices work out of the box
- Wireless printers can be used on the network
- File sharing on the network between devices
Multiple SSID’s Cons
- Not a roaming system – the signal connectivity is contained to the unit and nearby areas
- Initial configuration is more time consuming and more complex to set up by the supplier, so may cost more
- A separate signal and password for common areas is required
Single SSID Pro’s
- Easier for the supplier to configure and setup (may be a cheaper price)
- Foxtel iQ easy to setup and install
- Roaming signal across the complex
- One password for all units or rooms
Single SSID Con’s
- Guests can’t bring Smart displays and speakers eg: Google Home. The isolation requirements for this type of network makes the setup fail.
- Built in casting devices in SmartTV’s do not work on these networks
- Requires expensive subscriptions to casting solutions to work around this system setup
- Can’t network in the unit with others due to isolation of devices
- Unable to bring wireless printers and use them on the network
- Unable to file share through the wifi network
- One password for everyone – easy for it to be handed to external people
Your guests want a seamless guest wifi journey and they also want to be secure and know that what they do at home, they can do at your site.
Choosing a guest wifi system can be stressful and something you will have for numerous years. I hope that the above has helped outline a few key areas to help make your decision easier.
Judy Senn Director, Time Out Internet www.timeoutinternet.com
