Before we talk about best practices for setting up a guest network, we need to talk about why you need a guest network for your business.
Guest networks allow your company to segment its internet usage, meaning that employees and customers can access the internet without giving customers access to internal files stored on your server. Segmenting your networks can also help lessen the damage from a malware or ransomware attack. For instance, if a customer comes in and doesn’t know that they have malware on their computer, it can spread to the other devices connected to the network. Having a guest network could limit the damage by stopping the spread to users on the main Wi-Fi signal.
Hardware Placement
Access points are an integral part of successful guest Wi-Fi networks because they can increase the area your Wi-Fi connection can cover. One common misconception about access point placement is that they need to cover your entire office, restaurant, or warehouse. When in reality, you should focus on areas where your customers congregate like a dining area, waiting room, or office space.
Keep Up With Maintenance
Wi-Fi networks that are left unmaintained can give slow service to users, or worse it could allow cybercriminals to gain access to your devices. To combat this, you should plan to perform maintenance like updating your firmware regularly and checking for updates every month. Another great tip to limit malware is to reduce your guests’ access to unsafe websites. By doing this you’re lowering the chances that your guests will bring malware onto your network.
Use a Captive Portal
Captive portals are web pages where new guests on a wifi network are routed to before they are allowed to access the network. If you’ve ever used public wifi at a restaurant, waiting room, or cafe, then you’ve probably used a captive portal before!
Use the captive portal to insert a terms of service agreement, setting guidelines for customers who decide to use your guest network so that your company isn’t liable for what they decide to do while online.
CUSITech provides a single point of contact to manage the planning, surveying, installation, and implementation of these projects with our nationwide skilled W2 technicians, so you can hit go-live dates on time and on budget. Give us a visit today: https://cusitech.com
