If you own or manage a small office, restaurant, salon, studio, etc. — you most likely have noticed the high demand for free WiFi access. In today\u2019s must-be-connected 24\/7 world, it is very important to keep your customers, guests and employees connected and it can easily be done by giving out your WiFi password. This has become a common practice with little thought that you are actually giving them access to much more than just the internet!<\/p>\n
If\u00a0you wish there were a way to give them access to the internet but not other things on your network (like shared storage, security cameras, and printers), then you should consider offering a WiFi guest network for your business.<\/p>\n
Simply stated, a wireless guest network is a portion of your company\u2019s WiFi network that\u2019s set up to be used by temporary visitors. Within this sub-network (which is configured through your wireless router or access points), your guests are able to enjoy full internet connectivity without being able to access your internal network information. You may not have had much to worry about<\/p>\n
Some people may not realize the guest network feature is an option for them. Others can\u2019t think of any reasons why they\u2019d want to use a guest network instead of just giving their guests full access to their main WiFi network (network security, anybody?).<\/p>\n
In reality, there are many folks out there who should be offering a separate guest network for their visitors, and are leaving themselves vulnerable without one.<\/p>\n
The main advantage of adding a guest network is the increased security it offers. By separating the network in this manner, you can control who has access to your company\u2019s network of computers, servers, storage appliances, and printers.<\/p>\n
With a guest network, not only are you protecting confidential company information from prying eyes, you\u2019re also protecting your entire network from potential infection by viruses or malware that may be concealed on your guests\u2019 devices. And lately, there is a new trend of tech savvy people taking over your smart TVs and wireless printers to create viral pranks.<\/p>\n
Deploying a wireless guest network for visiting clients, customers, and vendors allows you to keep your primary network\u2019s password a secret. With a guest network, you can easily change the password and will only need to update guests on the changes as needed.
\nFurthermore, guests\u2019 passwords are cached differently and won\u2019t give them permanent access like a cached standard WiFi password allows.<\/p>\n
Depending on how your guest network is implemented, you may be able to establish different levels of access and parental controls for your guest network than the ones used on your main wireless network.<\/p>\n
This feature will help filter content and ensure your visitors (both young and old!) aren\u2019t checking out any inappropriate websites.<\/p>\n
A WiFi guest network allows you to limit the internet resources available to visitors. Instead of distributing the same priority in bandwidth to your guests, it makes more sense to regulate the guest network to a speed that provides reasonable access without affecting the network performance available to your employees.<\/p>\n