Recently there has been an explosion in the numbers of mobile wireless devices requiring access to the internet using Wi-Fi. This includes Apple’s iPhones and iPads, the Samsung Galaxy smartphone, Amazon’s Kindle, WHSmith’s Kobo, Blackberry’s Playbook and the Sony Tablet not to mention all the laptops that are currently available. This all means that there is an ever increasing need for people to be able to connect to the internet wirelessly wherever they are and whenever they want. There is a need for more Wi-Fi hotspots.
Knowing this enables you to offer your customers a differentiated service when they are visiting your premises. This is especially significant if you are running a dentist or doctor’s surgery or are a vet, a hairdresser, a solicitor, have a car dealerships or while-u-wait garage, run a hotel, restaurant, guest house, bed & breakfast, pub or bar, a leisure centre, a conference centre or own a shop. Have you ever considered that by enabling your customers to access the internet using their mobile wireless devices while they are at your premises or while they are waiting to be seen provides an important additional benefit? Have you ever considered turning your premises into a Wi-Fi hotspot?
Alternatively perhaps you have a regular office where you get relatively few visitors but when guests do visit they will still want wireless access to the internet. Or perhaps your employees want access for their personal mobile wireless devices? Turning your office into a Wi-Fi hotspot can be viewed as an additional benefit by your employees and therefore help with staff retention.
Providing superior levels of service to your customers, visitors or even your employees differentiates your business in an industry that has been slow to embrace the wireless revolution. However providing wireless access in your business via a Wi-Fi hotspot is not as simple as buying a cheap wireless access point from Amazon and plugging it into your network. Consider the following points:
- You are responsible for the content that is downloaded from the internet using your internet connection and your equipment.
- If a visitor or customer has access to your wireless network, do they have access to your corporate network?
- If a visitor or customer has your wireless password saved in their mobile wireless device, can they access the internet using your network whenever they are in range?
Therefore to provide a Wi-Fi hotspot to your customers or guests, you need the following:
- Content filtering in place to control what can be downloaded from the internet.
- Segregation between your guest traffic and your internal corporate traffic to protect your corporate data.
- To be able to provide ad hoc access to your wireless network to guests as and when required while at the same time limiting access to a predefined time period.
avecSys works in partnership with ZyXEL to deliver these solutions. ZyXEL is a leading provider of complete broadband access solutions and their solutions boast the latest, hottest networking features such as Triple Play, Quality of Service (QoS), network security and network management.
- Andy Woolhead, UK & Ireland Channel Account Manager for ZyXEL.
We provide content filtering using the ZyWALL USG (Unified Security Gateway) series of secure firewalls. This “third generation” ZyWALL provides greater performance protection as well as deep packet inspection security for small businesses. It embodies a Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) Firewall, Anti-Virus, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDP), Content Filtering, Anti-Spam, and VPN (IPSec/SSL/L2TP) in one box. This multilayered security safeguards your company’s data, intellectual property, and critical resources from external and internal threats. The ZyWALL USG firewall also protects your internal network from guests connected to your Wi-Fi hotspot
Ad hoc wireless access to the internet is provided using the ZyXEL N4100 all-in-one wireless hotspot gateway. The N4100 works with the SP-300E printer to generate and print tickets with a unique username and password for each guest to connect to the internet with. The printer has 3 buttons, each can be configured to provide different levels of wireless access. For example one button could provide 1 hour of access, the second could provide 12 hours of access and the third 24 hours. When a button a pressed the printer prints off a slip for the customer (see example opposite). This slip provides the customer with a unique username and password,shows the length of time they can connect for and any costs involved.
When customers connects to the internet, they are taken to a web page to enter their username and password shown on the printout. This website is totally customisable to fit in with your branding, colour scheme, etc. The ZyXel N4100 has a built-in website which allows you to monitor access including who is connected, how long they have been connected for and how long they have left.
This solution is totally scalable as more wireless access points can be added to provide greater wireless coverage. This solution provides access for up to 200 simultaneous users and it is very secure, preventing unauthorised users from accessing your internet. It is very easy to use requiring no staff training to operate.
ZyXEL wireless access points are used in a vast number of hospitality environments and provide fast wireless access of up to 300Mbps with 802.11n wireless technology.
- Nick Greaves - Sales Director, Akkeron Hotels
Using the ticket printer with unique usernames and passwords for each guest enables you to charge for wireless internet access thereby providing an additional revenue stream. Alternatively if you would like to provide this service to your guests but do not want to initial outlay you can charge for access until the system has been paid for and then provide it free of charge. Combine this with ZyXEL’s 0% finance and there really isn’t any excuse not to start providing this valuable service to your guests, customers and employees.
Prices start from a little as £1000 for this complete solution. To obtain a quote either call Phil now on 01525 308608 or email him at phil@avecsys.com
