Tag Archive for: business Wi-Fi

3 Signs Your Business Network Cabling System Needs a 2021 Upgrade

Whether your staff is back to working in the office or you’ve been working remotely for months, it’s crucial to have quality network cabling throughout your building for two reasons.

First, businesses usually have a structured cabling setup that supports both onsite and remote workers. Second, we won’t work from home forever; although COVID-19 has made it feel like we’ll never return to the office, we will, and that may be sooner than you expect. You need your network to work for you—not against you, and a big part of that is the cabling.

If you don’t know if your office has the appropriate network cables or not, we’ve got you covered. Here we are going to break down some common signs it’s time to review – and probably upgrade – the state of your business network cabling system.

Mediocre Performance

When you pay for internet service, the provider should share the details of the plan you pay for. Included in your internet plan details will be the download speed you’re paying for and the minimum download speed.

If your internet and network are sluggish at best, there are two possible reasons. First, you might not have the appropriate internet plan for the number of users and devices. Alternatively, your cable infrastructure doesn’t support your download speeds.

Frequent Downtime

Some organizations experience network downtime rather frequently, which isn’t normal. Of course, there are dozens of reasons you might experience a network outage, ranging from the weather to a server issue to someone accidentally unplugging a cable.

Another common cause for network downtime however is insufficient cables. Network cables have changed tremendously over the years, and if you’re still using cables from ages ago, they might not have the capacity your internet requires. Your company can’t afford downtime, and putting rush orders on new cables or maintenance gets expensive. Install high-quality cables carefully or hire a professional cabling company to do it for you to ensure it’s done correctly.

You Have Damaged Cables

There are a shocking number of companies that not only use outdated cables in their business network cabling system, but also use cables that are worn, frayed, or even taped together.

You can’t expect to use cables that are clearly damaged and get a perfect connection in return—it’s not going to happen. While we’d argue that all network cables should be high quality, the cables utilized in a business network cabling system must be. Businesses regularly use network cables, and the cables endure a lot of wear and tear over the years. It’s crucial that your cables and business cabling system are built to last, so you can achieve reliable connections and prevent expensive downtime.

There are numerous signs it’s time to change your network cabling system, but the three we mentioned are the most common signs. If any of them apply to you – or you even think they might – contact us to discuss how we can help you get things up to speed and your business Internet running the way it should.

4 Benefits of Business WiFi That Create a Competitive Advantage

The benefits of offering free WiFi is game-changer for many small businesses. As a small business owner, providing customers with the best experience possible is one of your primary objectives.

You understand that it’s critical to your success. Meeting and exceeding customers needs is what differentiates you from competitors and makes your business stand out.

As an employer, you want your employees to be productive. You want them to have the tools they need to get the job done, the best they can. And in the least amount of time.

Providing both employees and customers with fast, reliable WiFi meets each of the needs and more, and can create a competitive advantage for your small business.

Consider these four impactful benefits of business WiFi for your business to provide increased benefits to your visitors.

Increase Customer Satisfaction

Customers view WiFi access at your business as a necessity. In just a few years in the minds of most consumers, access to free WiFi transformed is no longer a perk, it’s an expectation.

This is particularly in the hospitality industry, where a lack of hotel (or Airbnb) WiFi access is a major deal breaker. For while-you-wait service providers (such as auto mechanics) or other by-appointment businesses (like doctor’s offices, salons, and legal practices), WiFi makes wait times seem shorter and even helps make your customers more comfortable if there are unforeseen delays.

Customers can do the product research in-store, which lets them feel more confident about their purchasing decisions.

Additionally, customer WiFi lets you create some new branding and marketing opportunities. You can create a branded customer portal to deliver coupons, news, customized recommendations, loyalty rewards and more. Along the way, you can collect customer email addresses and data to help you make smarter decisions.

More than merely meeting a common customer expectation, in-store wireless internet access is important because it helps you to connect with your customers, promoting your brand and engaging with them directly. An app providing customers with benefits like a map to products they’re interested in, location-based coupons, or curated recommendations can make for a more personal, meaningful customer experience.

Promote Productivity

Great WiFi in the office is all about increasing productivity. Cloud-based apps make it possible to get work done from just about anywhere and collaborate with partners around the world. The cloud enables you to back up your data securely so you can still access it from anywhere, no matter what happens. These tools can consolidate and streamline your workflow, and because they run on the web they don’t require any installation time.

Another option is to use business WiFi to overhaul your telephone system. Voice over IP (VoIP) and other internet-based communication technologies let you effortlessly route and reroute calls, even if a key member of your team is on the go.

These systems scale up easily for growth, or you can leverage them to take advantage of a distributed team. In case something goes wrong, they offer a high level of redundancy to keep you connected to your customers.

Business WiFi is the backbone of all of these technologies, so you need a solid network to support them.

Boost Employee Satisfaction

One of the best ways to keep employees motivated and engaged is to put them in a position to succeed. You want your team to feel like you’re taking care of them, and if you’ve ever sat staring at a loading screen then you know what a difference a good business WiFi connection makes for your productivity (and your mood).

You want to get work done, not be sitting around waiting to even get started. Help your employees do their jobs better (and with less frustration) with a speedy and reliable WiFi connection.

A wireless network also frees up your team to find the best space for them to focus, whether that’s a quieter space down the hall or the bustling coffee shop next door.

By allowing each employee to find an environment that best suits him or her at a particular time (and with cloud-based collaboration tools, that environment might be home), you increase productivity and employee satisfaction.

Boost Profits

All the above business benefits come hand-in-hand with WiFi. You don’t need expensive equipment or to spend hours to get something up and running to benefit from a great business network. Business WiFi is a smart investment that comes with a significant ROI.

Ready to add a more efficient WiFi system to your business network? Call us today, we’ll help you create and implement the one that’s just right for you, your employees and/or your customers.

Guest WiFi Musts for Would Be Airbnb Superhosts

Airbnb is changing the way people travel, but it is also creating sometimes very lucrative additional incomes for homeowners everywhere, including across Southern California.

As many an experienced Host knows however, it’s the amenities that an Airbnb provides are what makes the guest experience complete and earns you that much coveted Super Host status. And while free coffee and tea, and spa like shampoo sets are nice, there is one amenity that is statistically the most sought after, no matter what the destination.

You guessed it: guest WiFi.

For hosts, guest WiFi is an inexpensive investment which needs very little care or maintenance. For guests, on the other hand, it can be the reason they choose your property over one of your competitors’.

Recently however there have been a number of news stories warning travellers of the dangers of Airbnb WiFi. Therefore, being able to demonstrate that you offer a secure, safe WiFi connection can once gain give you an edge over the competition.

Here is what you can do to ensure cyber security for your Airbnb guests.

Secure Your Network

You don’t need to be a tech expert to secure your WiFi network for incoming guests (although there is no shame in calling one in if you feel more comfortable doing so.)

Here, however are some basics if you want to try it yourself:

Access Your Router Configuration

Before anything else, you will need access to your WiFi router configuration dashboard. To do this, first connect your own device i.e. laptop to the WiFi network using a physical ethernet cable.

Launch your preferred internet browser (we like Google Chrome)

Enter your router’s IP address. It’s likely it will be similar to this: 192.168.0.1

Press enter

A screen will appear asking for the administrator user and password. Input the correct details and hit enter

You’ll now be looking at the configuration dashboard.

Change Router Passwords

One of the easiest, most immediate things you can do to protect guests online is change your router passwords to make it more difficult for others to gain access. Once you’re inside the configuration dashboard, change the password to make it stronger. Use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols, and avoid using common words or personal information.

Change the Network Name

Most routers come with a default name, related to the brand or provider. While changing your preset network name will not necessarily add another level of security for your guests, it will help improve usability and ease when accessing the network. Change the name to something that your guests will easily recognize–such as your vacation rental brand name.

Create an Encrypted Guest Wi-Fi Network

Creating a guest WiFi network will not only limit who can access the internet connection to begin with, but it will also prevent any unauthorized users from entering. This helps to protect guests (and yourself) from hackers or other security risks.

Most routers will allow you to change the keys of the network after every set of guests depart, which will restrict their access so they can’t connect to your WiFi anymore.

You can even go one step further and have the guest WiFi network turn off after a specific time. That way, if you know guests are checking out at 10am, they’ll immediately lose internet access at that time and it may even prompt stragglers to hurry up a little, so that you can send in your cleaning crew to prepare for the next guests.

Connect Smart Devices to the Guest WiFi Network

If you have smart home devices in your vacation rental, connect them to your guest WiFi network instead of your primary network. This helps to reduce the potential damage should one of the devices become compromised in terms of security.

Store Your Router Out of Sight

It only takes one guest to tamper with your router, and they could steal the data of hundreds of other guests and spy on their internet activity. Prevent this from happening by storing away your router in a safe place, out of guest reach. For example, in a locked cupboard or cabinet.

Keep All Firmware Up to Date

It’s important to keep your router up-to-date to maintain the highest levels of security, so be sure to install new firmware whenever it becomes available. Check this by logging into your admin dashboard (the same way as changing the password) to see if new updates are ready to be installed.