For years, the best practice for protecting your business WiFI from unwanted users was a password. Even guest WiFi networks were password-protected to block non-customers from accessing the web on the company’s dime. Times and technology have changed, and so have your customers’ expectations when it comes to WiFi. Below are the top three reasons why password-protected WiFi is outdated and what you can do to bring your free guest WiFi into the modern age.
WiFi Passwords Don’t Always Keep You Secure
You use a WiFi password because of the general concept that it keeps your network safe and secure. However, that could not be farther from the truth. Password-protected WiFi is useful for keeping out unwanted users from initially getting into your network, but after handing out your password to a guest, your network is free game.
Check out this great piece explaining how giving out your WiFi password is the equivalent to giving guests the keys to your store.
Read more: Why You Should Never Give Your WiFi Password to Guests
To truly keep your WiFi secure while guests use your network, consider using a social WiFi platform. More specifically, look at implementing a platform that keeps your back-house network secure by creating a separate hotspot to be used by your guests.
Whatever social WiFi platform you use, make sure it also keeps your WiFi guests protected from one another by isolating devices that sign-in to your guest hotspot. This extra layer of security can help prevent unwanted users from attempting to hack into other WiFi devices, thus adding security to all aspects of your guest WiFi use.
WiFi Passwords Waste Staff Time
Time is money, so if your brick-and-mortar staff is running around the store providing the WiFi password to guests, you’re losing money.
This is especially true for restaurants and eateries that provide password-protected WiFi. Waiting tables requires serving staff to spend every second ensuring that guests are enjoying their dining experience. If your staff is running to the back office and back to their tables to give out a password, other needs for your guests could be placed on the wayside. Stop having your staff worry about handing out a password and start looking for a way guests can easily access your network.
A social WiFi platform not only provides extra security for your WiFi network, but it also allows your WiFi guests to easily access the network through what is called a captive portal system. A captive portal is an initial sign-in page that appears on a guest’s device before they can access your WiFi. Once WiFi users sign in by through their social media, email, or phone number, they can begin using your WiFi in seconds.
Basic Password-Protected WiFi Doesn’t Interact With Guests
You started providing guest WiFi to help encourage more customers to shop at your establishment. You spent time and money to set up your network … but you’re not exactly sure how many more customers guest WiFi has generated. Worse, your basic guest WiFi provides guests with the ability to connect to the web but doesn’t do much else. If your customers are more than willing to interact with your WiFi network, why not upgrade your WiFi so that it interacts back with them?
Download the “Turn Up Revenue & Engagement with Guest WiFi” eBook
Using a social WiFi platform is also key to interacting with your WiFi guests. An intuitive social WiFi will redirect guests to a website page of your choosing after they have signed in and can encourage guests to like and follow your social media accounts. You can launch email marketing campaigns through social WiFi to send out personalized and informative messages to keep your guests coming back.
Are you tired of using a password to keep your WiFi secure? Do you wish that your guest WiFi was simpler to access without having to lose necessary security? GoZone WiFi is here to help. Our Smart WiFi platform helps you do away with the age-old WiFi password while still helping to keep both you and your WiFi guests safe and secure. Our platform also allows you to start engaging more with your guests — by providing a branded captive portal page as well as marketing capabilities all through your guest WiFi.
