With more than 80% of the world’s population exclusively using smartphones currently, we’re a generation of internet users. Is it any surprise that we expect access to the internet everywhere we go, even if we don’t have a 4G or 5G mobile phone? What’s the purpose of having garlic bread if you can’t post a picture of it on Instagram? That’s what your customers at the café are thinking right now!
Why Should You Offer Wi-Fi to Your Guests?
People are quite busy. Checking in for flights, fetching banking data, or reacting to crucial emails doesn’t need to be stationary; you can accomplish all of these things while on the go. When it comes to café owners, not providing Wi-Fi to their customers might estrange a large group of freelancers who are willing to leave the comfort of their own homes for a cup of coffee and a quick refresh of their social media feeds.
Several coffee shops enjoy being a hotspot for Flexi-workers, providing big workplaces, outlets, and a dependable Wi-Fi connection. Providing clients access to a basic Wi-Fi or Swoop Broadband is important, even if you operate a more conventional café.
How Can You Set Up Wi-Fi for Your Guests at the Café?
There are a number of solutions available, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, depending on your company’s budget and the urgency with which you want Wi-Fi to be installed.
You may use your Wi-Fi router to allow customers to connect to the internet.
At their own risk, café owners may allow clients to connect to their network using their own devices. However, this is the riskiest alternative. As a result, it presents a security risk to your café that your insurance policy may not cover. Due to the very few people that this system may serve, it will always be sluggish and unstable.
Even though it’s not suggested, café owners should change the security settings on their router to WPA2- Personal security at the very least if they must use their own equipment as a temporary solution. Customers on the network will be unable to view any network activity as a result of this.
Configure the router for your guest network by purchasing a new one and setting it up.
In order to provide Wi-Fi to a large number of consumers and employees at the same time, you’ll need a router that’s capable of handling a lot of traffic. Make sure that your internet connection is strong enough to process card payments and use your EPoS’s cloud features to run a successful café. You must provide many high-speed internet access points to ensure that none of these things are compromised.
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind while purchasing:
- Select a router of the appropriate business class that enables you to set up several access points (APs)
- Inquire as to how the router supports many SSIDs (Service Set Identifier) so that you may set up several Wi-Fi networks.
- To establish different security methods for each ID, get a router with a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) with your SSIDs.
To Sum Up
A wireless network is a vital component of small businesses like a café nowadays. Leveraging this extensive network through guest Wi-Fi is a unique approach to demonstrating your empathy for your visitors.
