If you’re a business owner, you may be debating leaving your business’s Wi-Fi connection open to the public. Offering wireless access provides associates and visitors with a reliable connection.

Although cell phone carriers cover most of the nation’s populated regions with wireless 4G internet access, Wi-Fi connections can provide lightning-fast speeds and aren’t subject to usage limits. Best of all, Wi-Fi covers areas where 4G access isn’t available, and it takes care of tablets, laptops, and mobile devices that aren’t compatible with 4G.

Stay tuned to learn about the benefits of offering free Wi-Fi. 

Advantages of Offering Free Wi-Fi

Increase customer satisfaction

One of the primary benefits of offering free Wi-Fi is happier guests. Think about it: you’re giving them a “freebie” that rewards them for choosing your business. You’re a hero to guests with limited mobile data.

By connecting to your free Wi-Fi, they can scroll through social media without waiting for pictures to load, watch unlimited videos, and open emails with large attachments. Your esteemed guests won’t need to worry about maxing out their data allowance. Don’t forget to promote your free Wi-Fi with eye-catching signage!

Attract large groups

Adding free Wi-Fi to your business will attract big, working groups: from organizations looking for a spot to do some planning after work, to office teams excited to go off-site after a long day at work. If these groups know that your restaurant or bar has free Wi-Fi, they’ll grab their tablets and laptops and get to work (if they’re workaholics, that is).

Boost your business during slow hours

Many business owners miss out on the perks of offering free Wi-Fi because they don’t want to attract loitering guests. However, if your restaurant or coffee shop is slow in the afternoon, is that “loiterer” really hurting your business?

Conversely, if your venue is usually packed, limit free Wi-Fi usage to an hour or two using a third-party access control software. Some establishments print their Wi-Fi password on the customer’s receipt; this works well if you run a coffee shop, pub, or deli. The benefit of running your connection this way is that customers must buy food or drinks before they can access it.

Follow our three tips to maximize the perks of offering free Wi-Fi below.

3 Tips to Make the Most out of Your Business’s Wi-Fi Connection

1. Set up a Dedicated Internet Connection

The advantages of offering free Wi-Fi could be lost—along with customer confidence—if you don’t set up a separate connection for public use. Sadly, hackers target public Wi-Fi connections because they know that many restaurants don’t have a separate one. A nefarious hacker can steal your customers’ credit card information.

Rule of thumb: if your business accepts credit cards, you need to have a different internet connection for public use. Besides, the Payment Card Industry (PCI) mandates that companies have separate networks to process credit cards. Setting up a different connection is the easiest and most secure way to meet the PCI’s standards.

2. Always Go High-Speed

You deserve all the perks of offering free Wi-Fi, so don’t skimp on speed. Nothing compares to the joy of discovering a free Wi-Fi connection; on the other hand, it’s disappointing to find out it runs at a snail’s pace! You’re better off not offering Wi-Fi if it’s sluggish. Ask your internet service provider for the speediest internet. Unlike cellular data plans, there aren’t data limits when it comes to internet service.

3. Add a Captive Portal

Hotels and airports know the advantages of offering free Wi-Fi. If you’ve traveled recently, you probably connected to their free Wi-Fi. Do you remember a pop-up welcome screen when you tried to join their network? This welcome screen is a captive portal, which asks you to accept the terms of use before you can browse.

A captive portal protects your business’s Wi-Fi connection by outlining standards of use that a user must accept before they can enjoy it. After all, you don’t want to be liable for a guest’s irresponsible online behavior!

Another advantage of offering free Wi-Fi is being able to promote your business shamelessly. Use your connection’s captive portal webpage to highlight menu items or events. Most guests don’t mind scrolling through an advertisement if they get to connect to free Wi-Fi afterward.

Contact All Metro Tech

Once you set up your business’s Wi-Fi connection, your venue will become the local hotspot! All Metro Tech is a full-service residential and commercial custom electronics design and integration company. Our team knows that your network is your home or business’s central nervous system, so we’ll implement the best networking solution to satisfy your system needs.

We service Salt Lake and Summit counties. Contact us today.

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