Using the Internet in hotel rooms has become a vital part of the guest experience; J.D. Power found that the majority (81%) of hotel guests access the Internet in their hotel rooms. In turn, hotels need to ensure they provide appropriate access to WiFI in every one of their rooms. Hotel room WiFi routers provide essential support to that reliable internet access — an essential piece of a larger hospitality WiFi puzzle.
Read on to learn about hotel room WiFi routers, the greater hotel WiFI installation process, and a few key best practices when installing hotel room WiFi within your property.
- What is a Hotel Room WiFi Router?
- How to Connect a Router to Hotel WiFi
- Hotel Room WiFi Installation Best Practices
What is a Hotel Room WiFi Router?
A hotel room WiFi router is an internet router installed specifically within guest rooms to provide WiFi to guests. These devices send information to personal devices (including laptops, cell-phones, and tablets) in order to access websites, video content streaming, email, and other online services. While routers allow your device to connect to the Internet, hotel WiFi modems are the devices that allow routers themselves to connect to Internet service providers, or ISPs.
While suitable for some smaller hotels, most hospitality venues with consistent, reliable WiFi don’t actually leverage individual routers within hotel rooms. Instead, they utilize hotel WiFi access points — devices that create wireless local area networks (or WLANs) — space throughout a venue to spread a single router’s signal.
Hotels also often leverage hotel WiFi gateways. These devices combine the capabilities of a modem and a router into one centralized device — saving space and simplifying the WiFi connection process. To figure out which hardware is most appropriate for your property, hiring an experienced provider of managed WiFi is a must.
How To Connect A Router to Hotel WiFi
Connecting a router to hotel WiFI is similar to any WiFi router installation process. What that process looks like depends on what kind of router is being used — a wired or wireless connection.
Hotel Wired Router Installation
Wired WiFi routers connect to the Internet via ethernet cables — a type of network cable that runs from a router to a modem to establish an internet connection. For hotel rooms, installing a wired router requires an ethernet cable connection through the room, as well as an ethernet cable to connect to a device.
Once connected via ethernet, simply switch on your router. If it’s your first time using the router, rename your Service Set Identifier (SSID) to something recognizable, and create a password (if your hotel doesn’t already have a log-in portal — more on that later). Then, connect your device to an ethernet cable attached to the device.
Hotel Wireless Router Installation
Wireless WiFi routers typically allow for both ethernet connection and wireless connections. For an ethernet connection, follow the instructions laid out above. To go wireless, take the same steps but connect devices without using an additional ethernet cable connection. This process is far more approachable for typical hotel guests, and is generally how most guests will connect to the Internet.
Hotel Room WiFi Installation Best Practices
Ensuring reliable, fast internet access in hotel rooms takes far more than router installation. Hotels need to carefully plan their network installation process to optimize their equipment usage and provide the best experience to guests. Here are a few hotel room WiFi installation best practices — each of which best leveraged with the help of an experienced hospitality WiFI technician.
Conduct a WiFi Site Survey
Before installing an optimal WiFi network for hotels, properties must first conduct a WiFi site survey to determine how to best install a network. WiFi site surveys analyze the layout of your venue, pinpointing how to optimally install WiFi hardware for the best possible network connection and experience.
There are three types of WiFi Site surveys, being:
- Predictive Surveys: Before adding a new wireless network, predictive surveys look at a building’s radiofrequency environment to map out how wireless signals will function within a space using surveying software.
- Passive Surveys: Involving a physical survey of the building without connecting to a WiFi network, passive surveys are typically conducted after a network is already installed to learn about signal strength, interference, and additional noise.
- Active Surveys: Performed after your network is installed, active surveys use software while on-site at your property to find already existing issues within your WiFi network installation.
Whatever step of the process a survey is taken, a technician can use a survey to greatly improve the quality of your WiFi network. Whether for existing properties or new construction, site surveys conducted by experienced WiFi technicians (such as the team at Blueprint RF) can optimize your network without disrupting project timelines or guest stays.
Avoid Centering Access Points in Dead Spots
Another key to installing WiFi networks within hotels is ensuring access points aren’t located in dead spots — places where WiFi signals can’t transmit due to factors including thick walls, heavy pieces of furniture, or large metal appliances. Venues must avoid these dead spots when installing access points, while also placing access points in places that will remedy these dead spots.
Wireless site surveys help immensely in finding dead spots, locating areas with weaker signals via software — another reason why WiFi site surveys are so essential.
Ensure Secure WiFi Networks
Hotel WiFi networks are prime targets for cybersecurity threat, ranking as the second most frequent target for cybercrime within the retail business sector by the PwC Hotels Outlook Report 2018-2022. To protect the information of customers, hotels need to leverage significant cybersecurity measures within their networks.
WiFi technicians can help secure WiFi networks in a variety of ways, including encryption, network monitoring, antivirus programs, and website filtering on hotel networks. Your hotel’s security requirements will differ based on the unique needs and location of your venue; insight from a technician to leverage the best security measures are essential.
Leverage Powerful Hotel Room WiFi Design Through Hospitality Network
Combining hotel room WiFi routers with reliable access points, skillful equipment placement, and reinforced security measures all helps ensure reliable WiFi throughout hotel rooms in your property. To maximize these capabilities, hotels need to hire an experienced team of WiFI technicians.
Hospitality Network, in tandem with our sister company Blueprint RF, merges years of industry knowledge with diverse experience across the hospitality industry. Request a consultation with our team today and discover how you can best install WiFi at your property.