Having Wi-Fi available for customers who visit your coffee shop can increase your business. People who travel or who work on the road need a place to stop, grab a coffee and work online. But when you get bandwidth for customers, how do you stop the bandwidth hoggers from stealing it all? You know, the person that sits in the corner with the Wi-Fi and uses it so that other people can’t get as good of a connection.
Complementary Wi-Fi
How can you make sure customers are coming in to buy from your business and not just hanging out to steal your Wi-Fi signal as if they were at home? Free Wi-Fi is standard in most coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels these days. So it would help if you offered Wi-Fi to customers to remain competitive. That being said, there are some things you can do to make the most of your Wi-Fi connections.
Understand Your Customer Flow
LC Networks, Inc., a structured Wi-Fi networking service provider, know that the key to getting the Wi-Fi your business needs is to understand how customers want to use it.
Think about the people that use the network. Will many people be using the Wi-Fi at the same time? What do they use the Wi-Fi for, to check email, or to stream videos? Do you have business customers who come in the morning, or do you have business people who come in the whole day? You need this information to determine the type of Wi-Fi network you require.
Network Speed
Internet providers offer different internet speeds. These packages vary the upload and download speeds, and the higher this speed is, the more expensive the package. While it may be tempting to go for a lower speed and reduce costs, choose a package that at least offers 20mbps. More is better, though. If your internet is so slow it’s not worth using, your customers will go someplace else. Ask your internet provider about the best internet speed for your needs.
The Right Equipment
The internet speed is also dependent on the equipment you have. Your internet provider offers a basic modem and router. Still, it is best to purchase a premium router to improve customer access and to separate the Wi-Fi signal. Hence, you have a public access version and a private network to use for running your business.
An excellent router will also allow you to set up a portal where your customers must agree to your Terms of Service before logging on. This can help you filter out P2P use, gambling, adult content, and limit the amount of bandwidth a customer can use (no video streaming).
If your shop is small and you only have a few customers, any router from an electronic shop or Amazon will do. But if you have a coffee shop with a lot of customers, you need a pro device that can handle many users who connect at the same time. This type of traffic requires a router with dual-band capabilities and advanced settings that can be configured to your needs.
Your best option is to consult with a professional network company and have them provide and install the best router. They can custom set your configuration to keep the network safe and show your baristas how to manage the router, so all of your customers get access to the Wi-Fi network.
