The term Wi-Fi or wireless technology is not new in today’s world. We are sure that you must have heard about Wi-Fi at some point of your life or the other. After all, it has been around for more than 20 years now.
Wireless technology saw its emergence during the early 2000, and then it went on to become a super thing for humanity. Today, you can find Wi-Fi used in almost every nook and corner of the world, in developed and developing countries.
It is heartening to also know that Wi-Fi is gaining popularity among the older generation who are above 60 years. In today’s post, we will be reading about how to set up a guest network at home or office.
You see, setting up the Wi-Fi connection at home or office is a simple affair. However, you may want to know how to set up a guest network. It is quite easy and simple, if you follow the steps and ideas that we have provided you with.
When you are expecting some guests at home or you are running a small business, and do not want to share your main network with your employees, then the guest network comes handy. The concept of Wi-Fi is seen almost everywhere today. (Learn How to Set Up a TP-Link Wi-Fi Router)
Why guest Wi-Fi?
The guest Wi-Fi is a network that is dedicated for your guests or anybody else who you want to give access to your Wi-Fi network. Basically, it is a separate account that you have created for them.
For example, when you are having some guests at home for a few days, then you might want to create an account for them. They can use that account when they are living with you. Likewise, when you own a small business and want your employees to access the internet from a separate account, then they can do so with it.
However, you have all the power to decide how much data they are allowed to browse in a day, the kind of sites they can view, and so on. The guest account credentials also can be changed or altered by you, anytime you want.
A better example of it would the Wi-Fi provided to you in your local café. The owner decides everything. (Check the Wi-Fi Router Under $100)
How to set up a guest network on Wi-Fi?
- The first step would be to choose a reliable internet service provider (ISP). This is the most important thing that you would want to consider before setting up your guest network. You might choose a service provider that is popular in your area. They should provide you with a reliable, fast, and solid network connectivity. Besides, you need to also check their customer service ability.
- Then you compare the service plans that they provide in your area. Sometimes, you fail to do that, you don’t know what you are missing out on. There are at least 10-15 service plans provided by most of the ISPs in America. You can choose the one that suits your requirements depending on your data requirement. When you have a large family or small business with 10-15 users on a regular basis, then you may want to choose a plan that offers you 10-20GB per day. Besides, the plan should be affordable.
- The equipment should be compatible with each other. Sometimes, the ISP and the router might not work with each other. In this case, you may want to check or verify it before getting the Wi-Fi router or modem. Please keep this in mind. It is something that most users tend to forget in a hurry to get things done.
- Now, we can set up your guest network. Like we read, you want to set it up because you do not want your guests or visitors to access your private network. That includes your devices and files.
- The best way to do that would be to activate through the router’s configuration and then offer a different username and password for it. You will need to turn off the SSID (Service Set Identifier) for the private network so that the guest network only can be accessed by your guests.
- This decreases the chances of them accessing your private network and your devices. Besides, you can also disable the broadcasting on the SSID if you want. Using that kind of a setting, your guests need to connect manually.
- Then you will want to make sure that you use the WPA/WPA2, or the Wi-Fi protected access encryption. Then you have to select a secure guest Wi-Fi password for the network. You may want to choose a guest Wi-Fi password that is simple to remember. However, you should set something that is difficult to crack for your private Wi-Fi network.
- Now, you have to set up the captive portal or the page that your guests or visitors need to use to login inside. You may want to ensure that it is done properly. This way, your guests know that they have logged in properly. Besides, you can also acquaint your guests on the terms and conditions of accessing the internet.
- There are several versions of the wireless access points that let you access the social media sites. However, if you want, your guests or visitors can login using the Facebook or the Gmail. You may also use this feature to limit their access to some websites, if you want. This can be also mentioned on the terms and conditions. The access control is something that is necessary to avoid harmful activity on your Wi-Fi network. You can also block video streaming services so that your guests do not take up too much space. This is required so that they do not use a lot of space on the network.
How to promote your guest Wi-Fi?
Did you know that the guest Wi-Fi provides you with an awesome method to market your small business, products & services? Below are some ways in which they offer you with the ability to leverage your business. (Wi-Fi Router Under $150)
- You can give some promo codes through the captive portal. When you are giving discounts through discount coupons, then you can offer these coupon codes through the captive portal.
- You can let your guests rate your business. The best way to get more business is to give referrals. Before visiting any business, potential clients visit Google to find out more about the business. They read the reviews about the business and then decide to visit it.
- You can give your guests more details about your small business. Your product catalog and service portfolio provide ample information to the guests about your business. Offering this kind of detail to the guests, you provide your guests with everything that they need.
- You can redirect your website homepage to the login. The website offers a lot of information about your business. The best way to communicate that with your guests would be when they are at the premises.
- You can also give them access to a smart TV or the printer that is present on your premises. You can give your guests access to these devices to enable them to have an enjoyable experience when they are visiting your small business. This is essential for a coffee shop.
- You can also make them provide reviews about your small business. As you know, potential clients always refer to the rating and read the reviews before visiting a small business. You can make your guest provide reviews about your small business.
Conclusion
We hope that you understood and learned how to set up the guest network on Wi-Fi. From the above, it is quite evident that it is a simple process. All you need is a wireless network to be able to do that.
The wireless network is a vital element of any home or business today. With the help of the technology, you can now provide your guests as well as have a secure line for your employees. We can now say that the Wi-Fi technology is going to provide you with an enhanced experience.
You may want to leverage this network using the Wi-Fi technology to provide access to your guests & employees. Besides, it provides a good image for yourself and creates a positive team that is there to win.
Did you like what you read? Perhaps, we may have missed out on something in hindsight. When that is the case, please do let us know by writing to us in the comment section below. We will be delighted to hear from you.
You can set up a guest Wi-Fi network to allow your visitors access to the internet connection at home. This is your primary reason for giving guest access to your Wi-Fi network. However, you must make sure that they do not have any access to any of your devices or can access them.
For that you need to set up a strong password and ensure that parental security is in place. They should not be able to compromise your devices by introducing malware or the viruses on your devices by unwanted methods.
It works just like you access the internet from your Wi-Fi router. You provide your guests with aa separate account and password. You can also set a duration or time period for your guests to be able to access the Wi-Fi connection.
The routers provide you with a feature known as guest networking. This feature enables you to create a separate Wi-Fi network for your guest. Using the guest network, they can easily be able to access the Wi-Fi setup inside your home, but not use the network resources.
It is easy to set up a Wi-Fi network for yourself or your guest. This is provided you follow the instructions that have been provided in the manual. It depends on the router model you are using.
Besides, you need to make use of an internet connection through an internet service provider (ISP). This can be done effortlessly through a wireless router or a modem, and a smartphone. Then you are as good as done.
You can set up the Wi-Fi connection yourself. There is no need to get the help of a professional technician. It is quite easy to do, as you need to simply follow the instructions provided in the package.
You can give your guests the Wi-Fi password for the account that you have created for them. You may not want to provide them with their main password or any access to the devices. Otherwise, they can see everything.
By providing them with the password, they should be able to safely browse the internet, without bringing any malware onto your network. You may also consider using a captive portal system with Wi-Fi marketing enabled.
James Smith has always been intrigued by electronic products since his childhood. After his post graduation in electronics from a popular university, he decided to pursue a career in the electronics sector. But his calling for writing about these marvellous pieces of work got the better of him. That is how UBG was started. With a writing career spanning more than 12 years, James has worked on several hundred product reviews. During his free time, he like to spend time with his pet dog and relax in the swimming pool.