High-quality Wi-Fi is the basis of modern hospitality and the engine of business.

High-speed Wi-Fi is one of the basics of hotel hospitality. Going on a trip and choosing a hotel, each of us takes into account the availability of Wi-Fi. The timely receipt of necessary or desirable information is an extremely significant category, and that a modern hotel should have access to the Internet via Wi-Fi as an asset of its services, and there is no reason to say it, and its absence may well be the reason for refusal of accommodation. At the same time, it does not matter at all whether it is a large hotel chain or a boutique hotel, since the organization of WI-FI at the hotel is an obligatory measure to ensure the convenience of visitors and one of the main criteria for choosing a temporary place of residence.



Some time ago, Comptek started a joint project on wireless solutions in the field of hospitality with Cisco. Interesting? Then welcome under the cat!

The construction of any wireless network begins with the most basic task - oddly enough, to build the network itself. How to simplify the whole process and achieve maximum results?
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First of all, let's look at the requirements for access points and the solutions with which Cisco fulfills these requirements. What do you need from a wireless network?

1. Virtualization and reducing the amount of equipment used - ideally, of course, the rejection of expensive hardware controllers, while retaining all the amenities and advantages of using a virtual controller.
   
   The Cisco Mobility Express solution does not require a physical WLAN controller. The controller functions as a central access point, while Mobility Express supports the latest achievements of Wi-Fi technology - 802.11ac Wave 2 for local or local (on-premises) control.
2. Resistance to interference and high signal quality - in hotels, the quality of the signal is greatly influenced by the surrounding space: walls, interior items, pipes, engineering structures.
   
   Cisco access points use innovative technologies from Cisco CleanAir and ClientLink to ensure the best Wi-Fi network performance at any given time. CleanAir is a proactive protection against radio interference. This functionality detects and identifies sources of interference, assesses the degree of their influence on network performance and then reconfigures the network to achieve the best performance in the current environment.
   
   ClientLink allows you to send a signal in the direction of clients connected via Wi-Fi. The technology allows to solve problems of networks in which different client devices work simultaneously, simultaneously increasing the transmission speed for 802.11a / g, 802.11n and 802.11ac clients.
3. Seamless roaming is a blunt edge, but the theme has not lost its relevance. Seamless roaming allows you to keep connecting guests when they move around the hotel. It also allows you to keep the same IP address for the guest throughout your stay. Thanks to this guest, it is enough to log in to the hotel network once and continue to use the Internet in any room of the hotel: lobby, restaurant or own room.
   
   All Cisco access points allow you to create seamless roaming without installing a dedicated Wi-Fi controller, which significantly reduces the cost of building a Wi-Fi network in a hotel of any size.
4. Support a large number of clients and high data transfer speeds - for optimal load distribution, you need to correctly manage the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands.
   
   Cisco access points use Cisco BandSelect technology, which allows differentiating client devices by frequency. If the device can connect to an access point at a frequency of 5 GHz, then it will work at this frequency, which allows you to unload the more frequently used 2.4 GHz radio band.
   
   In addition, radio access control (RRM) algorithm is used at Cisco access points, which allows you to automatically adjust the RF channel, its width, the signal emission power and eliminate gaps in the coverage in a dynamically changing radio environment.
5. Powering points using PoE technology eliminates the need to install electrical outlets where it is inconvenient, and use bulky power supplies, as well as to lay additional electrical wiring.
   
   Cisco switches support the provision of remote power for access points using PoE technology.
6. The safe separation of the guest and corporate network - because the network is likely to be used by both visitors and staff working in it! Cisco access points use the Policy Classification Engine, which allows you to implement detailed network access policies based on the user's role (hotel guest, employee, visitor), network access method, type of device used by the application.
   
   Policies determine the right of access to different network segments, connection speed, restrictions and priority of applications used (Application Visibility & Control). This allows all employees and guests to use to connect their own devices without the risk of compromising the information security of the corporate network.

On which Cisco equipment is easier, more convenient and faster to build your network? To find out, just go to our website via this link .

From expenses to income!

Monetization of Wi-Fi networks is still a widely discussed topic, but for the hotel business this topic is doubly important. How to monetize wireless networks in a hotel?



The Cisco CMX solution (Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences) helps Wi-Fi-based get useful analytics that allow hoteliers to make more efficient business decisions.

Heat maps that provide information on which zone or site on which the target audience spends more time during the day or week, where the concentration points are located, what percentage of visitors are here for the first time, and how many returned. This is the most valuable business analyst that is necessary for business development and which Cisco equipment can assemble and process.

The easiest option for both administrators and postellers themselves is an application for mobile devices that gives all the “buns” in one window:

• Individual greeting of regular guests - the network recognizes the guest and welcomes him at the entrance to the lobby. If it is a regular customer, then you can automatically check-in, report the number and turn the mobile device into a key;
• Notifications about services and promotions depending on actions and location - using the location data, you can send push notifications to the guest’s mobile device with certain promotional offers (for example, if the guest is in the pool, he will be offered to try cocktails at the bar with a discount, or a guest, passing by the store, receives a notification that discounts are offered to him ...);
• Navigation around the hotel - the location of the guest is determined by the access points used and shows the way to the necessary place (shop, swimming pool, restaurant, conference room, etc.);
• Automation of business and business analytics - using mobile devices of employees and knowing their location - you can quickly respond to all the wishes of guests, knowing the location of guests and tracking guest flow, you can redirect staff to problem areas.

Here is how Cisco itself talks about this:


There were questions, I wanted to learn more about standard solutions or get a preliminary calculation for my own project? Then welcome to the site http://ciscohub.comptek.ru/ !