Business WIFI

Why Business WiFi?

The most obvious advantage of going with a wireless business network is that you can reach spots that you couldn’t otherwise reach with regular data cabling. For example, let’s say you have a garden or cafeteria at your business complex that you don’t want to cable, you could simply have iTelNet install business wifi access for that area, and your employees could bring their laptop and get high speed internet from anywhere on the grounds.
   A second obvious advantage of business wifi is that if you own a business where your customers would like to be able to get on their laptop while they’re at your location, you can provide such mobile internet access. So iTelNet is always installing wifi in businesses like restaurants, coffee shops, doctor’s offices, and bookstores.

A third type of customer that wants business wifi is people that simply don’t want to have to cable an entire office. Data and voice cabling can of course be expensive, so by making your entire office a wifi hotspot, you’ll be providing all of your employees with internet access without the cost of running wires throughout the walls and ductwork of your business.

Setting Up A Wireless Business Network

A number of considerations must be made when setting up a wireless business network. How you answer these questions will determine your overall cost, because your answers will dictate (1) what type of hardware we need to use to install your business wifi network, (2) how much hardware is needed, and (3) how much technical labor will be needed to get your network set up and installed. Here are the most pertinent questions:

1) Do you want your business wifi access password protected, or open to everybody?
Encrypting your wireless connection can be essential, particularly if your business is sending sensitive data over the wireless business network.

2) How many people will be getting online?
If you have a small office and only a couple people will be online, you don’t need much bandwidth, and your probably only need one wireless router. On the other hand, if you have hundreds of employees and/or customers online at a time, you’ll need a lot of internet bandwidth for your business wifi connection, meaning a T1 or perhaps even a fiber ring internet connection, also known is a Metro-E connection.

3) How spread out is your office?
If you have 10 employees in a very open office space, separated by cubicles, one good router might be all you need for high speed business wifi. On the other hand, if your 10 employees were on multiple floors of a concrete office manufacturing facility, separated by machinery and thick brick walls, you might need multiple mobile internet routers to ensure your entire office building is a hotspot.

Business WIFI Terminology

1)Access Point Definition An access point is the hardware that is sending out (and receiving) internet signals.

2) HotSpot Definition
A hotspot is an entire area that is connected in overlapping fashion by multiple access points. So if you had a massive office complex of many buildings and lawns, and anywhere you went in the complex business wifi was available, you would be able to say that your entire complex was a hotspot.

3) LAN Definition: Local Area Network. An area that is connected to the internet. A LAN can be cabled or wireless.

4) WiFi Definition: Originally meant Wireless Fidelity, but now wifi is just used as a trademarked pending business term.

5) WIFI Protected Access Definition: The best type of security protecting a wireless mobile internet network.

Technical Points on Business WIFI

A few technical points on wireless internet access:

1) In addition to computers and laptops, there are many other devices that can benefit from making your business wifi capable: video game consoles, smartphones, and printers, for example. As a result of the large number of devices that have wireless capacity, networking computers can be accomplished through a business mobile network.
2) A typical 802.11b router has a range of about 110 feet indoors, and 300 feet outdoors. However, there are devices that can send a wireless WIFI signal much further, but of course they’re more expensive.
3) The term WIFI actually means Wireless Fidelity. It was actually created by a consulting firm. Originally, the term was something of a play on words of the term High Fidelity but has since come to stand alone.
4) Some business WIFI history:
   a. The first business to go wifi was actually a college, way back in 1994: Carnegie Melon University
   b. The first airport to become wireless was also in Pittsburgh, back in 2003!
   c. The first US City to provide hotspot access throughout the entire city was Sunnyvale, California, back in 2005.

5) Business WIFI is a global set of standards. So your wifi device should work anywhere in the world. It’s based on the IEEE802.11 standard, which is in the 2.4, 3.6, and 5 GHz frequency bands.
6) With radio systems, you need a license for approval from the federal government. But anyone get set up wifi, whether for a business or their home.
7) Almost all laptops being built today are equipped with a wireless internet card, enabling them to connect to a business wifi hotspot. Some PCs do not have wireless capability built-in, but it is easy and inexpensive (under $50) to purchase a wireless card and install it on your PC’s open PCI slot or USB hub.

ITelNet is happy to install business WIFI for your company, regardless of your size and needs. We can also lower all of your telecom costs, including providing monthly business phone service, expandable phone systems, and much more. Call us today at 1-800-677-0836 for a free quote.