May 25, 2009

Understanding WiFi Wireless Internet Access Terminology

There are a lot of different terms floating around when it comes to wireless Internet access. Terms such as WiFi, wireless and hotspot can be confusing. They are often used interchangeably although this is not always appropriate. If you are thinking about offering some type of wireless Internet access in your business location, you need to know what these terms mean so you can make smart decisions. This article will decode these terms to help you understand what they mean, and more importantly, how they can help your business. If you are a small business owner who is considering adding WiFi wireless Internet access as one of the amenities offered by your business, you probably already realize how providing this service can improve your profit margins. Many businesses such as coffee shops and cafes are already offering wireless Internet access and realizing the financial gains. Not only do they attract more customers but these customers also tend to stay longer and purchase more when they use the wireless Internet connection provided in the establishment. Additionally, providing wireless Internet access is very inexpensive. You will pay a one time amount for hardware and software when the hotspot is first setup and you will pay nominal monthly fees to provide and maintain the Internet access. As you can see, offering wireless Internet access is typically a good idea that will help you to make money. However, if you are not technologically savvy, you probably do not even know where to begin. Furthermore, you are likely to become easily confused when you start to sort through the terms and explanations. We will simplify everything for you in one sentence. Basically, what you want to do is utilize WiFi technology to provide wireless Internet access. This means you will utilize technology and devices which are WiFi certified by the WiFi Alliance to provide visitors of your business the ability to access the Internet without using wires. Hopefully, this clarifies things a bit for you. One of the biggest mistakes make is assuming wi-fi refers to the Internet connection itself. However, once you realize that the term WiFi is referring to the technology used to provide the Internet access, everything becomes less confusing. So, now you are really ready to provide your customers with a hotspot. This just means you will be creating an area where they can access the Internet through their mobile devices such as laptops, cell phones, PDAs and even gaming devices. Now that you understand all of the terms, it is time to get your hotspot up and running. It really isn't incredibly difficult to set up your own wireless hotspot. However, if you are apprehensive about the project it is a worthwhile investment to hire a consultant to setup and maintain the hotspot for you. They will not only make sure the installation is done right but they will also respond to outages and perform periodic maintenance to ensure maximum efficiency. Perhaps most importantly though, they will make sure your sensitive information is kept private. Allowing your customers to access your network can be risky if the right precautions are not taken. You should ensure all of your personal and business information is either on a private network or is well protected on the shared network.

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