Guests are complaining that the hotel WiFi is slow! What can I do?

The quality and speed of the guest WiFi service that many motels, hotels and other hospitality businesses offer, depends on the type of Internet circuit that the hotel has installed.

Hotels in urban areas often have the choice of two or three ISP’s and access to a fast fiber data connection. Many motels are located in rural or semi rural areas and have limited Internet options, maybe only one ISP and maybe not the latest fastest Internet connection. Slow ADSL data connections are still common in rural areas where fiber has not been installed.

There are several alternative wireless technologies that a motel or hotel can get access to in order to provide a faster Internet service for guests.

• Fixed wireless access (FWA) from a 5G mobile tower within range of the antenna, speed can be over 200Mb/s.
• Point-to-point (PtP) wireless connection provided by a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP). Data speed can be in the range 100Mb/s to 12Gb/s depending on the wireless technology installed.
• Satellite data connection, there are two options. Geo-stationary service (HughesNet) where a dish communicates with a satellite in a fixed orbit, and a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) service (Starlink) where a flat panel antenna communicates with a constellation of many satellites. The LEO service provides a faster data speed in the range of 100Mb/s to 200Mb/s.

The motel or hotel can retain the present data connection (maybe ADSL) and add a second or third wireless connection. Different Internet connections are shared with the motel and hotel guests by a load-balancing controller that can also manage the service for the hotel guests.

A suitable controller is the Guest Internet GIS-R20 for two Internet connections, and the GIS-R40 for up to four Internet connections.

The data speed available for guests is the sum of the data speeds provided by the ISP connections.

The Guest Internet products also have fail-over, which means that if one Internet connection fails then the guests are automatically switched over to the working Internet connection, improving the reliability of the Internet service.

The diagram shows a GIS-R40 connected to four ISP’s that might be available at many rural motel locations.

• ADSL or cable copper connection.
• 5G modem connection, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
• Starlink satellite antenna
• WISP point to point wireless link

The connections listed above can provide the guest network with over 500Mb/s, adequate for a 200 to 300 room motel.

The Guest Internet controller ensures that the WiFi Internet service provides a good speed for all guests because of the following features.

• Increase the Internet speed by adding more ISP connections, as described above.
• Limit the access to the Internet service by giving guests an access code, when the WiFi has open access then many more people will connect and slow the service for guests.
• The available bandwidth is shared by setting data speed limits for each guest, if not then one user can slow the Internet for everyone.
• Optionally set data limits for everyone when the ISP charges data per GB.
• Block abuse of the Internet service as the business will be responsible for copyrighted file sharing or access to illegal websites.
• Block computers with viruses, such as DDoS, that will slow the network data speed.
• Protect the business computers and PoS with a firewall, prevent access from public WiFi.
• Use the customer WiFi login to advertise business services.
• Monitor the WiFi service for failure, get an alert if any problem occurs.
• Have only one WiFi network for guests and staff, isolate with a VLAN.
• Optionally charge for the WiFi service with credit cards and voucher sales or offer a 2-tier system, provide free Internet at a slower data speed and charge for a faster speed service.

In addition to the advantages that a Guest Internet controller provides to improve the performance of the guest WiFi Internet service, Guest Internet also provides an upgrade cost reduction opportunity for the business.

Using the Guest Internet virtual-LAN, or VLAN feature, one wireless network can be configured to provide WiFi for both guests and staff. While the guest WiFi service is open, the staff WiFi is encrypted. The guest WiFi and staff WiFi are isolated so that one cannot see the information of the other. Guests see only the login page and can connect to the Internet; they have no access to the business computers. Staff has access only to the business computers, and if desired staff access to the Internet can be blocked.

The next diagram shows the Guest Internet controller with a dual use WiFi network that provides isolated WiFi for both guests and staff.

Many travelers consider the hospitality WiFi Internet service to be a very important factor when selecting a motel, hotel or resort. Often travelers will read reviews that other travelers post when making a selection, and most reviews include observations about the property WiFi Internet.

A WiFi service upgrade with Guest Internet will pay the business back very quickly with good reviews, more returns and more reservations.

Please contact Guest Internet today to find out how we can help to improve your hospitality business Internet WiFi service for guests.