Do you receive complaints from your hotel guests about the poor quality of the WiFi connection? You may think that to solve your coverage problems you have to completely change the WiFi infrastructure, but this is not always the case. You probably just need upgrade your hotspots or redistribute the antennas in your hotel. In this article we will tell you the keys for your hotel to offer the best WiFi coverage.
Why should you carry out a WiFi coverage study?
Do you know why you should carry out a study of the WiFi coverage of your hotel? Above all, because it is the only way to obtain reliable data on the power of the received signal, the signal/noise ratio or other factors that allow you to know the real performance of the network at each point of the hotel. Only then can you locate blind spots or low quality areas.
In short, a WiFi study provides you with all the information you need to know what you have to do exactly to improve the range of your WiFi network.
What does a WiFi coverage study consist of? There is no single way to conduct such a study, but a good starting point may be check coverage in all the spaces of the hotel and capture it on a map, that is, exhaustively determine the Wi-Fi strength in each zone, including the different rooms.
Based on this key information, it is possible to determine what causes the signal to arrive clearly in certain areas, while in others it is not possible to connect to WiFi or the power is weak or unstable. For example, building materials or even furnishings may prevent proper signal expansion.
The last step would be, always based on the conclusions of the study, to take the necessary measures to improve wifi signal: adapt hotel facilities, replace equipment or expand or relocate WiFi access points.
AP technology or access points
When designing WiFi environments for companies or hotels, the best approach to enjoy optimal and efficient networks is to correctly size and select the necessary peripherals and leave the configuration of these peripherals in the hands of professionals to have total control over the network usage.
What is the mission of these elements and to what extent do they help the quality of your hotel's WiFi signal? We explain it to you below.
AP Considerations
Is installing a few access points in your hotel enough to achieve good WiFi coverage? The truth is that to achieve quality WiFI coverage that meets the current needs and expectations of guests, it is necessary to take into account the signal attenuation due to constructional aspects or the reduction of the range of the WiFi network due to the influence of certain materials or elements of the hotel.
Regarding the first, the signal transmitted by the access points must not be hindered by obstacles that weaken it. For this reason, it is important to plan your location very well.
It is important to carry out a professional coverage study, such as the one carried out by the Cerium team and which takes into account the scope of the equipment or hardware, possible signal losses depending on the wall materials or construction elements specific to each hotel .
In turn, the Wi-Fi signal range it can be especially reduced by the influence of metals, pipes and other frequency emitters, which can interfere with the signal quality of these devices.
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Offer the best WiFi quality in your hotel thanks to Cerium
Recommendations for locating Access Points
It is common to locate WiFi access points in hotel corridors. Many have drop ceilings, making wiring and installation easy. However it is not the best option. Why? Keep reading.
- 1. Attenuation problem: The interior wall adjacent to the corridor usually has a high attenuation. Why? Most of the exterior walls of hotel rooms have large windows, while the interior walls are usually the ones that house metal appliances, mirrors or plumbing in bathrooms. All this interferes with the penetration of the signal.
- 2. Self-interference: A long hallway acts as a tunnel for WiFi signals, focusing the signal and causing it to spread much farther than it will laterally. Even with access points on different WiFi channels, there is always interference on the adjacent channel.
For these reasons, the best option is always to install access points in the rooms themselves, something that we can easily apply if the hotel has one. GPON-FTTR installation (Fiber To The Room).
Some more keys to achieve better Wi-Fi coverage in your hotel
According to the latest ITH and Cerium study, 90,8% of guests value high-quality Wi-Fi as the most important technological aspect of a hotel. A fact that justifies any effort to improve WiFi, since the ROI it is guaranteed in the form of better service to guests and, therefore, greater loyalty, recommendations and reservations.
Our recommendation is always to perform a Wi-Fi Audit, where the quality level of the network will be tested, detecting weak points and areas for potential improvement. If you are wondering how to improve the Wi-Fi coverage of your hotel, pay attention to the following keys:
- Keep in mind that the coverage does not guarantee the capacity of the WiFi. To achieve a satisfactory level of both performance and capacity, you must consider technical issues such as making the most of the available spectral capacity, taking measures to reduce interference, or finding a balance between access points and number of users.
- Make a correct network configuration by a integrator specialized in hotels. Configuring the correct channels for the WiFi signal is very important to avoid interference and achieve maximum performance.
- Optimize the access points Wifi. It is important to arrange the access points well to prevent the Wi-Fi connection from being unstable or even non-existent in some parts of the hotel. To achieve this, a previous study must be carried out where it is important to know how to transfer information to the technicians at the level of capacity and other details resulting from the hotelier's expertise.
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At Cerium we are specialists in Wi-Fi installations for hotels. Our systems ensure your hotel the best coverage so that your guests are satisfied and can access the Internet from any space with the best connection quality. In order to do this, we developed Fully customized Wi-Fi projects, in order to detect current and future needs.
