The SecurEdge Blog

In a matter of months, there will be 362 million public WiFi hotspots in use around the world. And that number is expected to continue growing at about a rate of 25% for the foreseeable future.

When you think about the 2,827 public and private, four-year degree granting education institutions in the United States, that’s a lot of students, faculty, and staff! To be more precise, there are 19.9 million students attending American colleges and universities.

  WiFi is dynamic. It fluctuates throughout the day, responding to the environment. As users, devices and applications drop in and off of the network, the performance of your WiFi will be affected, sometimes leading to slower downloading / uploading speeds and occasionally network outages. An experienced wireless network designer can make assumptions about your wireless environment based on things like industry and average daily users, and design a wireless network that is more resilient to these fluctuations. Even the best laid designs can experience performance issues, so you must have someone monitoring and managing your WiFi.

If you manage a hotel, resort, or spa, you already have your hands full. You’re busy monitoring employee performance, analyzing how to improve service, tracking upcoming events your staff is responsible for, ensuring that events are well-managed, and following financial reports with an eye towards improving profitability. What else could someone possibly put onto your already overflowing plate? How many hats can a hospitality manager reasonably be expected to wear?

Does your company have one or more warehouses with pretty intensive IT needs? Do you feel like you may be outgrowing your current wireless networking infrastructure? Perhaps your WiFi is just not fast enough, reliable enough, or secure enough anymore to meet your company’s growth plans. In this post, we’ll look at whether guest WiFi may be the answer.

 Considering adding Guest WiFi services to your wireless network? Great idea! Learn more about some of the interesting benefits of offering guest login at your business.

In a world where physical security in schools has so much urgency, coming from so many different threats, most teachers, school administrators and parents aren’t losing a lot of sleep over their school’s WiFi security. But perhaps they should be.

Considering upgrading to enterprise grade WiFi services for your business? Great idea! Learn more about the benefits and features of SecurEdge WiFi from Manager of Business Development, Kevin Jeffries.

Are you looking to add Guest WiFi access for your business? You’re not alone! It doesn’t matter what kind of business you own or manage. Your customers, guest, patients, and students all expect secure, reliable, high-speed WiFi service.

 Dealing with slow WiFi in your warehouse? You're not alone! Find out more about some common causes of poor WiFi performance in the manufacturing and distribution industry and how SecurEdge can help.

Do you manage IT for a multi-location retail chain? Do you find it challenging to cost-effectively provide reliable, secure, high-speed WiFi services to employees and customers? Or is IT just one of many hats that you wear in addition to your real job?  

There’s no shortage of advice on how to measure WiFi performance. Heck, a quick search on Google turns up a mind-numbing 231 million results. But when you dig in, how much of this information is valuable to you if you’re trying to remedy problems with slow WiFi?

Is something wrong with your company’s WiFi performance, and you just can’t put your finger on it? Are you starting to wonder whether your wireless network design is keeping up with your company’s growth and how much your employees depend on your WiFi? Does slow WiFi make your team more irritable than running out of coffee, or battling through broken air conditioning on the hottest day of the year?

It’s hard to believe, but as recently as 15 years ago, wireless networks were still a novelty and a rarity. Sure, if you had a large IT budget and advanced in-house IT talent, you had WiFi back then. Fast forward to today and wireless networking is now considered a must-have in nearly all industries; enterprise, education, government, hospitality and retail.

The Internet of Things- The slew of new WiFi enabled devices and technology that are reshaping the way that we live and interact, bring with them not just convenience, efficiency, and let's be honest, some major cool-factor, but also some potential problems for your wireless network. Slow WiFi speeds, storage problems, potential security threats, these are all concerns that are probably top of mind for your companies IT team. But don't worry! The right wireless network design can make sure you are ready for everything the IoT boom has to throw at you. Here are a few tips to help you get ready for the future:

It’s no big secret that traditional retailers are facing tough times. Every few weeks, there’s another news story appearing like this one in Business Insider declaring “More than 3,800 stores will close (this year) — here's the full list.” But what those sensational headlines don’t reveal: Last year, the U.S. retailing industry added 4,080 stores (14,248 new stores opened, while 10,168 closed).

The office: a cubicle-filled, fluorescent-lit mecca where millions of Americans gather daily to crunch numbers, create spreadsheets and craft expert emails. 

At least among IT professionals, it’s no big secret that public WiFi networks are not safe places. A quick search on Google, or simply skimming through your news feed or social media feed, will almost certainly turn up headlines such as “All Wi-Fi networks are vulnerable to hacking, security expert discovers” from the Guardian and “Why You Really Need to Stop Using Public Wi-Fi” from Harvard Business Review.

Airport WiFi: the bane of the business traveler or jet-setting social media star. If you’re tasked with managing an airport WiFi network, or are responsible for the implementation and design, then you know how daunting it can be to manage and monitor a network on this scale. Reliable, secure airport WiFi is crucial for your users, so before you upgrade your wireless network or start a new design, consider these 4 common airport WiFi problems:

Cisco Systems forecasts that by 2021, 78% of the mobile data traffic worldwide will be video. And by that same time, smartphones will generate 86% of mobile data traffic. Some of that traffic will be the responsibility of mobile data carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. But if customers are spending time in your business, and you want to offer WiFi service to remain competitive, this dramatic shift in consumer behavior will become your problem -- and opportunity -- too.

Most hotel guests have a dirty little secret: they’re addicted to WiFi.

As anyone in retail will tell you, its getting harder to get customers in the door. Online shopping provides a level of convenience that is hard to match, but don't lose heart. The discerning consumer is more interested now than ever in experiences, and providing a solid, safe, reliable guest WiFi service is one major way to create the experience your customers are looking for.   Here are 5 ways WiFi can transform your space: