When you enter a business or public space, chances are good that you expect free WiFi. Most people do! Providing visitors and customers with access to the Internet brings many benefits, but if you don’t secure your Guest WiFi, you could be exposing yourself (and your guests) to significant risk. Guest WiFi is a valuable offering, but if you don't take preventative measures it can be a liability. Click To Tweet
Benefits of Providing WiFi
Given the risk, you might be wondering why you should be offering free WiFi. To put it plainly, people expect it and if you don’t offer it, they’ll go somewhere else. This is particularly true in retail, or B2C (business selling to customers) settings. Your customers want to compare your prices with your competitors in real time.
Separate Your Networks
Separating your network is crucial to protect your business data. Secure guest WiFi should prevent visitors from gaining access to the parts of your network used by employees. It should not be possible for guests to see your network assets, confidential data and resources. Use a network firewall or create a separate VLAN for guest use.
Change Your Router’s Password
Changing your router’s password may seem obvious, but you might be surprised by how many businesses don’t take this crucial step. The most common way for people to access a business WiFi without permission is by using the default router password. If you’ve never updated it, this is a fairly simple process. From there they can get into copiers, computers and any other devices on your network. Try to choose a password that’s at least fifteen characters long, with a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters.
Encrypt Your Signals
You want to make it easy for your guests to access your WiFi network, but don’t make it easy for hackers to spy on them! Make sure you encrypt your wireless network with WPA2 encryption. You can post the network name and password in your business to make it simple for legitimate users to access to your network.
Filter Content
Securing guest WiFi means adding some controls over the content that can be accessed on your network. You should always block access to adult content, which poses a bigger threat for accidental malware and ransomware downloads.
Protect Your Patrons
WiFi has become a common amenity in most public places and businesses. To stay competitive and relevant, it’s wise to offer it, but in a way that protects your business and your visitors.
Contact Us to learn more about protecting your business and devices from WiFi vulnerabilities.