First off many customers question what is a social WiFi network? A social wifi network is a public WiFi wireless free zone that enables users to connect their smart phones and tables to the internet by logging in with their social media account (Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn or email).
What type of hardware requirements do we need to run a social WiFi network? The most popular hardware vendor of choice is the Meraki MR series access point. Many technology vendors in the greater Toronto area select this type of access point because of the feature rich web interface it has that allows them to manage everything from the cloud. The Meraki access point is hosted with a 99.999% SLA so you can count on the cloud WiFi always being up. Although the msrp of this type of access point ranges from $700-800 it has the best features as it allows technology companies to manage splash pages, bandwidth restrictions, vlans and content filtering.
The second solution to start a social WiFi offering is to purchase the additional hardware from a technology vendor and not have to worry about additional costs of licenses and monthly fees. The only additional monthly fees you would need to maintain are the hosted monthly social WiFi fee which ranges between $25cad/month and up to $50cad/month depending on features you require. Based on our knowledge and from what the majority of restaurants and retail stores are following is that they are mostly selecting a managed service offering and not choosing the route of purchasing their own hardware. When trying to manage your own hardware a restaurant owner will have to worry about compatible hardware with the hotspot social WiFi application.
Connectsim's software solution enables a restaurant or retail company to utilize their social WiFi software that works with their compatible wireless hardware. Their solution offers the retail or restaurant owner to have a fully managed campaign that takes care of content filtering, bandwidth restrictions so users don't burn through your internet rates.
We approached Connectsim at a local restaurant trade show to ask them the typical costs to start a campaign with them and how long a typical contract runs. From our quick 10 minute conversation with Connectsim their mid Social WiFi package starts at around $500/month with a 1 year commitment. For what they offer in this package is a steal (signage, branding, coasters, large signs, facebook management and twitter design pages and more)
So to summarize the hardware needed for a social WiFi zone depends if you'll be hosting it with a VAR (least start up costs and set up is fast), if you'll purchase the hardware yourself (needs a expensive controller, expensive router and extensive knowledge to set up). The last alternative route you can deploy is a cheap WiFi router but it will still cost you roughly $200-$400 to purchase plus licenses, as well you will need to purchase additional equipment to filter out content and bandwidth and to manage campaigns. The smart choice to deploy a social WiFi campaign is to select a managed service provider.
What type of hardware requirements do we need to run a social WiFi network? The most popular hardware vendor of choice is the Meraki MR series access point. Many technology vendors in the greater Toronto area select this type of access point because of the feature rich web interface it has that allows them to manage everything from the cloud. The Meraki access point is hosted with a 99.999% SLA so you can count on the cloud WiFi always being up. Although the msrp of this type of access point ranges from $700-800 it has the best features as it allows technology companies to manage splash pages, bandwidth restrictions, vlans and content filtering.
The second solution to start a social WiFi offering is to purchase the additional hardware from a technology vendor and not have to worry about additional costs of licenses and monthly fees. The only additional monthly fees you would need to maintain are the hosted monthly social WiFi fee which ranges between $25cad/month and up to $50cad/month depending on features you require. Based on our knowledge and from what the majority of restaurants and retail stores are following is that they are mostly selecting a managed service offering and not choosing the route of purchasing their own hardware. When trying to manage your own hardware a restaurant owner will have to worry about compatible hardware with the hotspot social WiFi application.
Connectsim's software solution enables a restaurant or retail company to utilize their social WiFi software that works with their compatible wireless hardware. Their solution offers the retail or restaurant owner to have a fully managed campaign that takes care of content filtering, bandwidth restrictions so users don't burn through your internet rates.
We approached Connectsim at a local restaurant trade show to ask them the typical costs to start a campaign with them and how long a typical contract runs. From our quick 10 minute conversation with Connectsim their mid Social WiFi package starts at around $500/month with a 1 year commitment. For what they offer in this package is a steal (signage, branding, coasters, large signs, facebook management and twitter design pages and more)
So to summarize the hardware needed for a social WiFi zone depends if you'll be hosting it with a VAR (least start up costs and set up is fast), if you'll purchase the hardware yourself (needs a expensive controller, expensive router and extensive knowledge to set up). The last alternative route you can deploy is a cheap WiFi router but it will still cost you roughly $200-$400 to purchase plus licenses, as well you will need to purchase additional equipment to filter out content and bandwidth and to manage campaigns. The smart choice to deploy a social WiFi campaign is to select a managed service provider.
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Try a FREE demo of our Social WiFi offering, or see it online. We ship across North America Social WiFi Toronto www.connectsim.ca
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