Combating the Dreaded WiFi Dead Zone

Combating the Dreaded WiFi Dead ZoneSmall business owners know the importance of being connected at all times—especially if your business is a hotel, where the sheer size of your establishment makes constant communication via an internet connection a necessity. Guests may come to enjoy rest and relaxation at your hotel, but they also rely heavily on your WiFi connection. And you? Well, your success is based on their satisfaction. Most consumers today know exactly which stores have a poor connection, which areas of their house are like Fort Knox when it comes to the internet, and at precisely which point in their train ride to work they lose all connection to the web. It’s also inevitable that no matter how great your internet provider claims to be, you will likely have dead spots in your hotel. Here, we talk about how to combat those dreaded dead zones to keep your guests—and employees—connected.

Have you ever seen guests at your hotel hovering near a window just to get a signal? That’s bad for business, especially if you happen to have conference rooms where business folks depend on a great connection. Your WiFi solution may seem great, but it can quickly become overloaded as more and more guests log in. An increase in traffic can slow things down significantly, resulting in frustrated patrons who aren’t like to book again. Not only that, there are emergency responders who will need access to seamless cellphone connections in order to communicate with their crew, and staff who can’t manage their jobs effectively if they’re constantly experiencing a dead zone. It’s literally in everyone’s best interest that your business runs smoothly.

To start, check out your antenna. A lot of times the signal being transmitted by your router is the problem. There is a built-in antenna, which can easily be replaced with a higher-range one to combat dead zones. WiFi coverage can also be hampered due to distance (think of your guests all the way out in the Honeymoon Suite that’s located a good quarter mile from your router) or even thick walls. In these instances, wireless range extenders are inexpensive, easy to install, and work wonders if your space is less-than-ideal for long-distance coverage. Bear in mind, however, that a range extender won’t increase your bandwidth (or number of devices your router can support). If your hotel typically sees a lot of devices being used at once, an access point may be a better option. Access points allow devices to connect to a local area network; they’re used to expand the wireless coverage of network that’s already in place, plus they increase the number of users who can connect.

Depending on the size of your business, enterprise-grade solutions can be the ticket to success. A Distributed Antenna System (DAS) is a network of antennas that can be placed throughout your hotel, designed to improve the performance of your wireless connection. They allow businesses to tap into connection frequencies that are usually only accessible for cellular communications, according to Lodging Magazine.  “Unlike WiFi, DAS equipment can provide access to a guaranteed level of connectivity that outperforms WiFi in coverage, bandwidth, and latency,” the article states.

There you have it: Our top recommendations for combating dead zones in your hotel, which can lead to more satisfied guests and employees—and some even more stellar online reviews. If you’re looking into new technologies to increase your hotel’s connection capabilities, a line of credit is a great place to tap into for extra cash. Check out our options at ARF Financial and fill out a quick, no-risk quote to learn how much you qualify for. Happy surfing!