What is a WiFi hotspot?

Accessing the internet while out and about is increasingly important to consumers and businesses. Give your customers wireless access via a secure and reliable hotspot and you can gain an edge in a highly competitive marketplace. It can help you attract and retain customers looking for that bit extra.

What is a hotspot?

Simply put, a hotspot is a way you can give customers and staff secure and reliable access to the internet, and they can be set up in almost any business location. Many businesses are using them as a way to increase customer dwell times at locations such as cafes, hotels and retail shops. They can also be used to provide internet access for business operations, and we can keep the two completely separate for added security.

Find out more about Wi-Fi hotspots in your small business

How it works

1. Typically, a wireless hotspot plugs into a broadband connection with a network cable, and then shares this internet connection amongst your customers who connect via the wireless signal.
2. Customers can use their personal laptop, tablet or smartphone to connect to the wireless network made available by the hotspot. Hotspots generally have a range of about 30m indoors. Hotspots can also be set up to provide wired internet access for businesses with existing computers or devices they supply for customers to use.
3. Once connected to the hotspot, and when trying to access a website for the first time, customers will be automatically redirected to a login page and asked for a user ID to access the system. This user ID comes on a small access card that you either sell to the customer or provide free of charge.
4. As long as the customer enters the ID number correctly, the hotspot is configured to redirect them to the original website they were trying to access. They can use the internet as they wish up to a predefined time or data limit.
5. If the customer wishes to continue using the internet hotspot, they will need to be supplied with a new user ID card, which may be after an additional purchase from the business.

Is it secure?

Our hotspots boast excellent security measures. When a customer logs into your hotspot service, the user ID and password they enter are sent across an encrypted connection to our Australian data centre for authorisation. We use the same encryption level as most online banking systems, and without a valid log in customers cannot gain access to the service.