Why Old Wifi Hot Spots Are A Thing In The Past And The Benefits Of Adopting A Social Wifi Network.

By Victor James


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.

Connectsim has been deploying managed wireless services for the retail and restaurant market for years. They have a proven solution that has worked for many years. Hardware providers would offer you only the hardware to start a splash page design that connects you to a splash page wireless offering but it lacks the social content. The most effective way to capture and engage your loyal customers is to offer the social media log in to a free wireless network zone.

We've worked with many technology advisers and the best route or choice is to select a company who can manage all the aspects of your social WiFi campaign. Connectsim.ca a local based company in the greater Toronto area offers a unique package that we haven't seen. They offer you a fully managed WiFi social media solutions as well as corporate branding, signage and social media management. Connectsim.ca will print you a 33"x 80" vinly roll up banner that displays your new WiFi social network with new specials or offerings you. They provide you a new restaurant design menu and on each page has a "free WiFi Zone icon", they also provide you witih Free high end glossy coasters (not cheap ones) that displays a message to log into the WiFi zone with your social media account of choice (Twitter, Facebok or LinkedIn). They also create you a Facebook website and Twitter Website as well as manage it throughout the year. This is just part of the package we've seen from them. They also incorpoate an SEO package that includes 3 keywords to be optimized when you sign up with their mid to high level packages. Their packages start at $299/month.

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)

To summarize what you'll need to run a basic social WiFi campaign is the license from Connectsim that will cost roughly $25-$30/month but this doesn't include any assistance or setup just documentation from their website. This monthly fee is for one sensor or access point ,if you require more wireless coverage you will need a second license. Basic fees from many vendors will not include the advanced features of coupon management, splash screen management, content filtering or bandwidth filtering. Its best to contact a local managed WiFi social provider in your area. Connectsim ships through North America and all you'll have to do is send them a diagram with your retail or restaurant schematic and they'll ship you out a fully configure splash page Social WiFi product.




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