We are big fans of the Ubiquiti UniFi range of Wireless Access Points and have been using them with our clients for many years. Although they are not the solution to every deployment, they are particularly suitable for the hospitality industry. For clarification we include hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants in the main, but really anywhere that is in the business of providing a WiFi service for guests. There are many reasons why we believe UniFi is perfect for hospitality and have set out the main reasons below. Hospitality has a different use case for Wireless networks when compared to the classic enterprise installation as its primary objective is to provide a gateway to the internet. This is not a specific technical examination of UniFi but rather a business case opinion.
UniFi is Easy to Set Up and Manage
One of UniFi’s greatest strength is its ease of set up. UniFi has a centralised controller that manages the access points. This can be deployed on a local machine, however to get the best results we feel that a hosted controller is the best option for current and future Ubiquiti features. With a hosted controller you will get access to a beautiful single interface dashboard where you can configure and manage your network. For further convenience iOS and Android apps are available to provide the same functionality on mobile
Living Breathing Flexibility
The UniFi range of Wireless Access Points provide for almost every hospitality requirement. From an entry level UAP for reliable and cost effective service right up to the UniFi AC HD which can cater for high density deployments such as large conferences. It is really easy to extend your network by just adding another access point to your controller. The hospitality industry is in a constant state of flux, and with new technologies being regularly introduced it makes sense to have a flexible and cost effective approach to WiFi. Hospitality WiFi is like a living breathing part of your business and UniFi makes managing it really easy.
Made for Guests
Ubiquiti have put a lot of development into their guest WiFi feature where venues can set up specific guest ID’s and very easily create vouchers or request payment for access. Another feature that is really useful for hospitality is the ability to have timed access to WiFi, so you can very easily turn off access during any time that the venue is closed. The guest portal is very functional and covers the basics of providing WiFi access to guests, however for a more customised service with data capture a more professional enterprise UniFi captive portal solution is required
Feature Rich Future
UniFi has many more features which are particularly useful for Hospitality businesses and is constantly releasing new features to create more value. The ability to upload floor plans with access point locations to the UniFi controller is very useful for easy management and troubleshooting. A soon to be released Hotspot 2.0 feature will facilitate the next generation of WiFi access with security of the guest in mind. Multi site management is facilitated and makes the management of multiple sites really easy. Email alerts and multiple user profiles are great for sending alerts to those that need them without providing full access on the controller.
Need more Configuration?
Highlighting the ease of use and simplicity of the UniFi range risks not doing justice to the vast array of configurations that are available on the system, particularly with a Unifi Security Gateway in place. Many of these features are simply not needed in most hospitality environments, however they are there if required and they are can all be easily setup and managed on the UniFi controller.
UniFi For Hospitality
It is for these reasons, plus more that are too many to list, that set out why UniFi is the superior business case choice when its comes to providing WiFi to guests. Pricing, flexibility, features and ease of use set it apart from would be competitors in the hospitality channel. Low cost of change or upgrade means that your hospitality WiFi network will always be at the cutting edge.
