Yes.
We could leave this blog at that one word answer, but thought we’d take the time to explain why it does indeed matter when it comes to having good business Wi-Fi.
According to Statista.com, 23 billion connective devices utilise Wi-Fi as their primary communication medium, and this is predicted to increase to 75+ billion by 2025.
So firstly, let’s address why good business Wi-FI is so undervalued.
The big issue is not understanding the difference between residential and business Wi-Fi. It’s typically very easy to get a router and Wi-Fi up and running well in the home, and you’ll rarely have any major issues. Thus, people expect to e able to do the same in a business capacity. But the differences are number of users, the number of devices these users have and the distance it needs to span to keep these users connected. Say you’ve got 5+ users, each with at least a smartphone and a laptop and all of a sudden you’ve got 10+ devices trying to connect. Add to that an office spanning thousands of square feet and you’ve got yourself some potential problems.
A standard router is unsuitable to meet the requirements of an enterprise network that needs to perform across multiple floors and buildings, supporting thousands of devices using Wi-Fi at the same time. To be able to deploy a reliable network that can handle the area and number of users in a business environment, it’s wise to employ a wireless expert that can design a custom network that will be effective specific for your company’s various requirements.
You may think that more AP’s could sort out any problems, but more Wi-Fi doesn’t necessarily mean better Wi-Fi especially when there’s only a certain amount of airspace in business environments. There is a bit of a balancing process, and only a Wi-Fi expert will be able to design a network that will work well.
If you think about it, it’s extremely likely that your company will rely on Wi-Fi to connect people, devices and equipment across the country if not the globe, so why wouldn’t you in invest in a long-term, reliable solution?
People. Businesses frequently communicate with customers and colleagues that aren’t in their office or immediate vicinity. In an age where we are desperately trying to be greener and have a lesser carbon footprint, gone are the days where employees have to travel across the country for a meeting, when a reliable Wi-Fi connection can provide a flawless video conference.
Devices and equipment. Daily operations within an organisation depend on Wi-Fi – It’s an integral part across all industries, from mobile point-of-sale terminals, healthcare equipment, inventory systems, manufacturing sensors or the Internet of Things (IoT).
If you’re serious about the future of your business, then Wi-Fi is a critical investment in your digital future. When deployed correctly it can result in:
- Streamlined workflows across multiple sites
- Mobile data access for staff dispersed across large geographical locations
- Untethered voice services
- Multiple mobile end-points with stock/ inventory consolidation
- Savings on corporate device expenditure with Bring Your Own Device policies
- Increased customer loyalty for hotels, restaurants and cafes
- Wi-Fi analytics platforms can provide valuable business insights on customer frequency and how long they spend in your establishment
In many industries, Wi-Fi is a mission-critical necessity. Business operations in retail, healthcare, warehouse/manufacturing and government industries rely on effective Wi-Fi. Retail need their customer loyalty systems, healthcare establishments require timely access to data in order to save lives, warehouses streamline their inventory and stock production lines and then there’s security protocols within government industries just to mention a few. The risk of Wi-Fi failing in these networks would be a significant issue.
Of course, most business will have some kind of system in place in order to maintain operations should an outage occur (do you?) however this is often a manual system and the impact of reduced operations, lower productivity and lost profits is a big one.
And that’s just for employees. What about customers? Wi-Fi isn’t just essential for employee operations, but to customer satisfaction too. Customers want Wi-Fi, usually for free, and they’ve come to expect it as the norm. If your business doesn’t offer it, then you can probably expect those customers to go elsewhere.
Never before has providing a reliable Wi-Fi network been so important for businesses.
So does Wi-Fi really matter? Yes, and hopefully we’ve managed to convince you as to why. If you’re wondering if your business Wi-Fi is up to scratch, or you need a network designed and installed, give our Wi-Fi experts here at Geekabit a call and see how we can help.
