It’s August, the holiday season is in full swing and holiday makers everywhere are taking some time off from the daily grind and heading for some R&R to re-charge. Whether you’re off on a staycation or venturing abroad, if you’re due to stay in a hotel with free Wi-Fi then don’t rejoice just yet!

I think it’s safe to say that Wi-Fi is one of the top things we check when we book something and when we first arrive at our destination. Is there Wi-Fi? Is it free?

Even with the best of intentions of having a digital detox whilst on holiday, the temptation to just post one photo of the pool with the caption ‘Enjoy your Monday’ with a cocktail emoji is just too much.

And those among us who have greater willpower might even get caught out – Did I pay that credit card bill? Did I send that money over to Joe that I owed him? Should I just transfer over a bit more money from savings incase we need it on holiday?

Posting on Instagram is maddening for your friends, but not particularly dangerous to you, whereas logging in to online banking using free, unprotected hotel Wi-Fi could be a disasterous start to your holiday.

So you’ve checked in and heard the words ‘Free Wi-Fi’. At this point there tends to be two camps of people – Let’s call them dogs and cats.

Dogs are trusting souls who like to see the best in everyone, especially that oh-so-helpful receptionist that’s offering them a bone, umm I mean free Wi-Fi, without having to faff around with passwords. Digital technology is all a little bit baffling to dogs so as they sit with their head tilted to one side, they fetch their phone and log straight in, afterall, who would be interested in what they were doing online anyway?

The cats are entirely more suspicious and paw anxiously at said receptionist, wondering if she realises that she’s offering a potentially dangerous service to her guests. Rather than see the best in people, they assume the worst, and a free Wi-Fi network without password protection smells very much like a rat to these fiesty felines.

Whether you’re a dog person or a cat person, it’s the cats that will prevail in this situation – They are absolutely right to be suspicious and cautious. While the dogs are happily offering up their personal data without even realising, the cats are consciously choosing to not share anything remotely confidential.

Unfortunately in today’s digital world, there are hackers everywhere, and hotels are one of their biggest targets. Even the big name hotels have had data breaches. The main focus of these hackers is the Property Management Systems used for reservations, issuing room keys and storing credit card data. But that’s not to say that there aren’t hackers lurking, waiting for you to send your online banking details out into the ‘public’ domain via the hotel network.

So why exactly are hotels such a hot target for hackers? Well, technically speaking, their systems can be quite easy to penetrate so there’s the first hook. The second is in the name – hospitality. Hotels are trying their best to anticipate and satisfy the need of their potential guests and Wi-Fi is way up there on the list. Guests not only expect there to be Wi-Fi, but they expect to get it for free.

There’s nothing more frustrating and off-putting than long signing in procedures and faffing about with passwords when all you want to do is just log on. And while these procedures would be there to protect you, hotels seem to deem it more hospitable to get you connected as hassle-free and quickly as possible with no fumbling around with passwords.

So not only, from a hackers point of view, can hotel booking records be potentially easy pickings, but they also get the added cherry on top from dogs sending over their personal information using unsecure Wi-Fi networks.

So what can you actually do to protect yourselves?

Whether you’re a dog or a cat, the answer is a Virtual Private Network.

You would need to invest in, and install, the VPN on any device travelling with you that can connect to Wi-Fi.

What is a VPN?

A virtual private network functions as an encrypted tunnel to a special server located somewhere on the internet.

So, for example, you want to connect to your online banking to pay that bill or post that pool selfie on Instagram, the VPN connects to those websites on your behalf.

The traffic between the website and the VPN is encrypted so anyone snooping on your data with the intent to hack only sees a load of gobbledegook.
Thus, it’s safe to use the hotel Wi-Fi and indeed any network wherever you are – Cafes, restaurants, shopping malls etc.

What’s the downside?

If it’s so simple to protect ourselves, why doesn’t everyone do this? Well, money. Nothing in this life comes free! To have this kind of unlimited protection does come with an annual fee.

There are some free services but there will be restrictions on how much data you can use and the number of devices.

So, be more cat. And if you know you can’t resist connecting to the Wi-Fi whilst on holiday, then at least consider getting a VPN. Happy holidays!

There’s nothing quite like that feeling when you’ve bid on something and you win! And there’s nothing like that feeling when you’re desperate to get a bid in before time runs out, and the Wi-Fi fails.

Which one will your guest be?

So you’ve taken the plunge and decided to make your next London event a Silent Auction. You could faff around with paper bidding, but there is also the option to run your event with seamless electronic silent bidding software utilising the interactive technology available to you.

Electronic bidding can help you organise your high-end silent auction, enhancing the professionalism and user-ease for your event as well as boosting fundraising profits.

Mobile bidding software is developed with you and your guests in mind. They provide the guest with an easy user experience, making the bidding process fluent and intuitive. Most are completely customisable as well, so you can keep everything on brand with your campaign whilst remaining stylish and user friendly. Even better, is that the software makes it easy for guests to see how they are doing with their bids – With real-time updates notifying everyone of new bids, the donations will be flying in.

Further along the lines of electronic event technology comes payment terminals. Taking payments needs to be as easy, simple and quick as possible. No one likes trying to pay by card only to wait minutes for the terminal to connect. And with today’s cashless society, not having the option of electronic payments is a bit of a no-no if you want to make sure you receive those donations.

And for all of that, you’ll need seamless Wi-Fi for your guests to access.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that whatever London venue you choose, the Wi-Fi will just ‘be there’. But unfortunately that’s not always the case.

Even just in Central London you’ll have a multitude of venue choice at your fingertips. Most venues do have Wi-Fi, of course, but that doesn’t automatically mean that it’s reliable and fast enough for you to use for your event and thus does take some consideration and forward planning.

How many guests will you have at your event – Maybe 100? All of those people will be accessing the Wi-Fi at the same time trying to view items and place their bids. Can the venue Wi-Fi handle that traffic? The last thing you want is for the Wi-Fi to go slow or drop out, as that will slow down the whole process. If people can’t place their bid, or miss new bids coming in, then the rate of bidding is going to be lower and fundraising profits start to take a hit.

There’s no point securing that prestigious London venue for your silent auction event, only to fall at the last hurdle – Failing to bring in the bids because of poor Wi-Fi would be catastrophic to the success of your event.

What if your chosen venue is at a hotel, and you’re competing with all the hotel guests as well?

Or maybe you’ve got your heart set on a beautiful ballroom venue in the centre of London, but it’s underground with poor mobile reception and you’re relying solely on the Wi-Fi.

This is where Geekabit come in. Our London based experts are here to provide a secure network for your Silent Auction guests, with no reliance whatsoever on your London venue.

As with all events, you are depending on excellent communication to make your silent auction a success. We are passionate about providing reliable Wi-Fi for all scale events, from the smallest intimate gatherings to the large outdoor festivals. So our expert London Wi-Fi and Network Engineers are on hand to build your bespoke network and ensure that your users stay connected throughout.

Your guests might feel uncertain about whether their bid will be enough – But you don’t need to feel that way about the Wi-Fi. We would be delighted to discuss your event with you – Give our London office a call on 0203 322 2443.

Leave your guests feeling like winners.

We’ve blogged a couple of times about this but it really is the buzzword of the moment – Wi-Fi 6. There’s a lot of hype as well as a lot of questions to be answered. If you’re sat there wondering what all the fuss is about, or have a burning question you’re desperate to know the answer to, keep reading for the answers to some Wi-Fi 6 FAQ’s.

What’s actually the difference between 802.11ax and Wi-Fi 6?

Both of the above are referring to the next-generation of wireless technology, and many networking professionals use these terms interchangeably.
Technically speaking, 802.11ax is the official IEEE standard in reference to wireless technology. The IEEE first formed a committee in 2014 to start development of this standard.

Wi-Fi 6 is in reference to certified products and networks that support the .11ax standard as indicated by the WFA (Wi-Fi Alliance).

Historically, the WFA have used the names given by the IEEE (802.11) but late last year they introduced a new naming system to try and simplify terminology for users. The new simplified naming system refers to the wireless technology standards by generation – hence, Wi-Fi 6.
So using this system the standards are as follows:
– 802.11ax gear is Wi-Fi 6
– 802.11ac is Wi-Fi 5
– 802.11n is Wi-Fi 4

There are also 3 less relevant past IEEE standards that WFA renamed. These are 802.11g (Wi-Fi 3), 802.11a (Wi-Fi 2) and 802.11b (Wi-Fi 1).

Why Wi-Fi 6? Is it faster than 802.11ac?

Hailed as going to be the first wireless standard to reliably break the gigabit barrier, .11ax is faster than the predecessing standards, 802.11ac (5) and 802.11n (4).

However, it’s not just about the speed. Wi-Fi 6 also works smarter thanks to a new feature called OFDMA. Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access means that it can collect more clients to each access point. Essentially, it’s working harder and smarter by making a more efficient route between the device and the network.

Think about it like this – You need to get from A to B. The highways agency can either let you drive faster down a 3 lane motorway, or they can add some lanes and make it a 5 lane motorway so that it has better traffic flow.

That is what 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) is doing. It’s improving the efficiency of the route.

For any new Wi-Fi 6 gear to be compliant with the new highly efficient 802.11ax standard, it must support both OFDMA downlink (AP to client) and uplink (client to AP).

In addition to this, .11ax devices can utilise both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands to transmit data, whereas .11ac only uses the 5GHz frequency band. This supports better throughput on the new standard.

When will the IEEE ratify the 802.11ax standard?

This is why the hype is steadily growing and you’re seeing Wi-Fi 6 mentioned here, there and everywhere. Later this year, it is anticipated that the IEEE will ratify 802.11ax. Due to the previous 2 drafts of the standard failing to be approved by the committee, this ratification is almost a year behind schedule. Hence why people are on tenterhooks.

This month the group voted to pass the 3rd draft and thus is currently preparing it’s final draft to be submitted to RevCom (the IEEE Review Commitee). In December we are expecting to see whether RevCom recommend that the IEEE Standards Board aprrove or reject the new standard.
Around the same time, the WFA is expected to give it’s stamp of approval to compatible products through it’s Wi-Fi 6 certification program.

Is it too early to upgrade to the new standard – Should I be replacing my network gear?

Industry experts consider the new standard as being investable and stable enough to be adopted early, especially as most firmware has the ability to work with the previous standards as well as the new one.

However, the benefits of going out and replacing pieces of kit at this stage is rather minimal. As we’ve just said, most products will have backward compatibility, and so if it’s not able to utilise the new standard it will automatically go to the next compatible one down.

OFDMA will only work if the hardware is compatible, so for example it needs next-generation AP’s and end-user devices.

With IEEE set to ratify 802.11ax in December, and the WFA following suit with it’s certification late this year, it’s likely we won’t start to see compatible products appearing in volume until we’re into 2020.

You could however beat the rush and get ready now so that when Wi-Fi 6 does come into use, you’re already compatible and ready to go.

Who should consider Wi-Fi 6?

The ones that are going to see the biggest benefits due to the wonders of OFDMA, are going to be high density areas like stadiums, universities and festivals. However any network manager who is struggling with traffic management issues and a lot of congestion should really be considering an upgrade sooner rather than later.

Large office buildings, hospitals, and anywhere you have a large number of wireless devices will benefit from the opportunity to segment virtual LANs and better manage the large amount of traffic from having lots of IoT devices.

Another new feature we haven’t mentioned yet (in this blog anyway) is Target Wake Time (TWT). This enables IoT devices to spend more time asleep by scheduling short windows of engagement, thus conserving battery and bandwidth. Big pluses.

An example of this in action could be a smart thermostat from which an AP collects performance data. Rather than it being engaged unneccessarily all the time, the AP could collect the data once a day which would allow the gadget to spend the rest of the time in low-power mode.

Mobile devices would also benefit from TWT.

If you are currently using 802.11n and looking to upgrade, then it would probably make sense to skip .11ac and head straight for .11ax.

It’s also worth noting that .11g, .11a and .11b are near obsolete (if not so already) so if you have networks on any of these it would probably be wise to upgrade sooner rather than later.

Who doesn’t need to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6?

There are a few cases where it might not be necessary to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6.

For example, if you manage a .11n and .11ac network in a low-density environment then you are unlikely to experience many connectivity problems. In which case you probably don’t need .11ax just yet.

Another thing to consider is your WAN. A wide area network that runs slow will run slow regardess of how good your Wi-Fi is. Upgrading to Wi-Fi 6 won’t sort out a slow WAN issue so it’s a good idea to sort this out first. Your WAN needs to be as fast as your Wi-Fi.

Will Wi-Fi 6 work with legacy clients?

According to the IEEE, 802.11ax (or Wi-Fi 6) will be completely backward compatible.

However, like all new tech installations, it’s probably a wise idea to test an isolated deployment before rolling it out organisation wide. If you’re a network manager, you want to be gaining some experience with the new technology before rolling it out.

You could perhaps give it a try in a different building? The most important thing to check would be how backward-compatible it really is with anything on 802.11n or 802.11ac.

Do you have any more questions about Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax? We’d love to hear them! @WiFiExpertUK

Are you having trouble with your Wi-Fi? Trying desperately to send an email with a hefty attachment, or keep losing connection on a video call? It can be really frustrating when a Wi-Fi connection keeps dropping out or runs really s l o w l y.

So first things first – Was your network designed by a professional? If not, then there could be something fundamentally wrong with your set up. It’s straightforward enough to plug in a router at home and get going right away, but offices require a bit more thought than that, and that’s often where people go a bit awry.

Or maybe you are unfortunate enough to have inherited a problematic network in a new job or new office? A site survey could identify any flaws and help to design a new, more reliable WLAN.

Here at Geekabit, our Wi-Fi experts can help resolve your Wi-Fi woes, whatever the cause of the problem.

To diagnose the issue(s) we would often collect data from your network on-site by investigating your Wi-Fi infrastructure and performance.

Questions we would be asking include, are the access points working? Are the access points seeing other access points nearby? Are the ethernet cables connecting to the access points working properly?

Whether you are an IT professional or not, you don’t want to be struggling with unreliable Wi-Fi.

Getting to the bottom of what’s causing the issue isn’t always an easy process, there are a number of things you could be experiencing. For example:
• Gaps in coverage
• Interference across channels
• A user device causing problems whilst trying to connect
• Configuration problems with the infrastructure of the Wi-Fi network itself

What’s going on can look very different between the access point and the floor. These potential issues aren’t usually the types of things you can identify yourself as they require specialist tools to capture and analyse the data.

That’s where our Wi-Fi experts come in. We can walk around on floor level to explore your network and measure site survey to data to identify exactly what’s going on.

With the information we find, we can then design a new Wi-Fi network that will reduce the interference you’re experience, or close a coverage gap. Whatever the problem, it can be solved.

Working days are busy as it is; you don’t have time to be wasting on slow, unreliable Wi-Fi. For most organisations, Wi-Fi is now business critical, and getting a well designed, trustworthy network is a very worthwhile investment.

If you’re struggling with your Wi-Fi then don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our Wi-Fi experts to see how best Geekabit can help. We work out of London, Hampshire and Wales and are on hand for all your business Wi-Fi needs.

You can call us on 0203 322 2443 (London), 01962 657 390 (Hampshire) or 02920 676712 (Cardiff).

Don’t hold your breath!

We’ve done a couple of blogs before on Wi-Fi 6, or to use it’s technical name, 802.11ax. This year sees the debut of this new version with the key improvement being it’s ability to send information to multiple devices simultaneously with one transmission. It also has better energy management for batter-powered devices. These imrovements will mean that consumers who have lots of home gadgets under one roof – Which, let’s be honest, is many of us! – will see less competition for bandwidth.

This Autumn will see the Wi-Fi Alliance begin offering certification for new Wi-Fi 6 devices followed shortly thereafter with the formal consent of this new standard.

However, despite this still being months away, router manufacturers have gone ahead and embraced the new standard already. You may have already seen the likes of Netgear offering new Wi-Fi 6 routers on vendor websites or in stores. Also on the way are Wi-Fi 6 mesh options.

So do you need to rush out and replace your router in eager anticipation of this coming Autumn?

Probably not. These flashy new routers might be backward-compatible with older versions of Wi-Fi, and thus able to still support your old devices but until you’ve actually got new Wi-Fi 6 smart home devices it’s not actually going to speed anything up. Your current devices using older versions of Wi-Fi aren’t capable of taking advantage of next generation Wi-Fi features (for example OFDMA and Target Wake Time) and gadgets that can, don’t actually exist yet nor have any been announced.

However, this is only true for the world of smart home gadgets like Amazon Alexa and Google Home. In the wonderful world of smartphones, the new Samsung Galaxy S10 already supprots WI-Fi 6 and it won’t be long until other new phones join the next-gen Wi-Fi club. It’s likely too that you’ll start to see new laptops that are capable of supporting Wi-Fi 6 by the end of the year . Some computers are even compatible with a Wi-Fi 6 adapter which is currently on sale already.

Alexa, when are smart home gadgets coming?

“Nothing on this that I can share, sorry!”

Odds are that the new year will see the beginning of brands attempting to grab headlines and stand out from the crowd by touting their new gadgets that support Wi-Fi 6.

Currently though, there’s not really much demand for these devices. Those who are extremely tech savvy and are keen to future proof their smart homes might be already on the market for them, but these early adopters are probably quite few and far between at the moment to warrant brands to bring out their next generation Wi-Fi 6 smart devices.

The market for these devices will likely spike once the Wi-Fi Alliance gives it’s certification and formal consent for the new standard. It’s predicted that early 2020 will see the start of a major global embracing of Wi-Fi 6 technology by manufacturers and it will then begin it’s establishment as the standard feature for all high-end WLAN enabled products.

As with most technological advances, once once brand or manufacturer takes a leap and offers the newest tech, others begin to follow. The more noteworthy manufacturers could decide to get ahead of the curve and introduce these Wi-Fi 6 devices sooner than anticipated. Products that support current standards with the ability to update to Wi-Fi 6 once it’s been certified could be a particular popular way to go.

No signs of anything just yet though. There are new versions of this and that popping up all the time, but still utilising the old standard of Wi-Fi 5. For example, just last month Amazon introduced a new Alexa smart display called the Echo Show which connects with your router wirelessly – This devices runs on Wi-Fi 5 with no mention of Wi-Fi 6 in the specs.

There might be a few early birds creeping onto the market but there are some pretty big names that aren’t just yet and you can understand why.
The average Google Wi-Fi user has 18 devices connected to their home network, but to notice a significant difference between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 you would need to have 50 connected devices. Not only that, they would need to have an 11AX chip and be no more than 15 geet away from the router.

The other thing to bear in mind, is that new technology inevitably comes with a larger price tag. Over time, this tends to come down and with the price for Wi-Fi 6 routers currently at about £100 more that Wi-Fi 5, it makes sense to wait until the price is worth the impact it will have on those using it.

In general, most brands tend to embrace new technology but it will likely take a little bit of time.

The biggest takeaway from all this at the moment, is that it’s pretty silent on the whole Wi-Fi 6 front when it comes to smart home device manufacturers. It would seem that it will be smartphones and laptops that will move things along with the new standard and encourage compatibility with new home devices but it is still very early days.

So in short, don’t rush out to replace your router with one that supports Wi-Fi 6. There’s plenty of time for all that yet.

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.

We’ve compared cables before (Cat 5, Cat 5e and Cat 6) so here we’ll be comparing Cat 6 with Cat 7.

The focus is so often on Wi-Fi that we wouldn’t blame you forgetting that sometimes, a cable is actually better!

Our homes and businesses are filled with electronic devides that need an internet connection to work. It used to just be out computers, but now it’s smart TV’s, printers, media players, games consoles etc. So it becomes even more importantto have everything connected properly.

All of these devices can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi nowadays, but sometimes a wired connection is better as it is more stable as well as faster.

And so we come to the cables – These are UTB cables (unshielded twisted pair) and they are available in different categories as we said before.

Starting at Cat5, they run up to Cat 7. The higher the category, the faster the network cable and here we will be looking at Cat6 and Cat7.

Speeds for each cable are:
Cat6 – 10,000 Mbps, 250mhz
Cat7 – 100,000 Mbps, 1000mhz

The main difference between Cat6 and Cat7 cables is the frequency. As you can see above, a Cat7 cable and a Cat6 cable have the same speed.

However, the difference is that Cat7 has a higher frequency than the Cat6 so a higher bandwidth. This shows how often the signal can pass through the cable, and thus how fast it can transfer data. So the higher category the cable, the faster it can transfer data.

The speed also depends on the distance. For Cat6 cables, speed is 10,000mbps upto 55 metres, and then drops down to 1000mbps between 55 and 100 metres. With Cat7 cables, their speed drops after 15 metres.

With higher speeds on data transfer comes higher price tags. This isn’t much of a problem if all you’re doing is plugging in your computer, however if you are cabling an entire house or business full of devices then it might start to get pricier. Of course, it depends on how much you rely on your connection being fast and reliable.

So which cable should you get?

The great thing about these cables is they work backwards, so the higher category cables are still compatible with the lower categories.

Even if you don’t think you need the faster cables right now, it might be worth investing in them anyway, should you get newer devices later on that would benefit from the higher bandwidth and transfer speeds.

If you’re not worried about how things may change in the next 5-10 years then you will probably go for the lower category cables.

If you’re unsure which would benefit your business set up, then get in touch with our Wi-Fi experts here at Geekabit and we can help advise what would work best for you. You get in touch on 0203 322 2443 (London), 01962 657 390 (Hampshire) or 02920 676712 (Cardiff).

Do you know why wireless network monitoring (WNM) is a must to keep your organization running efficiently?

It’s safe to say that most businesses rely on a solid internet connection for at least part of their day to day operations, proving that fast and high-performing Wi-Fi is extremely important.

In large, complex organisations like hospitals, it’s an absolute must that the network is reliable and can handle hundreds of users constantly entering and exiting on both personal and business devices. It’s imperitive that people can stay connected.

This is where WNM comes in – It discovers and addresses any problems as soon as they happen.

So what actually is WNM and how does it work?

What is wireless network monitoring?

Using a set of tools, WNM continuously and proactively monitors an entire network, even the various devices on it. This includes any hardware like access points (APs) and wireless routers as well as user devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. It maintains a reliable connection for the organisation whilst checking these all these devices.

The idea is to discover and rectify any problems with the network before a user detects the problem, thus providing seamless Wi-Fi. Due to the fact that wireless networks are largely made up of wireless devices (the clue is in the name…) it means that there is a lack of physical interfaces that would alert network managers to any issues, which is why it is so important to constantly monitor these networks to avoid outages and downtime.

How does WNM work?

The WNM equipment continuously tracks and assesses devices within a network and then sends the data through to network manages. The areas that this equipment monitors includes: evaluating connection rates, connection quality, client throughput, and data rates, packet latency, voice quality (MOS), utilization, signal strength, and RF interference.

The tools available will engage in WNM from any device and operating system, including Windows, Android, Mac OS, or IOS. The tool can alert network managers within minutes as to whether an issue is related to a wireless or wired device, or if it’s even device-related. It also works in the most remote locations of any facility.

You can also get equipment that focuses on the end-user experience and uses a Wi-Fi sensor to measure connectivity whilst simultaneously monitoring the quality of the experience that end users are receiving.

What are the benefits of wireless network monitoring?

1. Ensure business continuity and increase productivity

As we said at the beginning of this blog, most businesses rely on dependable wireless internet to keep things running efficiently. Wi-Fi massively benefits employees, enabling them to stay connected wherever they are on the premises. Using WNM effectively means that network managers can detect issues in good time to reduce outages and disruption to business practises.
It goes without saying that this goes a long way towards improving employee productivity and satisfaction. Not only will they be working more efficiently, they also won’t need to make support calls, saving time and money.

2. Avoid network downtime

Today, most people will have wireless, wearable technology on their person at all times, which means more wireless devices in a network than wired. The great thing about WNM is that monitors all these devices and gives network managers the chance to address any issues quickly and accurately.

3. Solve WLAN problems before they reach users

One of the biggest benefits of WNM is the ability to diagnose and solve a problem efore it’s even detected by an end user. This reduces complaints, possibly even eliminating them altogether. End users can’t complain about a problem that they’re not aware of!

4. Easy access through cloud hosting

What’s really great is that cloud hosting can be used. This means that access can be gained from anywhere, instantly. Another big plus for businesses is that it helps avoid maintenance like software updates or lengthy backup processes, as they are done automatically. This means there is also no disruption to the network’s performance or user experience.

5. Total visibility into Wi-Fi performance

The network manager, or other permitted users, are able to view the WNM system from anywhere in the network, meaning they have visibility of the entire organisation’s Wi-Fi performance. This also means that any configuration changes can be made immediately and with ease by network managers.

For more information on how WNM can help your business operations, give one of our Geekabit Wi-Fi experts a call. You get in touch on 0203 322 2443 (London), 01962 657 390 (Hampshire) or 02920 676712 (Cardiff).

This blog is a brief overview of Wi-Fi antennas to help you choose the right one for your application.

Are you trying to boost your office or warehouse Wi-Fi signal? Perhaps you’re trying to provide Wi-Fi across your B&B or on a campsite? Or maybe you’re trying extend your Wi-Fi signal to an outbuilding, or connect to a public Wi-Fi network? All of these scenarios and more would require and benefit from a Wi-Fi antenna.

The main purpose of a Wi-Fi antenna is to send and receive wireless signal waves over different frequencies and is a very important component of any wireless network.

The signal strength of an antenna is decided by the power gain which is measured in dB (decibels).

One of the most common problems with wireless networks is when the right antenna hasn’t been selected during the installation process.

So, here is some information on the types of antennas that are available and the scenarios they are suitable for, to help you choose the right one and get your wireless network up and running successfully.

1. Directional Narrow Beam

This type of antenna is the best option if you are trying to extend your Wi-Fi network to an outbuilding.

For this to work, you need to have a clear line of sight.

Directional Narrow Beam antennas are mostly used for long range point to point networks.

2. Directional Wide Beam

This antenna is similar to the Directional Narrow Beam, but instead covers a shorter range thus being useful for covering a building yard or similar environment.

You still require a clear line of sight for this antenna to work.

3. Omnidirectional

The omnidirectional antenna is a great choice for covering a broad range of 360 degrees.

It’s a great choice for environments where users are connecting from different directions, like offices, warehouses and even campsites.

You could also use the omnidirectional antenna to create a persona Wi-Fi hotspot.

4. Sector

Another antenna used for hotspots, but professional ones this time.

They have a 120 degrees pick up range and are typically set up in threes to give a total of 360 degrees coverage.

This type of antenna is ideal for us in shops and open spaces.

If you’re still feeling insure about which antenna would be best for your network, give our Wi-Fi experts a call and see how we can help. You can call us on 0203 322 2443 (London), 01962 657 390 (Hampshire) or 02920 676712 (Cardiff).

Do you run a business where you need to give your clients or guests Wi-Fi access, but don’t want to give them access to your whole network? Maybe you own a cafe, manage a gym or run a B&B – Your guests would all benefit from Wi-Fi access, and you would benefit from keeping it safe and secure for your business.

Not only could you isolate them on your network, but you could also control how long they have access, and how much bandwidth they use.

One solution to enable you to put all this in place would be a UniFi Guest Network.

Through your UniFI controller, you can creating, edit and manage UniFI Guest Networks.

Through the controller, you can edit your Guest Network to reflect your business by choosing a name – This is what users will see when they try to connect to your Wi-Fi network.

If you want to leave the Guest Network open then you can, but you can also make it exclusive to your guests by using a security key.

The great thing about this is that you can enable and disable Guest Networks, so if for any reason you want to temporarily take it down, you can do so without deleting the whole thing.

It’s super simple to get things up and running to this point, but there are further advantages to using this UniFi tool.

You have control over what Guests can and cannot access, before and after authorisation. Your administrator will be able to configure exactly the custom settings you require.

When you are at the stage of configuring your Guest Portal, you have 2 options. You can choose Legacy JSP which will provide a basic landing page for your guests when they login, or you can use AngularJS where you can make adjustments and preview the Portal Customisation options.

Customising your portal is great because it keeps everything on brand with your business and looks super professional. Of course, you can customise as much or as little as you like, that’s the joy of the UniFi Guest Network. If you do decide to customise your portal, then you can choose a background image (jpg files 920px wide and 640px high are recommended) and a logo image (PNG format, 400px width and height).

Another great feature of UniFi Guest Networks is being able to control how much bandwith particular user groups are allowed. For example, you don’t want the activity of your guests to negatively impact your other permanent users or affect critical applications. So being able to limit guest bandwidth is a big plus.

The last thing we wanted to mention in this list of UniFi Guest Network perks is the ability to manage and print vouchers.
Through the UniFi Hotspot System, a separate guest management platform, trusted employees can be granted access to be able to perform actions on the Guest Users. Through this, you can create, customise and even revoke vouchers for internet access on certain Guest Users.

There really are so many pros to this amazing tool as a part of a business Wi-Fi network.

For more information on how UniFi could benefit your business, give us a call here at Geekabit. We’ve got Wi-Fi experts working out of London, Hampshire and Wales who are on hand for all your business Wi-Fi needs.

You can call us on 0203 322 2443 (London), 01962 657 390 (Hampshire) or 02920 676712 (Cardiff).