What is Managed Wireless? Managed WiFi is a managed wireless network which enables clients, guests, or residents to access the Internet through multiple wireless access points across a building, guaranteeing property-wide internet access without the expense of purchasing and maintaining individual wireless cards. Managed networks offer many advantages over traditional wireless networks. Namely, they offer:
Multiple Access Points – Managed wifi offers a great solution for large office complexes with hundreds of individual offices and multiple access points. It is also suitable for providing internet connectivity at smaller business offices or residential homes. Managed networks allow users to add another device to the existing setup and still gain access to all the available wireless networks. For example, a user can add a laptop to a managed network and still be connected to the internet. The laptop serves as both a printer and a scanner, so while it is linked to a printer, documents can still be transmitted wirelessly.
Wireless Networks
Managed wireless networks are easy to set up, as well as to use. Installing managed wifi networks can be done by office staff, which expedites service provisioning and eliminates the need for a technician. Wireless connectivity is also easily accessible from cell phones, laptops, or tablets. Businesses can also set up their own wireless networks from their laptops. In addition, internet service providers can offer their subscribers free connectivity if they choose to install the Business Ethernet Network (BEON).
Technical Support – With a managed wifi access point, there is no need for a technician to visit the user’s home or place of work. Instead, a tech support team can be sent to the user’s location, where he/she can be assisted with installation and troubleshooting. In the case of cell phones, wifi access is provided at the customer’s site. For businesses, technical support teams are located at the customer’s site, making the process of troubleshooting easy. These companies also offer technical support that is available twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.
Connectivity can be further enhanced by adding additional hardware, such as: modems, access points, wireless cards, routers, and wireless extensions. Managed wifi providers can also provide additional software, such as: wireless application software, wireless network cabling, and wireless security software. Some devices may also need to have their own software packages. Depending on what types of devices are used, the software may be specific to a certain manufacturer or provider. There may also be some specialized software that must be downloaded. An example of this would be a driver for a specific manufacturer’s device.
There are a few issues that tend to occur when using a managed wifi provider rather than an in-house one, such as: not having full connectivity to all devices. The majority of managed wifi service providers have complete connectivity to their servers, which should provide full connectivity to all office equipment. However, there are still times when a particular device requires additional connectivity, such as: if employees are located in different parts of the country; or if the employee’s work station is located in a different state. In addition, some offices prefer to have their own network attached than relying on a managed one. In this case, the offices can choose whether they want to have an in-house network or separate one.
One of the biggest benefits of using managed wifi providers is having direct access to wireless networks. It eliminates the need for choosing a wireless access point and then finding a wireless router or access point to connect it to. With managed wifi providers, every employee is assigned their own SSID. As well, employees are not limited to using wireless internet on their personal computers, which can reduce expenses.
Managed Wi-Fi access has many benefits that can make internet usage easier.
- These benefits include: eliminating the need to share internet between several computers; saving energy with energy-saving internet towers; and avoiding the cost of having to purchase multiple wireless routers.
- Furthermore, these service providers also offer many different plans for their customers, such as: unlimited bandwidth and/or data, and various plans with affordable monthly fees.
- In addition, it is also a way for companies to test the performance of their existing internet connections, which will further save money on ongoing costs.