Free Wi-Fi a marketing partnership made in heaven

Free Wi-Fi is something we have all grown to expect rather than be shocked by. Be it in cafés, town centres, or on public transport we expect to be able to connect, for free. In New York, commuters can currently access free Wi-Fi throughout December whilst travelling along the city’s subway network. But, not only is it free, it is also sponsored, by Visit Phoenix.

Take a cab full of cold commuters, tourists and visitors and give them free access to Wi-Fi. But, in order to allow them access, they have to watch a short film showcasing Phoenix’s warm weather, luxury pools and vacation spots. Who wouldn't reach the office and look to book to escape the bitter temperatures and tourist infiltration of NYC throughout December?

New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority states that more than 137 million passengers use the subway each month. That’s a huge highly captive audience hungry for data and connectivity just waiting to be advertised to. The opportunity for firms to pitch for the free Wi-Fi log in page each month is huge. Every month a different company or even location hot spot can reach its prime target audience. With more searches conducted via smart phones and tablets than any other device, targeting people while they’re trying to get online is perfect. They also can’t access the free Wi-Fi without doing so, they really are, captive.

There is also the opportunity for the investment made by the advertisers to be returned to the subway system ensuring maintenance can be carried out and the daily running costs of offering free Wi-Fi can be easily covered.

But how many cities and transport companies are utilising this valuable marketing tool? The large companies actually providing the Wi-Fi like O2 and Virgin have had the publicity of providing free Wi-Fi on the London Underground, but have they really cashed in when other companies could be paying for the privilege of a simple log in screen? Providing a log in portal also ensures each individual user’s details can be captured. Then of course there is the data capture of users details, including email, allowing further marketing of products and services, providing they opt in.

Surely in this digital age Wi-Fi marketing has to become part of the digital marketing mix, if it isn't already? Companies like Visit Phoenix are not only gaining publicity of their brand through the log in portal but by also offering commuters the ‘gift of free Wi-Fi’.  But it’s not just the commuters who will benefit. Busy tourists who often don’t have free Wi-Fi as part of their hotel package can now upload their holiday snaps whilst travelling on the subway and maybe plan their next trip, to Phoenix?

More than half of public Wi-Fi open to abuse

A recent survey by Purple Wi-Fi has found that more than half of public Wi-Fi networks are open to abuse from criminals. By law, premises providing public Wi-Fi should be able to track back to the user. However, the survey suggests that more than six in ten venues across the globe are not meeting this basic requirement.

With Wi-Fi now available in nearly every high street store, café and public venue, without the correct security in place the free access can be a hive for criminal activity. Some locations were even found not to have URL filters on their Internet meaning users could access any form of content without restriction.

So how do you monitor and rectify this situation? Education is one way, when people opt into offering their customers free Wi-Fi, how much do they really know about the accompanying laws and regulations that should accompany it?

The choice of installer and products that they use should also be considered. At APC Solutions we work with top manufactures such as Ruckus and BlueSocket to name but a few, installing Wi-Fi for our clients, globally. When liaising with the client we always ensure their IT department is up to speed with the current regulations. Particularly when we work within the public sector, security at universities, schools and public buildings is paramount and therefore the network we install or public Wi-Fi must be secure and must allow user traceability.

However, for smaller businesses which are looking to install Wi-Fi independently there must be stricter enforcement of common practice in place.  And this, we believe, is down to the manufactures. Products should not be brought to market without the capabilities to track back to the user and protect against unfavourable content. Small businesses simply can’t afford an IT team to manage this for them but they do need to be able to offer their customers Wi-Fi and this Wi-Fi should be protected and ‘ready to go’.

The survey suggests that of 3,359 venues worldwide 2,048 were running completely open networks and handed out passwords which meant the Wi-Fi could be used for criminal activity and would be untraceable back to the individual user. At APC when installing Wi-Fi for public use the user has to connect to the Wi-Fi and then fill out an online form to connect, therefore enabling the client to track back to each individual user through their login credentials. Not only does this provide the client with traceable data, but also data which it can use for its marketing purposes if the consumer doesn’t chose to opt out.  

So, if you’re planning on joining the Wi-Fi revolution or indeed already have, ensure your network is protected with the relevant filters and ensure you can track back to an individual user.

How well is your town connected?

With cities across the country now offering free Wi-Fi within their town centres, has the Wi-Fi revolution reached your local town? With Birmingham Council announcing last week that it is the latest city to jump on board the Wi-Fi wave, following on from London and York, are local towns ensuring they are as up to speed as the big cities?

Pilot schemes like the Portas bid have breathed new life into smaller struggling towns with multiple unoccupied stores. Using display banners within empty stores to encourage new ownership and ensuring the current stores have inviting store displays and the marketing support they need to survive.

But is Wi-Fi really that big a pull? Absolutely, not only does offering free Wi-Fi allow customers to use their mobile devices, tablet or laptop around the town but, it also encourages publicity of the town itself. With people mentioning the town across social networks, tweeting about the deals that they have got whilst in town that day or a local event or even a new store. The free publicity alone can easily pay for the initial outlay of installing a Wi-Fi hot spot.

And local businesses can also use the network to advertise their latest deals, sales and promotions. Offering a code only available if you’re connected to the local town network not only ensures that stores can track where the promotion has come from but will also, again, encourage local footfall in order to gain from the offer.

The free Wi-Fi can also help smaller coffee shops that may not be able to offer the service independently but need to compete with chains such as Starbucks and Costa. The same goes for smaller boutique stores who don’t get the marketing boost that larger chains do.

But it’s not just stores, which can benefit. By introducing free Wi-Fi at local children’s skate parks, youths are encouraged to utilise the towns facilities whilst parents can rest assured their children can always be contacted via their mobile device. Homework can be completed in the local café as a treat while the parent enjoys a cup of coffee and can save on expensive home broadband tariffs.

If your local town is not connected, ask them why not and encourage them to connect to drive traffic back to our local towns and businesses.

St Jude's Storm, did your internet survive

The usual routine for most mornings I am sure, the alarm goes, normally the alarm on your phone, snooze is tapped for the extra 5 minutes in bed, phone beeps again. Okay, definitely time to get up, roll over to turn the lamp on, why has it not turned on? Power cut, thanks to the St Jude’s Storm. But, here’s the kicker, not only is there no power leaving your mobile dangerously low in battery but there is also… no internet connection as you have no Wi-Fi at home due to the power outage and not even a mobile signal due to the local mobile mast being off-line. 

Panic stations; there is no electricity to make coffee, some toast, to connect your laptop or mobile devices, no Internet and no phone service. So what do you do?

The usual daily routine of checking your emails, connecting to your bank or just even checking your social media updates before you have left for the office or in some cases, whilst you are still in bed, is rudely interrupted by the simple fact you are unable to connect to the Internet.  

We have only had the use of the commercial Internet services since 1995, but it is sensational, how big a part it now plays in our every day lives. We have, in the past, suffered with power cuts and have learnt to keep candles and torches near by for these kind of emergencies. However, the minute our mobiles die this instils a different kind of fear of not being able to communicate.

Popcorn Web Design offices 

Due to the power outage there was a distinct lack of storm related statuses on Facebook, this left the newsfeed free for several hours while the signals remain down across most of the county. In times of crisis when there is a need to be kept abreast of the minute-by-minute changing news and weather, we don’t wait patiently for the next edition of the newspaper; we connect and check Twitter and Facebook for the very latest updates, pictures and news. The moment our Internet goes down, so does our link to the outside world. Heaven forbid we actually need to call people to find out what’s going on rather than relying on email or social media networks.

3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi, however fast the technology is developing and changing there is one thing it cannot change and that is the good old British weather. Trees will still fall, cables will go down, we will lose power and our links to the outside world will stop functioning as will our laptops, desktop PCs, tablets and mobile phones.

High winds and the falling of trees damaged many overhead power lines and telephone cables; this meant that individuals and businesses were without Internet access for a prolonged periods of time, causing many business to grind to a halt.  The ability of not being able to communicate with other offices, suppliers or clients or even the simplest of tasks of updating ordering portals or receiving information alerts, caused lots of business to reduce their trading on Monday.  Many staff were stranded at home, unable to travel.  Those that did brave the storms arrived at the office, to find out there was no Internet or even power.  Therefore many businesses closed their doors and the staff set off to find a Wi-Fi service at a coffee shop or restaurant, just to check their emails and keep in touch with work colleagues, customers or family and friends. 

However APC has deployed many wireless high-speed data networks over the last few decades for its customers and during this time of Internet silence, APCs clients were able to continue working as normal, as they weren't reliant on the overhead telephone cables that the wind damaged during the storm.  Many businesses have backup solutions for power, such as diesel generators, but many hadn't factored in the issues that no Internet can bring. 

Would you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi?

Would you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi? Could you survive without connecting your phone, tablet or laptop? For some, a weekend break, a two-week holiday or even just a single night away, is time away from a busy office environment.  But for others, the office has to go with them and become a mobile operations centre. More commonly, small business owners cannot disappear for prolonged periods of time without being able to communicate with their office or clients, and therefore the need for Wi-Fi Internet access is a must.

So what would happen when you arrive at the hotel, only to find your Wi-Fi connection picks up nothing? We rely so heavily on being able to connect to the cloud wherever we are, be it at the office, a shopping centre, a train, a taxi or even a plane these days. But to find a business such as a hotel without Wi-Fi is extraordinary, and for many, Wi-Fi is an essential part of our basic need to be able to communicate.

Not only does it affect the consumer but also the hotel, many guests choose their hotel by the amenities the hotel has to offer. For example; swimming pool, gym, fitness centre and room service to name a few. But the percentage of people now choosing their hotel due to Wi-Fi and Internet access has become colossal.  Many guests will choose an alternative hotel even if the hotel has Wi-Fi, even if they charge for it. However, if you are paying for a hotel and the amenities are available to you, should the Wi-Fi not also be free? And not only free but high-speed and offer coverage in all the main areas of the hotel; rooms, restaurants, and even by the pool and bar areas? 

And how can you leave that great review without free Internet access? Yes, you can wait until you get home but aren't you more likely to do it when you actually have time whilst on holiday? How can you tweet or post about your stay and make all your friends and work colleagues jealous? Upload pictures to Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram of the great view? Who doesn't check Trip Advisor or social networks before they book their hotel for the real reviews of the place? Hotels can live and die by a review and rating, having Wi-Fi to enable customers to do this, should be essential.

Yes, we can connect using our mobile data plan but for anyone who has tried to check his or her Facebook account whilst abroad, only to come home to an extortionate mobile bill knows, Wi-Fi is the only way to go. By not offering a connection, you’re forcing your clientèle to leave your hotel in search of an alternative venue that supplies Wi-Fi connectivity. Why stay in the hotel bar or restaurant and order that coffee when you are unable to connect to the internet, when across the street the local coffee house will let you connect for free.

So the questions are, could you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi or more importantly, why should you? Furthermore, how can a hotel survive without offering its clientèle this simple service, of free Wi-Fi access?

The invention of Li-Fi

You thought you’d heard it all when it came to Wi-Fi but now, they've invented The Li-Fi. A light bulb, which emits its own Wi-Fi signal. Researchers from the Fudan University in Shanghai have developed a prototype which they are naming the Li-Fi.

The micro-chipped LED bulb can be used to connect up to four wireless devices using light frequencies rather than radio waves. The microchip produces a signal at 150Mbs per second, which is believed to be considerably faster than the average Wi-Fi connection in China.

Obviously, you need to keep the light on to keep the connection in place but surely this is a small price to pay for faster Wi-Fi? While the product is still in the research stages, it is set to be unveiled at the International Industry Fair in Shanghai next month.

For all the latest news from APC Solutions follow us @apcsolutionsuk

The 17th October marked the annual East of England Business Awards which saw APC nominated in three categories – It’s Group Sales Director, David Bell for Business Person, Harry Woolmore, APC Engineer for Employee of the Year and APC for Service Excellence.



Harry Woolmore, who has been with the company a little over a year, scooped runner up in the Employee of the Year category. At just 20 years old, this is a huge achievement for Harry and all at APC. Lee Collis, APC’s Technical Project Manager won the award the previous year. 

This is David’s second year being nominated for Business Person and he narrowly missed out this year with Dee Clayton winning for the second year running. Can he bring it home in 2014?

All in all a great achievement for APC being nominated in three categories. We’ll be back next year.