Guest networks: Why they make sense and how they are implemented

WLAN is now standard equipment in companies that welcome customers to their home. In restaurants, for example, guests usually ask for the WLAN password before they drink. Of course, free WiFi is a service that can provide customers with a number of advantages and also offers other benefits for the operator. However, a WLAN that all customers have access to also poses security and data protection risks. It is therefore often useful to use a guest network that is separate from the company's internal WLAN.
Most larger companies have internal networks that enable employees from all departments to communicate with each other and exchange data. Here, it is also a good idea to divide the network into sub-areas. However, the reasons here are not so much the security of the network as the administration and organization, which is simplified as a result.
Both types of subdivided networks have their own areas of application and benefits and are further explained below.

virtual networks (VLAN)

In most larger companies, there are internal networks that connect all of the employees' computers to each other or to a server, giving everyone access to the data they need. Most of these networks are based on LAN and in large companies with many employees and many PCs, this can lead to a confusing network structure. For this reason, it is worthwhile to use virtual networks, i.e. dividing the entire network into isolated, logical sub-networks. This separation is called a virtual local area network (VLAN).
But why should you take the trouble to separate the already fully set up network into individual sub-areas once again? The reason for this is fairly simple. They enable the network administrator to separate the organizational structures in the company from the physical nature of the building. This means that employees in a department, no matter where they sit in the building, work on the same isolated network. At the same time, it makes network adjustments much easier. This is because if an employee changes departments but not their workplace, the administrator can simply integrate him into another logical subnetwork without having to change anything in the physical cabling.
In addition to better organization, the use of VLAN also offers other advantages, such as more stable performance and more security. The improved security is provided by the fact that, for example, you do not have to operate a publicly accessible web server on the same network as systems that contain confidential business data. In addition to security, the performance of a network can also be improved through VLAN. On the one hand, you can prioritize various tasks or systems so that they always work optimally. On the other hand, in the event of faults or failures, only a single VLAN is paralyzed and not the entire network.

WiFi guest networks

If you run a company that has local customers every day, for example in the catering, retail or fitness industry, then it is almost essential today to offer in-store WiFi. This offers customers an additional service that creates incentives to visit the shop. In addition, a customer WLAN also offers the option of collecting customer data and marketing with this data. In addition to all these benefits, a customer WLAN also poses a few risks, particularly with regard to security and data protection. The use of separate networks for internal use and for customers also helps here.
In principle, you can simply give the customer the password to the network over which all internal computers and cash register systems also run. However, people with malicious intent may then have access to sensitive data. To prevent this from happening, you should provide customers with a separate network. Put simply, a guest network is simply another access point to your own router that offers access to the Internet but not to your own network. But so that you can get even more out of this network, you should use a professional provider for a guest network. Socialwave, for example, offers professional and secure guest WiFi that is extra protected and also offers other benefits such as marketing through pop-ups when signing up and personalized newsletters. Socialwave also constantly keeps the router for the guest network up to date and has an extra firewall that further protects the network.
By separating internal and guest networks in this way, you offer customers free WiFi and at the same time protect their own data from third-party access, i.e. a win-win situation.

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DHCP — Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Regardless of whether you are on an internal company network or a guest network, you need an IP address to use the network. This IP address is necessary so that a user's device can be identified on the network. Since this address must be assigned every time a user is active on the network, it would be a very tedious task if it had to be done manually. To automate this work, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) was introduced. This allows a server to automatically assign IP addresses to users in the network without an administrator having to make manual changes.
If you look at an internal company network that is set up via VLAN, DHCP allows a user to be moved from one subnetwork to another subnetwork without having to manually reconfigure.
And DHCP is also a useful tool in a guest network, such as a customer WLAN. DHCP automatically assigns an IP address to all users who log into the WLAN and can thus be identified in the network. Before DHCP was introduced, this allocation of IP addresses would have had to be carried out personally by an administrator, for every new user on the network.

conclusion

Networks, whether in a company or for guests and customers, are sometimes difficult to organize and offer areas of attack for third-party access. By using guest networks or dividing a network into subnetworks through VLAN, the organization of the network can be simplified and security gaps can be closed. Regardless of the type of network, it is recommended to use DHCP because it allows the automatic allocation of IP addresses to network users and reduces the administrator's workload when making changes.

You can find more information about Socialwave's marketing package here.

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