Captive Portals: In a world of cyber threats, these portals make your network look more trustworthy and protect you from legal problems. But that’s not all they’re suitable for; they also give you access to helpful customer data that helps you understand how people use your site. Captive portals are essential tools for businesses that want to improve their guests’ Wi-Fi experience because they can be used with extra features like paywalls, donation drives, advertising, and social media promotion.
Access For Wireless Guests And Captive Portals
If so, you may have seen a website with a way to “log in.” A captive portal is what this is. Captive portals are standard, and most people who want to connect will do what they need to without giving it a second thought. For several reasons, businesses that offer Wi-Fi need captive portals.
You can avoid lawsuits, your business will look more trustworthy, and you can get helpful information about your customers that you can use to make their experience better. Read on to learn more about captive portals and how they can help when giving guests Wi-Fi access.
Captive Portals Give Your Network More Credibility
Hackers are always trying to get user information. These days, hackers have done this by making fake wireless networks, among other things. They usually name these networks after a nearby business that might offer less Wi-Fi. Also, they could “spoof” the network name.
If not, they’ll call it something like “Free Wi-Fi.” People then link to these networks, which risks their data. Giving your wireless network a branded captive portal can provide it with credibility. Customers can use the network without fear because they know it belongs to your business.
Captive Portals Can Help Your Company Avoid Lawsuits
The internet is a service that doesn’t care about right or wrong. A lot of different things can be done with this connection. Some things, like stealing a movie, may also be against the law. The government can track down the IP address of a person doing illegal activities to enforce the law.
That means if someone uses your Wi-Fi and does something prohibited, it could get your business in trouble. Luckily, following the law is a simple way to protect yourself. You can make users agree to the Terms of Service (ToS) before letting them connect with a captive portal. You can make it illegal to do things like pirate in the ToS.
A note in the Terms of Service about not entering private data on a public connection is also a good idea. Public Wi-Fi is just that public. A hacker could get to sensitive information that a user enters. Putting a note in the Terms of Service telling people to be careful about giving out personal data will help you avoid legal trouble.
Captive Portals Can Assist You In Gathering Data To Add Business Value
Captive portals often need users to give personal information, like their email address, to log in. With the right tools, you can get more valuable data, like how often people visit, how many walk-ins and walk-bys there are, peak hours, dwell time, and more.
You can send marketing emails if you have an email address. Email marketing works very well; the average return on investment (ROI) is $36 for every $1 spent. You can take your business to the next level with location analytics and other tools that help you understand how your customers act.
More Features For The Captive Portal
You can do more with captive portals than collect information and keep your business safe from liability. You can also add a paywall, a donation drive, ads, and social media production. A paywall is a simple idea, letting you charge people to use private Wi-Fi. Many companies, like airlines, choose this option to make more money for their company.
A paywall can be an excellent way to make money in the right situations. Through your captive portal, you can also start a drive for donations. This is a common choice for charities, non-profits, and other groups needing public money. It’s also a good choice for companies that want to help others.
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For instance, holding a fundraising drive around the holidays is common. Advertising could also be a part of captive portals. Ads can be shown when someone goes to the portal to log in to your network. This is an excellent way to spread the word about your goods and services.
Advertising can also bring in extra money for your business by letting you sell ads to other companies. Lastly, the captive portal can show the social media pages for your business. The links will be helpful for people who want to “follow” or “engage with” your business. This is a great way to get more people to follow you on social media.
Conclusion
Adding value to your business is easy with a guest Wi-Fi network, and captive portals work well. Capital portals are a great way to make your network seem more trustworthy, keep your business safe from lawsuits, and gather information that you can use to make the customer experience better. Other features include paywalls, donation drives, ads, and social media promotion.
We’d happily help you set up public Wi-Fi for your business. Datavalet has been at the top regarding new network technologies for over 20 years. You can get tools from us to help you get the most out of your network after we set it up. We make your network work for your business by making it valuable.
