In the UAE we are more accustomed than most to hosting friends and families on their holidays. Day to day most of us also play host to a range of people throughout the week. Family, friends, co-workers and more may come to your villa or apartment for food or just company and as we are accustomed to being constantly connected- they will probably want your Wi-Fi password. Do you let them connect to your Wi-Fi network with all your own devices or would you benefit from a separate network for guests?
The benefits
Rather than always having to dig out the router and having to read out long lines of numbers and letters it would be quicker and easier to have a separate guest network. This Guest network can allow your guests to have better Wi-Fi and access to the internet without allowing access to all other devices on your network such as printers and your home computer. This means your personal devices on the network are kept safe. If you limit the bandwidth of the Guest network you can also ensure your Wi-Fi connection isn’t slowed a lot by the added traffic.
If you have live-in help in your home such as a housemaid or nanny, a separate Wi-Fi network for their use may be an ideal solution to give them access to the internet at any time but not access to your personal network. Bandwidth limits might be applicable in this situation as well.
Why place limitations?
Placing limitations on your Wi-Fi and reducing the bandwidth can help to ensure that anyone using your guest connection isn’t searching for any blocked content which may result in you getting into trouble as the home owner. You can also limit the content that someone connected to your guest network can view.
Do you need a guest network?
If you have a live-in nanny or housemaid then a separate network may be ideal for you. Wi-Fi speeds to your main network won’t be affected and your own devices will be kept separate and secure.
Guests to your home will be able to experience a good Wi-Fi signal if they have their own network to connect to quickly without needing to share it with all the devices already in your home. You can set a short and simple password for the guest network so that it’s easy to remember and your devices and data are kept safe behind the long and complex password. It’s a win-win!
