Ever since Hotel WiFi Test gained public recognition, guests have had hard data to use when applauding or criticizing hotels for their Wi-Fi speed. Now, Hotel Wi-Fi Test has launched a partner program for hotels. Hotels can test themselves and prove to guests that they can be confident in their Wi-Fi. While this is a nice opportunity for validation, the reality is that you should already be analyzing your Wi-Fi with tools provided by your HSIA provider. Graeme Powell highlighted the steps hotels should be taking to analyze their Wi-Fi in Data Analytics and Hotel WiFi. Here is what he uncovered:
Gateway Data
Available from HSIA providers, you can gain the following information:
- Number of sessions
- Time session started
- Length of session
- Data transferred - both upload and download
- Device manufacturer and type
- Price of purchase
With this data, you can test data usage at different price points, take note of the number of handheld devices and what type of devices they are, Internet usage patterns, and historic growth in usage, proportion of guests transferring given volume, and upload/download data for the hotel.
Client Data
Available from the software that is utilised as part of your connection, you can gain the following information:
- Signal strength of the access point you are attempting to connect
- MAC address of the access point you are attempting to connect
- Whether connection was successful
- Service Set Identifier (SSID) you are attempting to connect to
- Wavelength of connection
- Location
With this data, you can see the average strength and variability for your hotel, info on the connection success at various signal strengths, proportion of 5 GHz connections, and average signal strength and variability for a given AP.
Combining the power of both data sets, you can make more informed Wi-Fi decisions for your guests. You can:
- Set appropriate tiered bandwidth limits
- Identify hotels in need of Wi-Fi upgrades and prioritize
- Identify areas of poor coverage and address those holes
- Examine trends in 5 GHz device connection and determine the appropriate upgrade timing