Last year I wrote about a very slick device for giving people WiFi access in your home or office. I’ve got one at home and we’ve got a few in the office as well. It’s a handy device.
Fast forward 12 months and the world has changed dramatically. These days there aren’t as many people visiting offices or homes and the travel and tourism industry is suffering.
The team over at WiFi porter have now come out with a new version of their device that’s aimed at hospitality ie. bars, cafes, restaurants etc., It’s the same basic concept as the WiFi porter but designed for public use and with some nice new features.
Bottom line you won’t have to print out wifi access codes and you can also update logins and do further customisations pretty easily.
Porter Hospitality makes sharing Wi-Fi with your guests effortless. The device offers a range of mounting options, and
may be set up in minutes using an Android or iOS device. When a guest taps the device or scans the QR code, the
password for your network is delivered seamlessly onto their phone. Since the password is never typed, you are free
to make it complicated and secure. The device may also be configured to load custom branding on the guest’s
phone, require consent to terms and conditions, and collect guest email addresses. You may also direct the customer
to view additional offers or information that may be helpful during their stay.
Remote management features allow you to update Wi-Fi network information and passwords instantly from any location. Porter Hospitality models are are managed in groups, called locations. Each location may be customized and
controls the guest experience for all Porters associated with it. A Google account or Apple ID is required to enable
management features. In addition to managing locations on your mobile device, you may also configure automatic
management using the Porter API. This enables a variety of new use cases, such as greeting your guest by name
after they check in, or automatically rotating your Wi-Fi password weekly.
By providing contactless Wi-Fi sharing, Porter Hospitality provides an excellent alternative to distributing Wi-Fi passwords using physical paper, and is itself simple to clean and sterilize.
Your data is always kept safe. When the devices are remotely managed, the Wi-Fi credential data is encrypted on
your phone and only decrypted by on your guest’s phone using a decryption key stored in each Porter Hospitality.
This security architecture provides assurances that only guests with physical access to a Porter are able to log in.
Full details on buying the Wifi porter here.