Free Wi-Fi a marketing partnership made in heaven

Free Wi-Fi is something we have all grown to expect rather than be shocked by. Be it in cafés, town centres, or on public transport we expect to be able to connect, for free. In New York, commuters can currently access free Wi-Fi throughout December whilst travelling along the city’s subway network. But, not only is it free, it is also sponsored, by Visit Phoenix.

Take a cab full of cold commuters, tourists and visitors and give them free access to Wi-Fi. But, in order to allow them access, they have to watch a short film showcasing Phoenix’s warm weather, luxury pools and vacation spots. Who wouldn't reach the office and look to book to escape the bitter temperatures and tourist infiltration of NYC throughout December?

New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority states that more than 137 million passengers use the subway each month. That’s a huge highly captive audience hungry for data and connectivity just waiting to be advertised to. The opportunity for firms to pitch for the free Wi-Fi log in page each month is huge. Every month a different company or even location hot spot can reach its prime target audience. With more searches conducted via smart phones and tablets than any other device, targeting people while they’re trying to get online is perfect. They also can’t access the free Wi-Fi without doing so, they really are, captive.

There is also the opportunity for the investment made by the advertisers to be returned to the subway system ensuring maintenance can be carried out and the daily running costs of offering free Wi-Fi can be easily covered.

But how many cities and transport companies are utilising this valuable marketing tool? The large companies actually providing the Wi-Fi like O2 and Virgin have had the publicity of providing free Wi-Fi on the London Underground, but have they really cashed in when other companies could be paying for the privilege of a simple log in screen? Providing a log in portal also ensures each individual user’s details can be captured. Then of course there is the data capture of users details, including email, allowing further marketing of products and services, providing they opt in.

Surely in this digital age Wi-Fi marketing has to become part of the digital marketing mix, if it isn't already? Companies like Visit Phoenix are not only gaining publicity of their brand through the log in portal but by also offering commuters the ‘gift of free Wi-Fi’.  But it’s not just the commuters who will benefit. Busy tourists who often don’t have free Wi-Fi as part of their hotel package can now upload their holiday snaps whilst travelling on the subway and maybe plan their next trip, to Phoenix?

More than half of public Wi-Fi open to abuse

A recent survey by Purple Wi-Fi has found that more than half of public Wi-Fi networks are open to abuse from criminals. By law, premises providing public Wi-Fi should be able to track back to the user. However, the survey suggests that more than six in ten venues across the globe are not meeting this basic requirement.

With Wi-Fi now available in nearly every high street store, café and public venue, without the correct security in place the free access can be a hive for criminal activity. Some locations were even found not to have URL filters on their Internet meaning users could access any form of content without restriction.

So how do you monitor and rectify this situation? Education is one way, when people opt into offering their customers free Wi-Fi, how much do they really know about the accompanying laws and regulations that should accompany it?

The choice of installer and products that they use should also be considered. At APC Solutions we work with top manufactures such as Ruckus and BlueSocket to name but a few, installing Wi-Fi for our clients, globally. When liaising with the client we always ensure their IT department is up to speed with the current regulations. Particularly when we work within the public sector, security at universities, schools and public buildings is paramount and therefore the network we install or public Wi-Fi must be secure and must allow user traceability.

However, for smaller businesses which are looking to install Wi-Fi independently there must be stricter enforcement of common practice in place.  And this, we believe, is down to the manufactures. Products should not be brought to market without the capabilities to track back to the user and protect against unfavourable content. Small businesses simply can’t afford an IT team to manage this for them but they do need to be able to offer their customers Wi-Fi and this Wi-Fi should be protected and ‘ready to go’.

The survey suggests that of 3,359 venues worldwide 2,048 were running completely open networks and handed out passwords which meant the Wi-Fi could be used for criminal activity and would be untraceable back to the individual user. At APC when installing Wi-Fi for public use the user has to connect to the Wi-Fi and then fill out an online form to connect, therefore enabling the client to track back to each individual user through their login credentials. Not only does this provide the client with traceable data, but also data which it can use for its marketing purposes if the consumer doesn’t chose to opt out.  

So, if you’re planning on joining the Wi-Fi revolution or indeed already have, ensure your network is protected with the relevant filters and ensure you can track back to an individual user.