3 Ways to Prepare Your Home Technology for Guests This Holiday Season
Preparing for guests during the holidays is a little different these days. Besides focusing on the bathroom linens and bedding comforts, you need to make sure your guests have access to communications.
Once upon a time, guests would use your telephone to check in on grandparents or other distant relatives. Now, everyone arrives with their own devices like their smartphones and laptops. Guests may even intend to work remotely during the holidays when not enjoying time with you and your family.
Not only do you need to think of access to your wireless network, but you need to ensure that everything is secure for you, your friends, and your loved ones.
Here are three ways to prepare your home technology for anyone who uses your network over the holidays and beyond:
1. Make Sure the WiFi Reaches Guest Rooms
If you have a guest coming a long way, missing important meetings to spend time with you, make sure their internet access is reliable. Check your guest rooms to make sure there is a strong and consistent signal. If you detect a weak signal, invest in a WiFi range extender. A high-quality WiFi extender, with proper setup, will give your signal the boost it needs to provide continuous connectivity for streaming and other online activities. A WiFi extender works by repeating the wireless signal emitted from your router—acting as a bridge—allowing it to expand wireless coverage to any dead zones.
2. Set Up a Guest Network
PC Mag recommends setting up a guest network to allow friends and family to use your WiFi with less risk to everyone. With guest networking, visiting users can access the Internet, but not the main network that may allow entry to your private folders. You get to keep your private main network fully secure while everyone else can use the separate guest network, which also features full security.
Guest access provided by your wireless router requires a unique password. This network grants access to guests, but it prevents them from wandering into shared files that may contain your personal information. Restricting access is a practical way to keep everyone safe from online mishaps, such as preventing your main network from falling prey to an accidentally downloaded malicious program or computer virus.
3. Create a Unique Guest Password and Share It Easily
Keep your guest network access password simple to make it easier for short-time visitors to remember. As a bonus, QiFi allows you to share your chosen password securely via a smartphone camera scan. Print up inserts for holiday invitations with the QR code inside so guests have it before arrival. You can also post it in a common spot in the house, like the kitchen where people can stop and scan it as needed. This way, no one needs to memorize and type in the password. They can use their smartphones to scan for quick and easy access.
Keep the Holidays Merry and Fully Connected This Season!
People stay busy with work, hobbies, and long-distance relationships all throughout the year. Make it easier for your loved ones and friends to visit you without worrying over missing out on important parts of their everyday lives while away.
With improved access for seamless streaming, guest access for worry-free browsing, and an easily shared password, your guests can relax during your time together, and so can you.