ANTlabs is featured on Wi-Fi NOW regarding the Wi-Fi managed services platform, ASP / ASP Cloud, as well as a host of gateway features and services like Advanced QoS, Personal Area Network (PAN), and Web Filtering to enhance the user experience for MDUs (Multi-Dwelling Units).
The demand for managed Wi-Fi services for MDUs is on the rise worldwide, but standard enterprise-grade Wi-Fi services are rarely the right solutions for residential premises. The answer is a dedicated Wi-Fi feature set that affords residents all the benefits of professional MDU Wi-Fi including security, dynamic quality of service (QoS) management, and personal area networks.
MDUs are characterised by a lot of building tenants often living relatively close together. The need for dynamic quality of service management is important – as is delivering the right security. Add to this that tenants also want to be able to share content over the private Wi-Fi networks inside their unit only. Standard enterprise-grade Wi-Fi management – even in the Cloud – is simply not enough. MSPs (Managed Service Providers) offering managed Wi-Fi service in an MDU environment will benefit greatly from ANTlabs solutions that improve productivity, and boost user satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Read more about it below…
Wi-Fi for MDUs requires a unique service management feature set, says ANTlabs
What makes ANTlabs Multi-WAN load balancing module better than the competitor’s multi-WAN? Here’s a familiar scenario: networks going down in the middle of critical business processes and eventually costing businesses much money. Huge companies fork out millions of dollars to keep their networks in the green by having dedicated high-bandwidth backup links and various devices […]
This update adds the following enhancements: Licensing GUI to display the service provider contract details Enhanced web security by removing TLS 1.1 support for web pages served by the gateway Use Facebook Graph API version 10.0 New optional reset_balance=yes input to account_update API module to support Fixed Duration plan update where a reset of remaining […]
This update adds the following enhancements: Licensing GUI to display the service provider contract details Enhanced web security by removing TLS 1.1 support for web pages served by the gateway Use Facebook Graph API version 10.0 New optional reset_balance=yes input to account_update API module to support Fixed Duration plan update where a reset of remaining […]
This update updates the gateway’s default SSL certificate. SG Update Release No. 44Release Date: 18 Mar 2021Update File Name: 44.SG4000_base-sys-hotfix-20210315-01.pkg (md5: 136669fcc070706d9f10a555a3cf5d66)
This update updates the gateway’s default SSL certificate. Update Release No. 5Release Date: 18 Mar 2021Update File Name: 05.SG4000S_base-sys-hotfix-20210315-01.pkg(md5: cfb6cf977aaa23828f75bc84e25c487e)
This update updates the gateway’s default SSL certificate. Update Release No. 44Release Date: 18 Mar 2021Update File Name: 44.IG4000_base-sys-hotfix-20210315-01.pkg (md5: eb1ae6db86cc482af92a63ce25ed79f6)
This update updates the gateway’s default SSL certificate. Update Release No. 5Release Date: 18 Mar 2021Update File Name: 05.IG4000S_base-sys-hotfix-20210315-01.pkg(md5: f89abbbd45ce0fbacc7db346f76061f5)
ANTlabs recently added Office 365 and LinkedIn to its ever-growing list of Social WiFi authentication methods. Aside from allowing your guests to connect via social media quickly, here is the comprehensive list of ways you and your guests can connect to WiFi when using ANTlabs gateways:
Social media – Encourage your guests to log in via Facebook, Google, Twitter, Instagram, Line, WeChat, and LinkedIn–and let them post good things about your venue
Complimentary access – invite more guests to your venue with free WiFi
User ID and password authentication (local accounts) – provide your guests, members, VIPs, and staff their WiFi user name and password
Access code authentication (local accounts) – generate and give out WiFi access codes to your guests
MAC-level authentication for non-HTTP devices – choose which devices can connect to your network
PMS authentication and Billing – conveniently connect your esteemed guests through your hotel’s property management system
Email / SMS authentication – let your guests connect to your network through email or SMS
Office 365 login – your guests and office staff can use their Office 365 account to login to your WiFi network
Auto-login – no login page for areas where you want guests to connect to your network sans access codes seamlessly
Account Printer – one-tap access code generation on a hand-held device (i.e. ANTlabs Account Printer AP 3100)
ANTlabs gateways also support credit card authentication and billing through Worldpay, Authorize.net, Payflow Pro, Payflow Link.
Recently in December, WeChat rejoined ANTlabs’ roster of social WiFi login methods after its brief hiatus.
Did you know that your neighbors may also know that you are watching Netflix when you cast Netflix on your hotel TV? Even high-end hotel guests are not spared the surprise nor embarrassment and have experienced getting a mobile notification that somebody nearby is streaming Netflix on their hotel TV. This situation usually happens when the network does not have any private network setup.
Upon reaching your hotel room, one of the first things you will most likely do is get your devices connected to WiFi—whether for work or to relax after a long day by catching up on your favorite shows on Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, or Disney+. Unlike in the home network–where we only see the devices we own–guest networks would most likely also show other people’s devices connected to that AP when you scan for your devices to cast on your hotel TV. If you can see your neighbor cast Netflix from their phone to TV, imagine what else we could be unknowingly broadcasting when connected to guest networks.
As a service provider, be it for hotels or MDUs, how can you assure the users in your network that their devices are only “speaking” with one another? And that intruders cannot easily find their devices? As more users are practically doing everything online these days, customers are also getting more aware of privacy matters and the need to protect themselves from intrusion.
One way to accomplish this is to provide each user with their private network. Providing private networks for each of your guests will ensure that only the user’s devices can “see” each other online, whether they are ‘working from hotel’—the other WFH—or just unwinding and casting Netflix on their hotel room Smart TV. Guests can also connect their gaming consoles to it, just like how they set it up at home, thus, improving the guest experience. The traditional way of achieving this is not straightforward and very time-consuming. As a service provider, the easier way to do this is through ANTlabs’ PAN (Private Area Network) module.
User experience is more than just a buzzword now, especially when transacting business online. It usually starts with how fast and easy you can connect to the Internet, how stable it is, and how secure it is wherever you are, especially guest WiFi networks. Improving network security protects your staff and guests from privacy intrusion and simplifies operations support.
With PAN module, you can tell your guests that they have a private network within their hotel room and can expect to quickly hook up their gaming consoles or enjoy casting their favorite Netflix shows on their TV—without letting the whole building know about it. They can trust that they will have a pleasant and enjoyable stay and secure business transactions online.
ANTlabs gateways also have other modules that complement the PAN module. Take, for example, the Advanced QoS module. You enjoy the best of both worlds with both PAN and Advanced QoS through operational efficiency, high-quality internet connectivity and privacy. These benefits are not only for the guests but also for the hotel staff. For one, it is easy for your team to set up private networks for your guests with the PAN module, and it is just as easy to allocate differentiated bandwidth tiers for your guests.
For example, your hotel can allocate VIPs and premium-paying guests with their 1GBps private network while non-guests who are enjoying free WiFi at the hotel lobby café share 200MBps among themselves. This means that no matter how hectic it gets during the day within your staff’s own 1GBps network, your VIPs and premium-paying guests will still be happily casting and streaming Netflix or making Zoom calls in their rooms. On top of this, other users will not see your devices that are within your private network.
The PAN module is also suitable for co-working spaces and MDUs (e.g., condominiums, dormitories, serviced apartments). While the current global situation does not encourage a lot of human traffic in these areas, it somehow shows the opposite on online traffic. Everyone is online to do practically everything; thus, more and more devices connect to the Internet daily. With the PAN module, service providers can provide a seamless and private user experience to their users no matter how busy the network gets with WFH (both ‘work from home’ and ‘work from hotel’) online activities during the day, and casting Netflix or YouTube at night.
Learn more about how the PAN module can improve your guest network.