ANTlabs Introduces ANTlabsEzCast at HITEC Toronto 2023

Enabling Digital Services and Elevating Guest Experience with Advanced Casting Solution for Hospitality

[Toronto, Jun 27 2023] – ANTlabs, a pioneering provider of advanced network solutions for the hospitality sector, is pleased to launch ANTlabsEzCast, an innovative casting solution designed specifically for hotels. “As internet traffic continues to surge with streaming services dominating content consumption, ANTlabsEzCast enhances the guest experience by seamlessly integrating secure access to individual room TVs,” says Wee-Tuck, Teo, CEO of ANTlabs.  “With ANTlabsEzCast, we aim to empower hotels to launch digital services like casting that mirror the comforts and convenience of home and the luxury of utilizing the large-screen TV.”

According to recent statistics, streaming now accounts for more than 60% of global internet traffic, making it the dominant form of content consumption. In response to this growing trend, ANTlabsEzCast allows hotels to cater to the evolving needs of tech-savvy hotel guests. Guests can easily pair their mobile or Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the in-room TV via QR Code or via browser authentication.  With the ability to transform large-screen TVs into powerful work or entertainment hubs, ANTlabsEzCast provides guests with a truly engaging digital experience. Privacy and security are also ensured as no credentials are stored on the TV.

ANTlabsEzCast delivers a cost-effective standalone solution with cloud management and on-premise gateway control. When paired with ANTlabs gateways’ onboard Advanced QoS and application-shaping technologies, hotels can be assured that the surfing speeds do not degrade significantly with the additional streaming internet traffic. Furthermore, it offers a superior technical advantage by eliminating multicast traffic overhead. This is achieved by creating a private network between the end user’s devices and associated Chromecast devices.

Benefits of ANTlabsEzCast for hotels and guests:

• – Unmatched in-room experience that drives brand loyalty and delights guests
• – Cost-effective solution with cloud management and on-premises gateway control
• – Effortless content casting for guests, eliminating the hassle of HDMI cables
• – Ease of deployment and monitoring for IT Managers, minimizing troubleshooting
• – Centralized reporting and cloud-based configuration through a unified dashboard

ANTlabsEzCast offers competitive pricing and low operating costs, making it the most cost-effective choice when combined with High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) services.

ANTlabsEzCast will be showcased at the prestigious HITEC 2023 event in Toronto, where industry leaders and IT professionals convene to shape the future of hospitality technology. The official launch of ANTlabsEzCast is scheduled for June 27th, with interested customers and partners gaining access to this innovative solution starting in Q3 2023. ANTlabs invites technology enthusiasts and industry professionals to explore the forefront of in-room entertainment and experience ANTlabsEzCast.

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About ANTlabs Pte Ltd.

Established in 1999 and headquartered in Singapore, ANTlabs is a market-leading provider of innovative networking solutions for the hospitality, large venues, telcos, and ISP industries. ANTlabs helps our customers deliver high-quality, high-touch, and highly reliable digital services to their guests and users, driving revenue growth and operational efficiency. ANTlabs Pte Ltd offers a wide range of networking solutions, including on-prem network gateways, cloud-based Wi-Fi services management platforms, bare metal appliances, and virtualized telcos network infrastructure solutions through in-house R&D. With resellers worldwide including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, ANTlabs has established itself as a trusted market leader.

Media Contacts
Kwang Tat, ANG
ANTlabs Pte. Ltd.
angkt@antlabs.com

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Photo by Bui Howard

ANTlabs Authentication Methods

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.

Posts Related to ANTlabs Social WiFi:

• ACG Update #3 – Account Printer support, Multiple AP licenses support, LinkedIn and Office 365 Login
• Offices
• Like for Access: 3 Benefits of Social WiFi in Hotels

Technology photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com

How to let your hotel guests cast Netflix to TV securely

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.

How to cast anything securely on the hotel TV

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.

Excellent user experience with PAN 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.

Increase WiFi revenue and staff productivity while ensuring privacy

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. 

Peace of mind while casting Netflix on hotel TV with ANTlabs Private Area Network Module

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.

Photos by John-Mark Smith, Nicolas , and cottonbro  from Pexels