The hotel WiFi certification system is a few places where problems can be easily solved.
The selection and bidding of the WiFi certification system in hotels is often smooth, with manufacturers demonstrating complete and acceptance tests passing. But many problems are slowly revealed after official online operations. Some problems affect the residents’ experience, while others directly result in an over-recording of web monitoring.
The following list of the most encountered pits in actual projects helps you prepare for deployment.
Question one: The PMS system is not fully connected.
With the PMS system of high-star hotels, the most common problem with online certification systems is that the docking is incomplete.
The common thing is that the PMS connection certification process runs well during the manufacturer's presentation. But when actually deployed, it turns out that hotel versions of PMS, interface fields and even room synchronisation logic are different from the presentation environment. Some hotels use old PMS versions, interface field names and factory preset mismatches; others have to be manually triggered by a hotel exit process.——These details are often not fully validated during the selection phase.
The result is that the network does not open automatically after the occupants have entered and when they leave, the network does not shut down.
This problem requires a real PMS docking test before you go online, rather than running the process only in the demonstration environment. It is suggested that manufacturers be required to provide at least one real PMS connection test for a guest room, and to simulate a complete login-on-line-checkout-release write-off process, confirming that each link is normal.
Issue II: Retention configuration of logs neglected
This is the most easily discovered pit at the receiving and inspection stage.
The certification system is functional, the manufacturer's presentation is fine and acceptance tests are passed.——However, when the webmaster came to check it, it was found that the logs were not long enough to retain them, that the log fields were incomplete or that the logs could not be exported in standard format.
Why? Because the two functions of log retention and compliance reporting are often not the focus of selection and presentation. Attention is focused on how to use them."Can you pop up the authentication page?"、"Do you copy the cell phone identification code?"These visual experiences. When the system is online and compliant, it finds that there is insufficient log storage space, that log formats are not standard, and that often the configuration has to be re-configured or even upgraded.
This is addressed by a clear request to the manufacturer before signing, confirming that the system supports the retention of local logs for length, log field integrity and whether it supports the integration of standard interfaces with local web monitoring platforms. If local requirements are not established, manufacturers may be required to confirm with the Internet monitoring unit in cooperation with hotels.
Issue III: The selection of certification systems does not take into account the need to separate guest rooms and public areas
Many hotels use the same certification strategy when planning their networks to put WiFi in all regions under one SSID. But, in practice, the need for regulation of room and public areas is different.
The room area needs a real name certification, logs are kept and is accessible to residents.——Some hotels choose text messages, others choose to release them free of charge and others choose not to name but limit bandwidth.
If a common set of strategies is used from the outset, public area experience and compliance requirements will become complicated. For example, people from the grand halls will have to send text-letter certifications, which would put a lot of pressure on front desk; but if not, there will be no logs to keep and do not comply with them.
The guest room is connected to PMS by a real name certification system, and the public area can set up SSID and authentication strategies separately.——Some have a release strategy, some bandwidth restrictions and some have access to public WiFi certification platforms provided by the Government.
Issue 4: Certification page experience not tested ahead
The certification page is the first touch point for a resident to access WiFi, but many hotels do not find their own experience until they are online.
Common problems include: pages that are not normally displayed on certain mobile phones (especially small crowds or older versions of systems); delayed text message authentication code delivery, which has been considered a web problem by the residents for too long; and slow jump page loading after certification success to affect experience.
Another frequently overlooked question is whether the information on the certification page has been confirmed by a hotel. Some of the defaulted certificate pages contain brands Logo, Propaganda, or even two-dimensional codes, but if the hotel does not make a request, the default page may be accompanied by brand messages from the manufacturer or have not been updated for years to influence the hotel image.
It is recommended that the entire authentication process be tested in its entirety before it gets online, using three to five different types of mobile phones (covering mainstream brands such as apples, tiles, millet and OPPOs, as well as versions of iOS and Android systems), moving from WiFi to successful Internet access, and identifying problems for early adjustment.
Issue 5: Multi-Hotel/multi-door centralized management does not take into account actual use of the scene
The chain hotel often values the system when it's selected."Central control"Capability. But in practice, it becomes a new problem if not properly designed.
The common problem is that headquarters has access to all the door-to-door data, but there is no clear distinction between the door-to-door operating rights, which leads the door-to-door staff to modify the configuration that should not be changed; or that a uniform Headquarters certification strategy does not apply to certain special cases (e.g., different demand for Internet access in viewing hotels) but the system does not support flexible adjustments.
The other pit is the particle size of the report and data. Headquarters looks at the overall data, but when checking logs and troubleshooting, it requires operational permissions and data views for fine particles. If the system does not support hierarchical data rights management, operators either have too much (seen unenvisaged store data) or too small a license (check their own shop logs require layers).
The root cause of these problems is that the physical operating scene was not clear during the selection phase. It is recommended that before signing a contract, the manufacturer be fully informed about the actual use needs of the shops and posts and confirm whether the permission model and data view match.
Summary: Checklist Before Online
Before the system is officially online, it is recommended that the following points be identified item by item: PMS docking real processes; log retention time and field integrity meet local cybermonitoring requirements; guest rooms and public areas network strategies are planned separately; authentication pages have been tested on multiple terminals; multi-store/multi-post privileges and data view design are reasonable. Each link is confirmed in advance, much less than it would be easier to discover problems after being online.