Cox Business has rolled out its managed WiFi offering to customers across the Northeast and parts of the Southeast region, with plans to deploy the service within Cox Communications’ national footprint in the coming months.
Cox Business began trialing the service, which offers a commercial-grade secure internet connection via WiFi, in 2017 and now offers three package options:
- Guest WiFi Package – for business customers, guests and vendors, which includes up to four guest network IDs with splash page passcodes and end-user license agreement access control.
- Private WiFi Package – for business employees and internal use, which includes up to four private network IDs with encrypted and private network ID passcode access control.
- Total WiFi Package – includes both private and guest networks, each with separate access controls.
Customers have the ability to choose guest bandwidth speed, with speed capabilities up to 1 Gbps for both private and public WiFi networks. Cox said its managed WiFi technologies can cover up to 36,000 square feet of indoor space or up to 24,000 square feet indoor and 12,000 square feet outdoor. Backhaul options up to 1 Gbps can handle capacity for up to 250 guests and employees.
The managed WiFi product is a turnkey solution for business owners, Cox Business said, offering 24-hour continuous WiFi network monitoring, in addition to analytics and reporting to help determine demand. A bandwidth management platform prevents guests from negatively impacting another users’ experience.
Trial customer Piezonis, which operates 20 restaurants across Rhode Island and Massachusetts said the managed WiFi solution is helping customer experience.
“Our business requires that customers wait for their food, and with Cox Business Managed WiFi, they no longer mind the extra minutes when we are busy,” said Victor Martinez, Chief Operating Officer of Piezonis, in a statement. “We are in the restaurant business and don’t have the time to waste on slow WiFi providers. Managed WiFi from Cox Business is the solution we desperately needed!”
Cox said businesses can expand marketing campaigns by introducing interstitial splash pages and branding WiFi networks and portals. The managed WiFi offering also supports encrypted, access-controlled and private network IDs not visible to guests, employees, contractors or consultants, which can help implement Internet of Things technology with connectivity for devices that don’t have WPA-AES encryption capabilities or a browser for splash page authentication.
Mobility enhancement is another features, as the managed WiFi offering enables a secure BYOD policy, Cox said, by supporting mobile point of sales systems and by covering the business with WiFi connectivity at maximum transmission rates. BYOD users can also quickly and securely access wired systems while within the business network, including printers and servers.
“A smart business is a connected business,” said Steve Rowley, executive vice president of sales, Cox Business. “Employees and customers expect superior connectivity while working, shopping or in some situations waiting. Cox Business Managed WiFi delivers superior network management, with the security and agile functionality that businesses demand.”
