The Whys and Wherefores of Wi-Fi

Learn the basics of wireless Internet access to help decide if it’s right for your facility.

by Jamie J. Gooch (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
June 2007
 

Summing It Up • Take the appropriate measures to keep unwanted guests from accessing your wireless network. • Offer Wi-Fi as a perk to attract meeting business. • Set ground rules for using laptops in the facility.

As the Internet becomes more ingrained in everyone’s day-to-day lives, the popularity of wireless access, known as Wi-Fi, is growing by leaps and bounds. But before rushing to offer Wi-Fi as a value-added service, club and resort owners need to consider a variety of issues, including installation, maintenance, security—and policies on where, and how much, wireless should be allowed on their properties.

Creating a wireless local area network (WLAN) has become so simple that more than 10 million homes already have them, according to ABI Research. But making a club or resort a “hotspot” is a bit more complicated. Managers need to ensure the security of their networks and cover a larger area than the typical home. So hiring a professional to install and update the equipment and software is an important consideration.

Picking a Partner
Do-it-yourselfers will have to sort through existing wireless standards (see sidebar below) to choose the best equipment for their needs. That equipment will also require updates, as technology progresses. Security is also a concern. Unprotected networks can be accessed by anyone within range, which often extends beyond property lines. Those with the will and know-how could use an unprotected network for nefarious purposes.

When choosing a third-party technology provider to install and maintain a wireless network, ask what steps they would take to secure the network. There are wireless security protocols that help keep “unwanted guests” from logging onto a wireless network without a password. A hotspot can also be kept separate from the club or resort’s local area network, to prevent any potential hacking. While most experts agree that reports of wireless vulnerabilities are often over-hyped when proper security steps are taken, the possibility should always be taken seriously.

And even working with a third party doesn’t guarantee success, as Dave Martel, General Manager of Balboa Yacht Club in Corona Del Mar, Calif., discovered when the company that was providing wireless Internet access to his members went out of business four months ago.

The company offered Balboa Yacht Club, along with many other clubs in and around Newport Harbor, $5,000 worth of equipment and free wireless Internet access for their members, in return for being allowed to install equipment on the clubs’ properties.

“They were making a wireless chain along the coast and charging the public for wireless access,” Martel says. “It was great while it lasted. It worked anywhere within the club, even out to the boats in our mooring field and the marina.”

Extending Services
Doc Hanley, Club Manager at Fostoria (Ohio) Country Club, had an entirely different experience with his Wi-Fi provider. The company provides the club with Global Positioning System (GPS) units in 36 of its golf cars. The units allow golfers to see an aerial map of the course and distances to the pin and hazards. The GPS units are also “Wi-Fi enabled,” which allows the club to send messages to all, or selected, units. Golfers can also use it to keep score within their own group and to display the scores of other groups, if they’re competing in a tournament.

“When we discussed adding GPS, that tied into us providing wireless access,” says Hanley. “It’s available anywhere in the club for members to use. It also allows users of the GPS unit to order food and beverages via the unit in the cart, so it’s waiting for them at the turn.”

According to ABI Research, the number of commercial “hotspots” offering Wi-Fi was expected to increase by 47 percent in 2006, to 143,700. Hotels, restaurants and retailers are leading the wireless charge by offering Wi-Fi as a value-added service to attract customers.

Fostoria Country Club mounted “Wi-Fi enabled” GPS units in 36 golf cars, creating a two-way stream that allows golfers to order food and beverages, and staff to send messages to players on the course.

Fostoria’s management is also considering whether to sell wireless Internet access to people who live on the golf course, Hanley adds.

A maintenance agreement with the company that installed the GPS units and wireless equipment has worked out well for Fostoria.

“They’ve been out twice this year already,” Hanley says. “They put the GPS units back on the carts after removing them this winter, and spent a few days on the course to make sure everything was up and running.”

Popularity and Policies
Michele Fischer, Private Events Director at Diamond Run Golf Club, Sewickley, Pa., says her property started to offer Wi-Fi because of the demand for renting out rooms to hold business meetings.

“We wanted to offer it as a perk to bring in that kind of business,” she says. “We’ve had it for about six months now, and it has paid off.”

Fischer says the wireless Internet access has also been popular with Diamond Run’s members, but not so popular that they have instituted any rules against using laptops or conducting business in the club.

At the Balboa Yacht Club, however, there were concerns after the club began providing Wi-Fi, even in constantly wired California, about the possibility of common areas being used for business purposes.

“We were concerned it would bother other members who were trying to relax if the club took on a business atmosphere,” Martel reports. “We talked about it, and we like that some businessmen want to have meetings here, but we don’t allow laptop use in the open dining room at any time. It’s okay in the bar—not on the bar, but at the tables.”

At Fostoria CC, Hanley says most members still view wireless access as a novelty, not a necessity. So the club hasn’t instituted any new policies since adding it.

The day when that may need to be reviewed, however, could be coming fast. Cellular phone companies now offer high-speed Internet access that can be used in and around most metropolitan areas. Municipalities are also getting into the wireless game, with many offering free or low-cost access. And the future will bring innovations such as WiMAX, a technology aimed at providing high-speed Internet access over long distances and connecting Wi-Fi hotspots. All of this stands to soon make mobile Internet use as common as cell phone use, and club policies may need to change accordingly.

 

Tech Terms to Know 802.11x: A family of wireless LAN specifications, including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g. The various specifications have extended the speed and range of wireless networks. A yet-to-be-approved draft specification, 802.11n, is already being used by many equipment manufacturers, because of how it can boost speed and range. Access point: Hardware and/or software connected to a network that allows wireless devices to also connect to that network. Bluetooth: A short-range wireless standard used to create personal area networks, such as between a cell phone and wireless headset or laptop. Hotspot: A location that provides wireless internet access. IEEE: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which develops standards, including the 802 networking series, for the computer industry. Router: Hardware that forwards data along a network, commonly used to connect a local network to an Internet service provider. Wireless metropolitan access (WiMAX): Also known as 802.16 or the Air Interface Standard, WiMAX supports high-speed wireless networking from a base station up to 30 miles away. Wireless LAN (WLAN): A wireless network of computers, often connected to the Internet.