The AP Best Practices: Easy Guide to Set Up Wi-Fi in Hotels

Zyxel_Bella

This proposal outlines the deployment of a robust and efficient wireless network to meet the diverse connectivity needs of hotel scenario. The network will cater to Nebula Cloud Managed Zyxel devices, normal wired client usage, wireless client usage, IPTV, and VoIP phone services. The proposed solution ensures high performance, reliability, and scalability, thereby enhancing communication and entertainment services across the premises.

Deployment

AP deployment should avoid signal interference and dead zones, one room deploy one AP is the best practice for signal coverage. Do not deploy the AP behind the TV, furniture, any material may cause weaker signal.

Perform a wireless site survey to understand where coverage is needed most and where potential interference or signal-blocking obstacles might be. Ensure the signal in the coner or the area with obstacles can receive signal at least –65dBm.

Signal analysis tool such as inSSIDer for windows, Airport for iOS and Wifi analyser for Android is suggested for signal scanning.

Topology & Configuration

1. The wireless network structure including AP management vlan and SSIDs must separate from other VoIP or IPTV streaming service to prevent broadcast/multicast to cause network stuck. Each device should have its own management IP and named in the easier recognized way to identify and access.

2. Different SSIDs for Different User Groups

Guest Network: isolate guest traffic from internal networks to enhance security and performance. Nebula provides several features such as Guest Network, NAT mode to achieve it or by separate the guest SSID vlan into a unique subnet.

Staff Network: configure the staff network with specific settings, access controls, or applications without affecting the guest experience. Keeping this network separate from the guest network provides an additional layer of security.

3. Security

Give SSID a security instead of leave it as open for strong data protection. For guest network, it is recommended to configure as WPA2 PSK for providing lower capability device stable connection.

4. Radio Settings

Channel width: set both radio 2.4G and 5G as 20MHz to prevent interference and keep stable connection.

DCS setting: enable DCS to let AP scan and select best channel to service. Enable DCS client aware and schedule at midnight time to reduce service impact. Disable Avoid 5G DFS channel and enable Blacklist DFS channels in the presence of radar to scatter APs into different usable channels.