Guest Wi-Fi Trends

I launched my career in 1993 as a network admin — yup, that was before Wi-Fi was a given at most offices. As I said, it’s been a long time since the era of voice and data over PSTN muxes. What hasn’t changed? The ongoing battle between making networks safe and allowing users easy access.

Fast forward to today and guest Wi-Fi is more than just a service, it’s an strategic asset. Companies want to monetize it, collect analytics and yet still ensure that their networks are airtight. The challenge? Juggling between usability, secur ity, and monetization. That’s where captive portals and social logins come in — and I’ll tell you about how I’ve implementated FortiAuthenticator and FortiAP in projects lately.

Captive Portal Flow — The GateKeeper

When a user first connects to our network, they can request any web page, as they are not yet behind our captive portal.

If guest Wi-Fi were a car, the captive portal is the fancy dashboard that’s covered with all the controls and gauges you actually care about. You know when it is low on fuel, don’t you? Same here. The captive portal decides who can get in (and when depending on date and time constraints), what data you’re allowing to be collected, and under what circumstance.

Just the other week, I assisted three banks in transitioning to a zero-trust architecture, and what do you know? Guest WiFi was a big topic of discussion. Banks want to enable guest access without sacrificing internal security.

Following is the typical captive portal scenario using FortiAuthenticator and FortiAP:

• User connects to the Wi-Fi
• Automatically forwarded to custom branded captive portal (PJ Networks magic here!)
• Integrated Login via Social sites – Facebook, Google, LinkedIn by Portal
• User logs in; identity is checked by FortiAuthenticator
• User gets connected to internet with certain policies enforced

The thing that’s amazing is the customizing that we were doing. Clients need consistent branding – no jarring “default” portal pages that look like they were taken off a 90s website. That matters. It builds trust.

And social login? It’s a double-edged sword. But on the other hand, it’s easy for its users. On the other hand, I’m also inherently cautious — social logins, when not properly configured, can leak data or introduce phishing risks.

But hey — you want frictionless access, and data for marketing, don’t you? That is what the combo does.

Analytics & Ads — The Secret Sauce of Your Guest Wi-Fi

Here’s what I’ve found with over two decades of training: If you’re not measuring, you’re guessing.

And believe me, wagering in security or business strategy can lead you astray.

We do more than just show stats on our own custom dashboards. Clients get:

• Live user join data
• Engagement metrics from captive portal interactions
• Device and location tracking (within the bounds of privacy laws, of course)
• Points of integration for targeted ads or promotions

Picture a cafe promoting a latte discount when you’re getting a huge mid-afternoon spike in foot traffic at 3 pm. Or a hotel selling spa packages to guests when they log in after checking in. These are not sci-fi fantasies; they are daily victories with the right analytics.

It takes me back to the early 2000s when I was wrestling with the Slammer worm — there was no analytics, there were no logs, it was just chaos. We’re long past that now, and the modern guest Wi-Fi paywall is a proposition of part marketing, part security, and all business.

Key Performance Metrics — What Really Matters

So, how can you tell if your guest Wi-Fi monetization is actually working? Don’t keep track of connected users. Look deeper:

• Social logins conversion rate: How many users sign in on a social platform, vs. arriving as an unknown user.
• Branded portals interaction: Click-through rates (CTR) on ads, promos or surveys taken part in
• Repeat visits: Are guests returning or is this a one-off event?
• Effect on network security: Did it recognize any extraordinary traffic or threats?

Just a month ago, after implementing a captive portal solution for a resort chain, we noticed a nearly 40% boost in promo redemption due to specific guest Wi-Fi ads. And most importantly, zero guest traffic security incidents.

Why zero incidents? This is because you pair the FortiAP and the FortiAuthenticator strictly for segmenting and for authentication policy enforcement. Your visitor network should not be the attacker’s playground. Period.

PJ Networks Services -How We Make You Win

I’m not just some dude that walked off the street into DefCon and now I’m a vendor of software. I run a security company. We’ve been in the trenches since the internet was a faint murmur in server rooms.

Here’s what PJ Networks offers with your guest Wi-Fi monetization:

• Custom Branded Captive Portals: Your colors, your logo, your vibe. Not cookie-cutter portals here.
• FortiAuthenticator & FortiAP Deployment: We take care of the complicated stuff – configuration and tuning – so that your guest Wi-Fi works out of the box in seconds.
• Analytics Dashboard: Easy to use real-time dashboards for your business KPIs.
• SLA & Support: Your networks never sleep, why should we?
• Security Consulting: We ensure your guest Wi-Fi is never a liability to your overall security posture.

Trust me, I’ve spent a lifetime watching network protocols evolve—PSTN muxes through cloud-managed Wi-Fi – and I know from experience that technology is only as good as it is implemented. And here’s a tip: most businesses have not adequately considered the security of a captive portal until it’s too late.

Quick Take

• Guest Wi-Fi is more than a freebie; it is a revenue and marketing weapon.
• Captive portals - Social Login Captive portals with social login simplify user onboarding, but need to be set up in a secure manner.
• Analytics transforms Wi-Fi traffic into business insights.
• FortiAuthenticator + FortiAP combine for a strong option to deliver secure & branded guest experiences.
• PJ Networks is a cybersecurity driven company that designs these solutions to be custom fit.

Wrapping It Up

I’m here at my computer, full of my third cup of coffee for the day, and remembering what it was like when I first saw the Slammer worm tearing apart networks that didn’t even have a proper firewall. Jump ahead, and now client after client is demanding smart guest Wi-Fi that actually pays them back.

But be forewarned: Guest Wi-Fi is a potential target for attackers. Approach it for what it is: a busy highway of information — not something where you slap up a “welcome” sign and hope for the best. Where you build a secure toll booth that also mails you checks.

If you’re still using guest Wi-Fi the old way, or fretting about how to monetize it, reach out to me. I have fun digging into this, especially post-nights at hardware hacking villages where the future is quite literally being ripped apart — and re-plugged in — in front of your eyes.

So here’s to safe, smart, lucrative Wi-Fi.

SANJAY SETH, P J NETWORKS PVT LTD