A Guest Wi-Fi Network: Why You Need One at Home, in an Office, a Café or a Short-Let Flat, and How to Set It Up Properly

A Wi-Fi password spreads over time: friends, relatives, neighbours, the children's tutors and tradespeople who once did repairs all know it. In an office it's given to clients, in a café it's written on the menu, and in a short-let flat it's on a note by the door. Everyone who knows the password ends up on the same network as your computers, cameras, printer and smart home. A guest network solves this: guests get internet but can't see anything of yours. Let's look at how it works, who needs one and how to set it up properly.

What a guest network is

A guest network is a separate Wi-Fi network on the same router, with its own name and password. Devices on it get internet access but are isolated from the main network: they can't see your computers, shared folders, printers, cameras or NAS. Many routers also let you isolate guest devices from each other and limit the guest network's speed and hours.

Why you need one at home

• Security. A guest's phone may be infected — on the guest network it can't reach your devices.
• The main password stays with you. The guest password can be changed whenever you like without reconnecting all your own devices.
• Speed control. A guest downloading updates on their phone won't clog the connection for the whole family.
• Convenience. The guest password can be simpler, and guests can connect with a QR code.

Offices and cafés

In an office a guest network is essential: clients and visitors mustn't be on the same network as the accounts department, databases and staff files. It's also sensible to put staff's personal phones on a separate network. In a café or restaurant the guest network must be completely separate from the till, payment terminals and cameras; it's worth limiting speed per device so one customer can't take the whole connection, and isolating customers from each other.

Short-let flats

For owners of flats let through Airbnb and Booking, a guest network is a simple form of protection. Guests change every few days, each with their own devices. If the flat has a smart lock, door cameras or a router with remote management, these must be on a separate network that guests can't reach. The guest network password is easy to change between stays, and a QR code for connecting can be placed in the flat. Good, stable Wi-Fi is one of the things guests rate highly.

A separate network for the smart home

Smart plugs, bulbs, cameras and vacuums often have weak security and are rarely updated. It makes sense to move them to a separate network — the guest network, or a dedicated IoT network if your router supports one. Then a vulnerability in a cheap camera won't become a door to your laptop. Many smart home devices only work on 2.4 GHz, so such a network is best set up on that band.

How to set it up properly

• Enable isolation — blocking access to the local network. On some routers it's off by default, in which case the guest network only protects against people knowing your password.
• Use encryption — WPA2 or WPA3 — and a password; an open guest network lets strangers use your internet.
• Limit the speed for guests if your connection is modest.
• Set a schedule if the guest network is only needed during working hours.
• Make a QR code for quick connection.
• Check that the guest network works on every unit of your mesh system, if you have one.

Limitations

Guest isolation gets in the way of some handy features: a guest can't cast video to your TV or print on your printer. If that's needed, you can allow specific devices or temporarily connect the guest to the main network. Provider routers sometimes don't support a guest network or create one without isolation — in that case it's worth considering your own router.

What our technician does

1. Checks whether your router supports a guest network with isolation, and selects a router if needed.
2. Creates a guest network with a password, isolation, speed limits and a schedule.
3. Moves smart home devices and cameras to a separate network.
4. For cafés, offices and short-let flats, separates tills, terminals, locks and cameras from guests.
5. Prepares QR codes and instructions for guests.

A real example

The owner of three short-let flats in Sololaki was giving guests the password to her main network, which also connected a smart lock, a door camera and a router with remote management. After one guest accidentally reset the camera's settings, she contacted us. In each flat our technician created an isolated guest network with a QR code on a small sign, moved the lock and cameras to a separate hidden network and changed the admin passwords. Now guests connect in seconds, and the owner changes the guest password from the app between stays.

It's also worth thinking about staff who bring their own laptops and phones. Personal devices may be infected or poorly protected, and an employee who leaves still knows the password. A separate network for staff's personal devices, with a password that's changed whenever someone leaves, is a simple step that greatly reduces the risks for a small business.

Call a technician

If you'd like a guest network set up at home, in an office, a café or a short-let flat, we'll come to any district of Tbilisi around the clock. Learn more on our Wi-Fi setup, router setup and Booking and Airbnb help pages.