WiFi Challenges in Shared Office Space

There are benefits for businesses when it comes to shared office spaces – low overhead, lease flexibility, and networking opportunities come to mind – but there are also some challenges, such as maintaining a strong wireless infrastructure. A WiFi network in these spaces is not operating in a controlled setting, but it still needs to support a high level of performance. Take a specific look at some of the challenges posed by these environments.

Density

Generally speaking, these spaces are medium to high density. There aren’t a set number of people who will be in the office each day or even each week, but it’s likely not a small space, so network infrastructure should be configured to handle the demands of large groups. Regardless of how busy the environment becomes, the WiFi needs to stay strong and fast.

Device Diversity

Familiar with the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)? Every person using the shared space brings at least one wireless device with him or her. This could be a phone or a laptop or, thanks to the ever-growing Internet of Things (IoT), this could be something like a smartwatch. Some offices might even include different smartboards or devices with digital assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa. These devices are in and out of an office, connecting and disconnecting with the WiFi, and there’s no guarantee as to which devices will show up on which day. There should be clear visibility into a network so that it’s always easy to spot any bottlenecks or issues no matter which devices are brought to the shared space.

Dynamic Demands

Today’s office spaces are mobile environments. People need to be able to walk from room to room, or desk to desk, and stay connected to the wireless network. In a shared office space where someone might not even have a designated desk with the option for cables and ports, strong WiFi and the ability to access information from any point become even more business-critical. If there are connectivity issues, many of these spaces have remote IT teams who are not onsite 24/7. These teams need support in determining where problems lie within a network, to encourage rapid mean time to resolution response.

WiFi Analytics

The challenges discussed here can be resolved using a WiFi analytical platform that combines WiFi optimization algorithms with a remote network test capability. Wyebot engineered its Wireless Intelligence Platform™ (WIP) to support businesses in just this way. WIP collects and analyzes data 24/7, creating clear visibility into a network. It learns from its environment, always staying up to date with what is normal and what isn’t, and recognizes problems before they occur – regardless of which devices are connected to the network. The proactive platform then automatically notifies IT of the potential issue and recommends actionable items to resolve it. Its sensors are embedded with an extensive WiFi Test Suite, exactly what is needed for remote, dynamic environments. Remote tests can be run on a manual or scheduled basis and pinpoint the exact issue on a network. If any test fails, IT teams instantly receive notifications. This supports teams in rapidly identifying and resolving all issues. WIP reduces remote site visits by up to 80%, reduces WiFi issue tickets by at least 50%, and empowers IT teams to have a rapid mean time to resolution – saving them 90% of time currently spent resolving issues.

Work with Wyebot today and bring the most efficient WiFi network to your dynamic office.