A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) is a logical segmentation of a physical network, defined by IEEE 802.1Q, that isolates groups of devices - such as guest WiFi users and staff systems - from each other while sharing the same switches and cables.
A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) is a way of splitting one physical network into several isolated logical networks. Devices on different VLANs cannot talk to each other unless a router or firewall explicitly allows it, even though they share the same switches and cabling. VLANs are defined by the IEEE 802.1Q standard, which adds a small tag carrying a VLAN ID (1 to 4094) to each Ethernet frame so switches know which virtual network the traffic belongs to.
Guest devices are unknown and untrusted. Putting them on the same network as card terminals, CCTV, or the office PC gives any compromised phone a path into systems that matter. A dedicated guest VLAN, firewalled to reach only the internet, removes that path entirely - and keeps guest traffic out of PCI DSS scope for the payment network. This is why every serious guest WiFi deployment separates guest and staff at the VLAN level, not just with different passwords.
An SSID (Service Set Identifier) is the public name of a WiFi network - a label of up to 32 bytes that access points broadcast so nearby devices can find and join the network.
Guest WiFi is a public, internet-only WiFi network a business offers to customers, separate from its private back-office network, typically secured by a captive portal that requires sign-in.
An access point (AP) is a networking device that broadcasts one or more WiFi networks and bridges wireless devices onto a wired network, typically ceiling-mounted and powered over Ethernet in business deployments.
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is a network protocol providing centralised authentication, authorisation, and accounting (AAA), defined in RFC 2865, and used by enterprise WiFi, VPNs, and captive portals to control network access.
Capture guest emails, run automated email/SMS campaigns, and grow Google reviews - all from your existing WiFi.