Managed WiFi is a term being used to describe the management of a home WiFi network and its connected devices. As we add more and more devices to our home networks, such as smart phones, tablets and laptops, to connected appliances like refrigerators and lightbulbs, it gets more difficult – and necessary – to manage it all. This is the purpose of Managed WiFi.
How to Get Residential Managed WiFi
You can get a Managed WiFi system in a few ways. You can get it from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Or you can buy it as part of a gateway, router or WiFi mesh product. Some of the purchased Managed WiFi systems come with a monthly subscription, while ones from your ISP are likely “included” in the price of the equipment rental.
The Managed WiFi systems that come from your ISP are usually more robust and can interface with your ISP’s Customer Care team to help troubleshoot and resolve issues remotely and in real-time without a costly truck roll.
Managed WiFi solutions from your ISP typically offer more details and value-added features, such as advanced Parental Controls and cyber security, and may be more user-friendly and better supported than other solutions.
Overall, Managed WiFi is highly beneficial for your connected home network. Without a management system you are left trying to fend for yourself, running the risk of finding a “solution” that in the end still requires help but now makes it harder for your ISP to help out.
Managed WiFi takes away all of that headache. Managed WiFi typically offers:
- Visibility to manage access points and gateways like your router
- The ability to see and manage all of the devices connected to your network (granting and denying access)
- Visibility to manage WiFi signal strength and speeds for devices on the network
- Visibility to bandwidth consumption by devices on the network
- The ability to manage any WiFi extenders and other WiFi boosters
- Advanced security for the WiFi network
- Alerts about network performance and security
- The ability to set up Guest networks and manage guests on your WiFi network
Managing Your WiFi Through an App
Typically, all of the managed WiFi benefits above can be controlled through a dashboard that gives you full visibility to your network performance metrics. And even better, most systems these days can be controlled through an app on your smartphone.
Hitron’s MyHitron app is a perfect example. It’s a self-serve home WiFi management and optimization tool right in the palm of your hand. It gives you full access to control configurations, check network speed, set parental controls, troubleshoot and more. MyHitron is available through your Internet Service Provider. Ask your Internet provider about MyHitron today.
Want more about Managed WiFi and its features? Check out Hitron’s Learn page.