Improving Café Wi-Fi Coverage with the First-Ever Teltonika Networks Access Point

HIGHLIGHTS

✔ Every café needs reliable Wi-Fi to deliver the best client experience and be successful, but ensuring full wireless coverage in all spaces of a café can often be complex and expensive.

✔ The new Teltonika Networks TAP100 access point improves Wi-Fi coverage by projecting a wireless signal onto a designated area.

✔ Additional value features of this access point include PoE-in functionality, simple traffic rules configuration and multi-SSIDs, and a specialized design dedicated for the needs of enterprise and commercial spaces.

THE CHALLENGE – THE REAL DRIVER OF CAFÉ BUSINESS 

If coffee keeps the world going, there is money to be made in providing it. Indeed, the global bars and cafés market grew from $435.93 billion in 2022 to $456.1 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 4.6%. It is expected to grow to $529.76 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 3.8%.

There are many aspects of a café that make it successful. Great coffee is certainly one of them, as are comfy chairs and a cool ambiance. But one feature stands above all – reliable, quality Wi-Fi. In fact, no matter the layout of the premises, a successful café should not have even a single corner without Wi-Fi coverage. In practice, this means that a single router isn’t always enough for your average café.

The problem is that additional routers present not only a monetary issue, though router prices are very much a significant factor to consider, but one of complexity as well. Each additional router would need to have configured network rules and set up a LAN network, not to mention the extra cables involved. For IoT experts, this is bread-and-butter stuff, but that’s not the case for your average café owner. For them, the simplest and most convenient solution is best, and that means choosing Wi-Fi access points rather than additional routers.

TOPOLOGY

THE SOLUTION – ACCESS FROM ALL POINTS

The first access point in the Teltonika Networks product portfolio, the TAP100, is perfect for small cafés in need of a reliable, full-coverage wireless connection without complexity or high prices. An access point is a device that connects to a router, gateway, or switch via a wired connection and projects a Wi-Fi signal onto a designated area.

TAP100 improves Wi-Fi coverage at a café by doing exactly that. Its two internal omnidirectional antennas ensure that no corner of a café remains uncovered. The device provides speeds of up to 100 Mbps, which is more than enough for a café hosting approximately 30 guests needing to work over a nice cup of joe.

But the value doesn’t stop at just reliable connectivity. As previously mentioned, café owners need the simplest and most convenient solution, and this means the minimum number of extra cables possible.

Luckily, thanks to the TAP100’s PoE-in functionality, the TAP100 can be powered directly by the networking device providing it with wired connectivity via Ethernet. That device could be one supporting active PoE, such as the Teltonika Networks TSW100 PoE+ industrial switch, or just about any networking device with a PoE injector. This eliminates the need for additional power sources and cables, and reduces setup complexity even further.

Secondly, the TAP100 does not look like a typical networking device, as it was not designed to be placed in a box or cabinet. It was designed to be out in commercial spaces, blend in with its environment, and be incredibly easy to install thanks to its built-in bracket for easy ceiling mounting. UV-stabilized plastic housing ensures that the device will maintain its color even with continuous direct sunlight exposure. This allows cafés to enjoy industrial-grade connectivity without disturbing their carefully-curated interior design.

Lastly, this access point was built with convenience and functionality in mind. Its traffic rules are easily configured and it can create separate networks for guests, employees, and other devices by using multi-SSIDs. This is important for any cafés, as you don’t want to accidentally give your guests access to your equipment or data.