Business Wi-Fi on BT Business Broadband

Why Wi-Fi lets a good connection down

When people say "the broadband is slow", the line is often fine and the Wi-Fi is the problem. Wi-Fi signals weaken with distance and through walls, floors, metal shelving, mirrors and fire doors. Every device shares the same airtime, so a hub that copes with five laptops can struggle with thirty phones, laptops, tablets, printers and screens. Older devices slow the network for everyone, and neighbouring networks add interference.

The first step is to separate the two. Test the line with a computer plugged into the hub by cable (our speed test guide shows how). If the wired result is healthy but Wi-Fi is poor in parts of the building, buying a faster broadband tier will not help. Coverage, placement and the right equipment will.

Your Wi-Fi options on BT Business Broadband

BT's plans give you different Wi-Fi equipment and features. This is what each one is and where it comes with:

BT notes that Complete Wi-Fi Plus is only compatible with Smart Hub 3, so the equipment at your address depends on both the plan and the line type. We confirm what you would get when we quote.

Getting the hub placement right

Where the hub sits makes more difference than most settings. Practical rules:

• Central and in the open. Not in a cupboard, under a desk, behind a screen or in a comms cabinet with a metal door.
• Off the floor. A shelf or wall-mounted position spreads the signal better.
• Away from metal and appliances. Filing cabinets, racking, mirrors and microwaves all get in the way.
• Wire what does not move. Desk phones, printers, a meeting room screen and fixed workstations are better on a cable, which frees Wi-Fi for laptops and phones.
• Think about it at installation. On Full Fibre, the hub connects to a small fibre box (the ONT) fitted where the fibre enters the building. Talk about where that goes before the visit, because it decides where the hub naturally sits.

If the building is long, has thick internal walls or spreads over two floors, one hub in a good spot may still not reach everywhere. That is what discs and access points are for.

Complete Wi-Fi Plus: one network across the premises

Complete Wi-Fi Plus adds Wi-Fi discs that work with Smart Hub 3 to create a single network across the building, so devices move between hub and discs without changing network. It is included with BT Business Broadband Pro and can be added to Essential and Enhanced where Smart Hub 3 is supplied.

BT's help gives simple placement advice for discs: put each one roughly halfway between the hub and the area with poor coverage, keep it in the open and away from large metal objects, avoid cupboards and the space behind furniture, and use the BT Business app to check the signal.

BT also backs Complete Wi-Fi Plus with a coverage guarantee. It covers the main building at your site for six months from the start of service. If the discs do not give a strong signal, BT may send up to five extra discs, and with two or more you can ask for a BT engineer visit. If coverage is still not strong, a Pro customer can end the broadband contract and an add-on customer can cancel the add-on, under BT's terms. Outbuildings and extra sites are not covered.

Guest Wi-Fi: keep visitors off the business network

Customers, clients and contractors should not share the network your tills, laptops, printers and files sit on. BT Guest Wi-Fi is included on every BT Business Broadband plan and runs as a separate, password-free network for visitors.

BT allows up to 13 guest users at a time, keeps 80% of the available speed for the business so guests do not slow you down, disconnects idle guests after a short period and blocks inappropriate content as standard. You switch it on in My Account or the BT Business app. Shops, cafes, salons, practices and offices with meeting rooms all benefit; see broadband for retail and broadband for cafes, pubs and restaurants.

Larger single-site premises: Ultra's Cisco Meraki access points

BT Ultra Broadband replaces the Smart Hub with a Cisco Meraki security appliance and replaces discs with Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi 6 access points. One access point ships with the equipment, and the BT Expert Setup engineer can add up to two more if the site needs them, three in total. They link to each other by wireless mesh, so extra access points do not need new cabling, and they carry separate corporate and guest networks. Usage and device information appear in the Meraki cloud dashboard.

BT says each access point covers roughly a 10 to 15 metre radius, and that Ultra's Wi-Fi is ideal for small business premises. BT treats multiple buildings on one site, or several floors of one building, as warning signs to check before ordering. The engineer carries a standard step ladder and expects to fix access points to walls, so areas with high ceilings, such as workshops or warehouses, need discussing first. Our Ultra Broadband Wi-Fi guide covers the detail.

If you need a wireless network designed for a bigger or more complex building, Forever Group's main site covers Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi and Meraki access points as separate projects.

Securing business Wi-Fi

Good coverage brings more devices onto the network, so security needs to keep up:

• Keep the Wi-Fi password private and change it when staff leave or it has been shared too widely.
• Put visitors on guest Wi-Fi, not the business network.
• Switch on Content Controls and Web Protect. They are included on every plan but BT leaves them off by default; see BT Web Protect and Content Controls.
• Approve devices before they join. On Pro, Wi-Fi Security Controls lets you hold new devices until you approve them, group them and schedule access from the BT Business app.
• Keep devices updated, since an old laptop or smart TV is often the weakest point on a network.

Our business broadband security guide sets out how the protection steps up across BT's plans.

Getting business Wi-Fi right through Forever Communications

When we quote, we ask about the building: its size, floors, wall construction and where people actually work, as well as where the line comes in. From that we can recommend whether a well-placed Smart Hub 3 is enough, whether Complete Wi-Fi Plus on Pro makes sense, or whether BT Ultra Broadband and its access points suit you better, and we flag sites that are likely to need more than any broadband plan provides.

Equipment and pricing are confirmed at quote. Contact us to talk about Wi-Fi at your premises.