Hotel Wireless

I really should leave it to the professionals. I know I really have not the specific skills required to do it as a pro. I do know how ever the work I will do will be 100 times better then the crap that he has now.

To awnser a few questions. The hotel has 200 rooms. During the winter (like now) it is dead. literaly maybe 2 customers a week. How ever during hte summer it is filled to capacity. From what the hotel owner tells me about 30% of his customers want HSIA.

The hotel already has Qwest profesinal DSL. at 5 mb down and 1mb up.

He is planning on spedning under 10 large for the repair of the hardwired rooms and the extention of his current wireless network.

We does not want to pay a monthly retainer for support like the other outfits require. HE knows I will not do strange hour support. All I can say is I will do my best and see what happens.

Hope this helps you all feel better I really do apreciate all the help you guys have been so far.

FWIW, If you do end up going ahead with this project, protect yourself. Even with the easy-going rapport you have generated with the customer, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DOCUMENTATION ON EVERYTHING! For a job this big, you'll most likely have a 1099 from him for Tax purposes next year as well. Make sure you estimate tax correctly for yourself and hold that much out of the profit aside.

A DetailedScope of Work spelling out specifically what both you AND the Customer are responsible for, as well as what you are NOT responsible for, along with a detail listing of hardware and labor required for the job. Also Do NOT forget warranty on both Hardwar and Labor as well.

As bad as it sounds, NEVER trust a client when there's money involved.

Not trying to discourage you from this job, it's a helluva feat. Just put a little more stock in what is being suggested to you. Especially hardware reccomendations. A tweaked Soho Router WILL die, that's a fact, and always at the wrong moment too.

I'm sure there's more to think of but I gotta get back to work

how many floors is a 200 person hotel? really doesn't sound that big of a setup.

for those who did the same thing, how do you stop people from browsing other peoples computer? can you disable browsing file shares?

mwarps said:

OP you have no idea what pain and hell you're getting into. Leave it to the professionals who have the time and money to support it and do it right the first time. Otherwise, you will regret the day you were born.

I worked hotel HSIA for 2 years off and on, and it was NOT fun to support guests, and unless you know exactly what you're doing (you don't, just so you know) your hardware choices will not work the way you want them to.

You need QoS and VLANs and you need to know how to set them up right. If you don't, you need to quit now.
You need experience with the captive portal you're using. (We used IP3 and Nomadix)

What hotel is this for? I'd be curious to see if it was a former customer of ours

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I almost betcha that I know what company you work for.

Another factor to consider is if this hotel is part of a national chain. Some hotels have been known for losing their flags for not sticking to the chains standards.

Another thing to keep in mind is what level of support are you going to provide to the hotel. Most hotel HSIA networks have 24x7 support. Wherever you get your access points and other hardware from you are going to need to be able to get replacement equipment in a timely manner. Just imagine that the hotel is going to host a business conference for a local company and the HSIA equipment fails on the night before this conference. How are you going to get the site up before the attendees start arriving?

inzane123 said:

I almost betcha that I know what company you work for.

Another factor to consider is if this hotel is part of a national chain. Some hotels have been known for losing their flags for not sticking to the chains standards.

Another thing to keep in mind is what level of support are you going to provide to the hotel. Most hotel HSIA networks have 24x7 support. Wherever you get your access points and other hardware from you are going to need to be able to get replacement equipment in a timely manner. Just imagine that the hotel is going to host a business conference for a local company and the HSIA equipment fails on the night before this conference. How are you going to get the site up before the attendees start arriving?

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Send me a PM

Yeah.. on support... One person MIGHT be able to support a hotel that is in PRISTINE shape. Like perfect.

We had a conference a few months ago. I personally spent (as a tier 1.5 tech) 3 hours on the phone the day before, and in total the company spent over 36 hours preparing for this conference and fixing the fuckup of the guy who set it up.

Ahhh, this brings me back to the days in vegas having to support customers connecting via xdsl and wireless in the various hotels around the country I supported.

There is alot of different level of security, coverage, and billing you have to look at. I've skimmed through the thread briefly but it seems that you may need some help laying out everything. 200 rooms will be alot of work for someone that has never setup more than a room.

Do you have a plan of the hotel? Do you know where the best place to mount the AP's? You know about interference? Wirelsss coverage in rooms can be a PITA. I know that the right placement and strength of the AP's will have huge impacts on your network and how your guests get on etc. You will need to look at all your variables, and have a solution, or a work around for each.

Good luck on your adventure.