The perils of hotel wi-fi for travellers

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Craig Lowe, execMobile's founder, said that 7% of mobile workers try to counteract the unpredictable nature of wi-fi access by researching wi-fi availability before they leave. This is as a result of many who still believe that wi-fi is their only option for affordable connectivity abroad, even though most are aware of service, security and productivity issues.

"Seventy-three percent of the 1400 respondents surveyed, aged between 22 and 54, highlighted the need for connectivity saying wi-fi was important. However, 81% of users reported having a bad experience with hotel wi-fi in the past year, while 82% stated that they found free hotel wi-fi services to be limited, slow, and unreliable," he said.

While service quality was a huge issue, 73% stated they were distrustful of public wi-fi, whether free or paid, and raised concerns about the security on hotel wi-fi networks.

Furthermore, 69% of mobile workers stated they were nervous to place payment information into a hotel wi-fi pay wall on their browser.

The need for connectivity is going up

And yet while mobile workers are more apprehensive about using public wi-fi, Lowe said that the need for connectivity is going up. In fact, mobile workers went as far as to say that reliable wi-fi was a basic need and they'll base decisions on where to spend money on a hotel's ability to meet those needs. wi-fi is so important to travellers when staying in a hotel that they rated it the second most important factor-after a comfortable bed!

"These fundamentals highlighted by the survey (security, speed and quality of the connection) have a direct bearing on how productive people are in hotel wi-fi hotspots," Lowe said.

All three of these issues are solved by utilising a personal secure portable wi-fi router. These routers utilise the security on offer via the mobile networks while creating the users own personal secure cloud of connectivity, said Lowe. A pocket wi-fi solution means users don't have to use the hotel network at all, which improves connectivity security and speeds.

However, the need for speed is offset by the cost of data when travelling. Only 18% of respondents said that they don't limit the use of applications while roaming. The vast majority, however, do exercise restraint, and web browsing takes the greatest hit at 56%. Mobile workers stated they are also a lot less likely to use mobile apps while they're roaming.

"Mobile workers, therefore, need to look at an international data solution that will lower the cost of international data, while at the same time enabling mobile works to use a pocket wi-fi solution that gives them the freedom to work from wherever they are and effective security to protect them while the work," he said.