Cost of supplying WI-Fi for staff use at lunchtime?

foxystoat69

Hi there, I work for an organsiation that is based on the edge of town, so its within reach of all communication networks but too far to go to, say the shops at lunctime.

I have an Ipod Touch, so therefore could get Wi-fi on a handheld device...if we had it wi-fi.

Hypothetically, if I was to submit an "Employee Suggestion" to provide wi-fi connection for staff at lunchtime in communal areas (we are unable to use work PC's for personal internet use), what type of set up costs would we have to consider looking at?

There are about 800 people of site to the best of my knowledge, and as I work for a publicly funded organisation, I would argue that we will contribute towards it, but would not have a clue where to start with this task.

Any pointers in the right direction would be appreciated

kwikbreaks

That idea is going to fly like a lead balloon with the IT department. Regardless of cost installing what amounts to public WiFi on their network is a massive security risk.

Given they won't even let you use their PCs to access the web I reckon there's more chance of hell freezing over than this happening.

I reckon you'll need to get yourself an iPhone or a 3G contract and netbook.

benjus

I think the OP is suggesting that the WiFi access point would be entirely separate from the computer network, and would simply provide an internet connection, so in theory there would be no risk to the computer network.

However, there would still be risks such as a device connected to the WiFi being plugged into a networked PC and creating a bridge between the two networks. So I still suspect that the IT department would be reluctant to provide this functionality.

Another option might be to get together with a group of colleagues and collectively invest in a "MiFi" device - these sell for about £50 from Three and provide a WiFi signal from the 3G mobile phone network. You could share the cost of the device and the data between you. Assuming you wouldn't be breaking any IT security policies, of course...

littleboo

A better option might be to ask to have personal internet access allowed during lunch times. If your work PC already has internet access, they must have antivirus, proxies, URL filtering etc already in place. It would be worth trying to understand the reason for banning personal use.