In 2014 we wrote a blog post about Facebook’s free Wi-Fi feature, which is a quick and convenient way for businesses to offer their customers free Wi-Fi access while simultaneously increasing their page’s social media engagement. Check out what’s changed since then, and the most frequently asked questions we’ve encountered:
How do I set up Facebook Wi-Fi if my business has more than one location?
Only Facebook pages with valid locations can use Facebook Wi-Fi. You must create a different page for each location of your business. To learn how to create a page, visit here.
Can I use my existing router to set up Facebook Wi-Fi?
Facebook has an approved list of routers available for this use. To see the 2017 list and instructions, visit here.
Can a business offer different deals to regular Wi-Fi users vs. those who login to Facebook Wi-Fi?
You can enable the two different options by using two SSIDs, one for Facebook Wi-Fi users and one for regular Wi-Fi users. To learn how to create offers for your Facebook Wi-Fi users, visit here.
How can I advertise that my business offers Facebook Wi-Fi?
Facebook has created a banner advertising free Facebook Wi-fi that is available here.
Can users bypass the check in step?
Users who connect to your SSID using Facebook Wi-Fi will by prompted to check-in using their Facebook account. You can let users to skip this step by providing them with a password of your choosing or offering open access.
Can I require customers to “Like” my page on top of the check-in?
You cannot require that the user “Likes” your Facebook page. However, after the users have checked in they will automatically be prompted to like your page.
Can I collect the email addresses of people who log into my Wi-Fi so that I can market to them later?
No, you will not have access to the email addresses of your Wi-Fi users.
Can I deny Facebook access for employees, but allow access for customers?
You can confirm employee devices to a certain SSID with restricted access to Facebook or other various applications. Then create a SSID specifically for customer access to Facebook Wi-Fi.
Can customers use the Wi-Fi without Facebook?
With over 1.6 billion Facebook users, it is unlikely that you will have many customers without Facebook. However, if you’d like you can create a password protected connection that customers can use instead of connecting with Facebook.
Is Facebook Wi-Fi right for my business?
The businesses which are best suited for Facebook Wi-Fi have an IT department, or at least someone on staff who has experience dealing with routers. In our experience, most issues we’ve faced with Facebook Wi-Fi are hardware-related.
