We've all been there, stuck somewhere in a waiting room for hours with nothing to do.  It could be the DMV, an airport or a car repair shop.  For me it was a doctor's office.  Some businesses try hard to stock up on general interest magazines to keep us entertained, but if you don't like Cosmo or reading a three month old issue of Sports Illustrated you might be out of luck.  What if you could give your customers what they really want using something you already are paying for on your business?

The doctor's office in that I was in figured it out.  They offered wifi for their customers.  Now normally this would be a monumental task for a doctor's office.  After all you cannot have anyone randomly accessing the same network that you store all of your patients' confidential files.  To set it up securely you would have to create multiple networks which would usually involve calling in an IT crew and installing a bunch of complex equipment that undoubtedly will break down and need to be fixed.  Something that's not very affordable for most small businesses.

There is however a solution...

Apple has developed a wireless router that takes all of the hardship out of offering free wifi for your customers, a secure network for your wired computers and encrypted wifi access to your employees.  The Airport Extreme makes setting up a wireless network almost child's play.  Just plug it into your ISP router, insert the easy to use setup disc into any computer (Mac or PC) on the network and bingo it does everything for you.

Your customers are happy because they can get online with without having to give out a complex password and you're protected knowing that they cannot access other computers on your network,  your files and confidential customer information.

It's a win-win for everyone.