Frequently Asked Questions
Circuits / Bandwidth
What is the difference between bits (b) and bytes (B), and what does "Mbps" stand for?Most computer users are familiar with the term byte as the base unit of computer memory and its use to describe the size of files and the memory capacity of hard drives and USB drives. In communications the preferred term is bit, 8 of which make up a byte. In that context when you see a number followed by "Mbps" or "kbit/s" its referring to 1,000,000 (or 1,000 respectively) bits per second. 1 Mbps = 0.125 MB/s, or Megabytes per second. For instance, downloading a 10 MB file over a 512 kbps would take approximately 156.25 seconds or 2.6 minutes. The average cable modem service in the US supports a 10 Mbps connection under optimal conditions, allowing the user to transmit the same file in 8 seconds. This is a basic limitation of the hardware involved, but its understandable why many guests might feel the service is substandard when compared to what they have access to at home.
How much bandwidth do I need?
This can be a difficult question, as there is no one size fits all bandwidth solution. A safe assumption is to estimate the number of people who you expect to be using the internet at the same time and multiply that by the minimum speed you'd like to provide them. 128 kbps is enough bandwidth to comfortably browse the internet, so if the number of simultaneous users you expect is 10, the property would require at least a 1.28 Mbps circuit to prevent congestion.
Which circuit type is the best for my property?
This table provides general speeds in common circuits:
| Circuit Type | Bandwidth |
| t1 | 1.544 Mbps |
| DSL | 512 kbps - 10 Mbps |
| Cable | 1 Mbps - 50 Mbps |
What happens when the circuit bandwidth gets maxed out?
In the event that all the available bandwidth has been assigned to guests and is in use all users on the network will experience delays in the transmission of files and general browsing. The problem can be significant enough that our technicians experience the same delays in service while trying to resolve the issue by remotely accessing the equipment on site.
How can I guarantee fast internet for my guests?
The first step should be to confirm the best circuit speed with respect to your guest’s usage. One of our most effective tools is the user bandwidth cap. Bandwidth caps allow us to keep users from using more than their fair share of the network resources, which can keep other guests from receiving adequate access. Your Hospitality router has the ability to automatically put a limit on each user depending on how we configure the settings. For instance, if you have a T1 and set the cap at 256k (common shorthand for kbps in communications context), 6 active users would be able to pull the maximum bandwidth. If the same circuit was attempting to support 20 users, the system would be forced to parcel out resources to the best of its ability.
It sounds like everyone needs 100 Mb circuits, is that really true?
Network traffic comes in two forms. The first form is in spikes, like when a user navigates to a new web page or tries to send an email. The amount of data transferred could be quite large, but its temporary and allows for a lot of overlapping client requirements. The second form is continuous, such as file downloads, streaming video or VoIP calls. A guest trying to stream an HD video might require constant access to 512k of the circuit's resources and performance would suffer if they're capped lower than that. How fast your circuit needs to be depends on the level of service you believe your guest's would require.
If I wanted to upgrade the circuit for my property, how do I go about that?
Matrix Networks works with Circuit Providers across the United States and we are happy to shop these providers for you and find the best fit for your property. An advantage of having Matrix networks coordinate the transition is that our experience helps smooth the transition as we head off known difficulties before they become a problem for your guests. If you choose to find your own circuit Matrix Networks would need to be notified when the switch over is going to take place in order to ensure the equipment on site continues to function as expected.
Once I have a circuit how do I know if there is enough bandwidth?
Matrix Networks monitors your bandwidth usage for you! Not only do we have access to that information, but through My Hotel View, so do you. The information is laid out in an easy to read graph that will tell you how much of the circuit is being used, when your peak usage hours are and how often the bandwidth for the property is being maxed out. Ideally your circuit will max out on occasion, but we want to maintain a small number and short duration for those periods.
VPN
Why do some of my guests have issues with VPN (Virtual Private Network) connections?There are 3 different standards when it comes to VPN connections. PPTP VPN protocol is the oldest one, IPSEC is more recent and SSL is the most recent. Generally PPTP and SSL have no issues we would need to be concerned with, but IPSEC has a security feature that can pose a problem in a hospitality environment. The protocol uses advanced end-to-end encryption that only allows (1) VPN connection per “source” IP address. When guests are staying at your hotel your Hospitality Router is that source. If two guests at the hotel are attempting to log into the same VPN that counts as (2) requests for one source. The solution to this is to configure a Hospitality router to assign a new “source” IP for the second outgoing VPN connection. All Hospitality routers that Matrix Networks sell have this ability.
Why do I need a block of 5 IPs for VPN connections?
The block of 5 IPs has several uses, but is specifically used to address the above issue. As mentioned above the Hospitality router is smart enough to know to use a different source IP address for the 2nd outbound VPN connection, but if you only have 1 IP address then the router has no other source IP to use for the 2nd VPN connection. Depending on the number of business travelers your have we recommend a block of at least 5 static IPs be available for VPN connections.
APs
What is the difference in Consumer Grade Access Points vs Commercial Grade Access Points?There are three differences of significance between Commercial Grade and Consumer Grade Access Points. The first is how the device is powered. Commercial APs use a system called POE (Power over Ethernet) that allows the device to be powered with the network cable, avoiding the necessity to run two cables to every device in the building. It also allows the devices to power cycled both locally and at the main equipment room through a POE switch. The second difference is robustness of the radio chipset. While your average consumer AP can handle a maximum of 5 users before performance suffers, commercial grade devices are designed to handle more than 10 simultaneous clients. The third difference involves output power. Consumer APs broadcast about 70mw because they rarely need to extend beyond the confines of a single residence. Commercial APs are tasked to cover a much larger area and can broadcast as much as 400mw depending on the model and settings.
Conference Rooms
What are the potential concerns when I have a large party using laptops in one of my conference rooms?The first concern is the local access point. Most APs that we sell can handle between 15 and 20 users before they encounter significant connection issues. If that's insufficient for the group we can rename the second closest AP to a distinct name they can use in preference to the AP with the stronger signal, effectively doubling the resources available provided the situation has been explained to them. The second concern is router licenses. Most Hospitality routers are set to handle around 100 simultaneous connections (including network devices such as APs). That number can be upgraded if it becomes a recurring problem. The third potential concern refers to VPNs and is addressed in the VPN section of the FAQ.