Pub and bar wifi — the typical project shape.
What a Telexico pub or bar wifi project actually involves. Illustrative of independent pub and bar deployments — multi-area coverage, guest VLAN, EPOS reliability, indoor and outdoor zones.
Pub wifi has specific challenges
Pubs and bars have a more complex coverage requirement than restaurants — multiple bars, beer gardens, function rooms, snug areas, often in period buildings with thick walls. Guest expectation is wifi everywhere; operational reality is consumer router struggling with the layout and customer density.
Different areas, different requirements
Main bar needs heavy capacity for guest density; beer garden needs outdoor coverage; function room needs event-scale capacity; snug needs decent coverage through thick walls. One AP doesn't cover it all.
Outdoor areas often unreserved
Beer gardens, smoking areas, terrace seating — typically dead zones because outdoor APs weren't deployed. Customers complain in good weather when these areas are busiest.
Function room events overwhelm capacity
Wedding receptions, private parties, live music nights — peak guest density that a single AP can't handle. Quiz nights with 80 phones scanning isn't unusual.
Guest network mixed with EPOS and CCTV
All on one consumer router VLAN; customers streaming pulls down the EPOS; CCTV upload competing with everything else. Standard pub broadband mess.
How Telexico designs pub wifi
Pub wifi design starts with zoning — main bar, function room, beer garden, snug, function room — each modelled for its specific capacity and coverage need. Outdoor APs for beer gardens; high-capacity APs for function rooms and main bar; standard APs for snug and corridor areas. Branded captive portal that fits the pub's identity; GDPR-compliant email capture for marketing. VLAN segregation separates guest, EPOS, CCTV, music, and admin traffic. Sized for typical peak occupancy not average.
How the deployment ran.
Pub installs are typically scheduled around closed days (Mondays for most pubs) — cabling, AP mounting, captive portal branding done in single closed days. Cutover typically same day.
Week 1-2 — Survey and zoning design
Site visit: every area documented, peak capacity per zone estimated, outdoor areas measured, AP placement modelled. Branded captive portal designed around pub identity. Quotation finalised.
Week 2-4 — Cabling and procurement
Cable runs to each AP location (often through beer cellars and roof voids — period buildings can be challenging). Hardware ordered. Captive portal branded.
Week 4-5 — Install and cutover
Closed-day install: APs mounted, VLAN configured, captive portal tested. Outdoor APs weatherproofed and tested. Cutover scheduled around the next session.
What changes for the pub operationally
The change is most visible during busy sessions — Friday/Saturday nights, sporting events, function bookings. Wifi works in the beer garden in summer. Function rooms handle event density. EPOS doesn't drop when 60 people are streaming. Operational reliability that wasn't there before.
Coverage in every area including outdoors
Indoor and outdoor zones covered — beer garden, terrace, smoking area all reliable. Customers stay longer when wifi works wherever they sit.
Function rooms scale to event capacity
Wedding receptions, private parties, quiz nights — wifi handles 80+ devices simultaneously rather than crawling at peak. Function bookings become smoother.
EPOS reliability during busy sessions
Dedicated VLAN with QoS — card terminals don't drop when the bar is rammed and guest wifi is heavily loaded. Bar service speed improves.
The technical configuration
Standard pub stack: Openreach FTTP or leased line as primary (sized for peak guest density); 4G/5G failover; managed switching with PoE for APs; VLAN segregation (Guest, EPOS, CCTV, Music, Admin, Function-Room); outdoor APs (IP67) for beer garden and external areas; high-capacity APs (typically Ubiquiti U7 Pro, Aruba 500-series) for main bar and function rooms; branded captive portal with GDPR-compliant email capture and time-limited sessions.
What you actually get from Telexico.
Honest about scope. No aggressive sales tactics, no surprise renewal jumps, no tier-1 call-centre triage. Real UK engineers, transparent pricing, one provider relationship across the stack.
UK-based provider
Wolverhampton-headquartered. Engineers cover the West Midlands daily; UK-wide install via our partner network. Real UK engineer support, UK data residency, UK contractual relationship — not US-routed SaaS.
Real engineer support
When you call Telexico, you reach someone who can actually fix things. Response SLA backed by real engineering capacity rather than call-centre headcount. Named account manager for ongoing customers.
Free infrastructure review
Every engagement starts with a no-obligation audit of your current setup. Honest recommendation — sometimes that's "stay with your current provider after negotiation." We'd rather be honest than oversell.
Transparent pricing
What you sign for is what you pay — including renewal. No teaser pricing that jumps 30-100% at year two. No mid-contract CPI shock. Predictable multi-year cost from day one.
One provider, one platform
Broadband, hosted VoIP, business WiFi, AI Receptionist, 4G/5G failover, CCTV consolidated onto one Telexico relationship. Single bill, single support number, single engineer when something needs attention.
Migration project-managed
Switching to Telexico isn't DIY. We handle contract audit, notice timing, ordering, parallel running, cutover, old-provider close-out. Customer-visible disruption typically measured in minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
How many APs does a typical UK pub need?
Varies widely with layout. Small village pub (single bar plus garden): 2-4 APs. Mid-sized pub (multiple bars, function room, beer garden): 5-8 APs. Larger gastropub or pub group venue: 8-15+ APs. Site survey gives a firm number.
What about wifi in the beer garden when it's wet?
Outdoor APs (IP67-rated) are weatherproof and designed for outdoor mounting. Standard part of pub wifi design — coverage in beer gardens, terraces, and smoking areas as default for any pub with outdoor seating.
How does the captive portal work for guests?
Customer joins the network; sees a branded splash page with the pub logo and welcome message; provides email (or social login) to accept; gets time-limited access (typically 2-4 hours configurable). GDPR-compliant marketing opt-in optional. Captured emails flow into the pub's marketing list.
Can the wifi handle large events like wedding receptions?
Yes if sized for it during design. Function rooms get dedicated high-capacity APs; guest VLAN bandwidth-shaped so a 100-guest reception doesn't take down EPOS. Standard architecture for any pub with significant function business.
What about live music nights and DJ events?
Wifi handles the guest density; DJ equipment typically uses separate dedicated connectivity (often wired or 4G/5G) so audio streaming doesn't compete with guest traffic. Standard pattern for venues with regular live entertainment.
Do you handle the wifi licensing for guest portal?
Captive portal compliance is part of the deployment — GDPR-compliant terms of service, opt-in capture, and data retention policy. Wifi licensing isn't a separate concept in the UK; data protection is. We make sure that's handled correctly.
What's the typical pub wifi project cost?
Varies widely. Small village pub: typically £3-6k install plus £150-300/month managed. Mid-sized pub: £6-15k install plus £300-700/month. Larger gastropub or pub group venue: £15-40k+ install plus £700-1,500/month. Real quotes against the specific premises after survey.
Want a similar review for your business?
This is the typical project shape Telexico runs. Send us your current setup and what's frustrating you — we'll review what you have today and tailor a project that fits. No hard sell, no fixed-package pressure.