Churches are notorious for having weekly events, and Wi-Fi is necessary for any digital interaction at these large gatherings. Whether it’s for broadcasting live events or providing connectivity for attendees, Wi-Fi is an easy way to connect to the internet. With its convenience, Wi-Fi comes with its own list of vulnerabilities, so it should also be secured. If you are planning a church event in the near future, here are some design and security tips for Wi-Fi installations.
Use a Firewall to Separate Business Traffic from Attendee Traffic
A firewall controls traffic that flows in and out of your Wi-Fi network. For example, if you have a connection to the internet for church staff, you have a firewall that protects your internal business network from anyone on the public internet. Church staff can access the internet via outgoing traffic, but incoming traffic is blocked.
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The same design should be done for an event Wi-Fi network, especially if you also offer free Wi-Fi to event goers. The two networks should be separated using a firewall. Public Wi-Fi access from attendees should be on one network, and then the internal network used for the event should be another network. Allowing public and business traffic to intermingle opens the church to data eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.
Most Wi-Fi routers allow you to segment networks, but it might be convenient to add two Wi-Fi routers, one with a password for the event and a second one for public access. This strategy keeps both networks separate without having much knowledge into properly configure a firewall. Both Wi-Fi routers connect to the outgoing ISP router, so make sure your ISP account has enough bandwidth to handle both traffic sources.
Install Antennas and Repeaters
In large events, you might need antennas or repeaters to amplify Wi-Fi signals. A Wi-Fi router receives signals when a device is in close proximity to the router, and you might have a Wi-Fi router behind walls or away from the central ISP connection. Every wall cuts your Wi-Fi signal in half, so you need repeaters or amplification of a signal especially in large gatherings where Wi-Fi connectors might be spaced apart.
An antenna allows users to be further away from the Wi-Fi router and still receive a decent signal. Antennas are also useful when you have event equipment that needs to access the internet at further distances. For example, when you have an event for a large group of people, you often have attendees several feet away from Wi-Fi equipment. Antennas and repeaters placed in strategic places will ensure that everything and everyone, including event equipment have access to a strong signal to the internet.
Configure Strong Passwords for Wi-Fi Access
If you keep public Wi-Fi networks separated from business networks, you can leave the public Wi-Fi passwordless or configure a password and publish it during the event. Remember that no password Wi-Fi leaves it open to anyone within range, so most businesses add a simple password. Only attendees inside the event can get access to the password. This strategy reduces any unwanted connections from people leaching free Wi-Fi during your event.
For business Wi-Fi, a strong WPA3 password should be configured. Give this password to event coordinators, employees, and other church staff. For an event, you might use a different Wi-Fi hotspot specific to the event to avoid data breaches or issues from short-term contractors. This caveat might depend on the location of the event. If your event is at the church, you might need additional security for third-party contractors helping with the event.
Be aware that older equipment might be incompatible with the latest WPA3 security. If your equipment was made within the last 10 years, you should be safe. For example, iPhones older than version 7 are not compatible with WPA3. Most people have newer iPhones, but it’s possible that someone still sticks with older technology. Just be aware of this limitation in case anyone tells you that they cannot connect to the WPA3-enabled Wi-Fi router.
Set Up Filters and Monitoring for Public Wi-Fi
If anyone uses your public Wi-Fi for illegal activity, your church is on the hook. The outgoing internet router IP address is tied to every user on your network. To avoid being used for illegal activity, use filters to block websites. Filters have out-of-the-box solutions for blocking known phishing and malware domains and any domain hosting illegal content.
Web filtering solutions have a list of domains that you can blacklist, but you can also blacklist based on topic or industry. You might not want public users taking bandwidth for streaming, so you can block these domains during your events. Most filtering solutions come with logging options, so you can see if any users are using the church network for inappropriate reasons.
Blocking domains also benefits the safety of users. They might not know a domain is flagged as a phishing portal, so web content filters support the data safety and privacy of guests and church staff. Monitoring guest network traffic also stops attacks before they can interfere with the event. Attackers might use the event public Wi-Fi to download malware, engage in attacks on other servers, or attempt to interrupt operations. Filtering and monitoring help stop these activities.
Help with IT and Monitoring
If you don’t have a dedicated IT team to support a church event, it might be time to ask for help from professionals experienced in network design and security. Corporate Technologies is a dedicated managed service provider with professionals and pricing plans to support church events where technology is a primary part of operations.
Our staff can help design the right solution, set up the technology to help the event run smoothly, and offer support in case of technical issues. Event network design and security done right the first time will ensure that your church gatherings are successful with no technical issues to interfere with activities.
To find out how Corporate Technologies can help your church, contact us today.
FAQs
Yes, opening your Wi-Fi to attendees leaves your network open to malware or users performing illegal activity on your internet connection.
You need Wi-Fi hotspot routers, firewalls, monitoring, web content filters, and possibly repeaters and antennas.
Passwords ensure that you can limit who uses your Wi-Fi hotspot and stop others from leaching church internet resources while hosting an event.
Use web content filters to block domains known to host illegal content, and set up monitoring to detect malicious activity.
Install repeaters and Wi-Fi antennas to improve Wi-Fi signals when users and equipment are too far apart from each other.
