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Wi-Fi vs. Cellular: Kiosk connections in review
You have manufactured the ideal wireless kiosk for your market. You have done all your research and selected the ideal retail spot to drive traffic. Yet, there is still one critical detail left, what type of Internet connection will you choose?
September 14, 2015 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator
You have manufactured the ideal wireless kiosk for your market. You have done all your research and selected the ideal retail spot to drive traffic. Yet, there is still one critical detail left, what type of Internet connection will you choose? Perhaps you have considered purchasing the necessary components to turn your wireless tablet into a wired one, but it is simply impossible at this location. Thus, you have to decide between Wi-Fi and cellular connections. There are pros and cons to both options.
First off, like any investment you need to consider the bottom line, cost. When it comes to personal usage, many users prefer Wi-Fi to cellular due to cost. According to a reportby Computer World, smartphone and tablet users consider Wi-Fi to be "cheaper, faster, easier to use, more reliable, and even, slightly more secure than cellular." Even users who had cellular data used Wi-Fi one third of the time. This makes sense from a user standpoint. After all, most of us turn off our data plans if a Wi-Fi signal is available, but what about from the retail kiosk standpoint?
"Cellular bandwidth can get pricey, and in unpredictable ways," James Kruper, president of kiosk software company KioWare, said. "For example, if cellular bandwidth becomes spotty during a content transfer, especially larger transfers, the transfer can fail repeatedly until it finally succeeds, but the total bytes transferred will be many times larger than the actual files, and may exceed contract limits and become expensive."
However, the overall cost can depend on a number of factors. For example, Kruper argues you need to consider how much bandwidth you need for your kiosk. You also need to consider if there will be local content file downloads. Or is your kiosk simply providing constant Web content?
There is also the issue of speed and traffic to consider. Both Wi-Fi and cellular connections can become overloaded, depending on the kiosk location, overall usage and time of day.
"Cellular data at retail stores in multilevel shopping malls can be a nightmare. Wi-Fi can also become overloaded both by traffic on its own router, but also by competition from other Wi-Fi routers," Kruper said. "Using 5 GHz routers instead of 2.4 GHz will help overcome traffic interference, but 2.4 GHz has better range, so each deployment needs to be unique."
Range is a key factor to consider. Router signals only reach so far, and if you are dealing with a router with terrible range, sticking with cellular might be a better choice. However, as a counterpoint, cellular data is not always reliable. Regional outages do occur with various providers, and there are many factors that can create cellular dead zones. However, when there are outages, cellular data can have an edge on Wi-Fi, since you will have one of the large cellular carriers working on the issue so it will be paid for on their dime.
When considering security, according to Kruper, both Wi-Fi and cellular are on fairly even ground. "As for Wi-Fi vs. cellular, as long as the latest technology is used, then there is little difference between the two," Kruper said. "Obviously, the devices should be transferring using the latest SSL, so even if someone gets access to the network, they will have difficulty finding anything useful on the network."
So, as with most complex questions, we have to go on a case-by-case basis. "Bottom line: there is no universal answer as each project is unique, and within a project each deployment may require different technology unique to its location," Kruper said.
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