Mythbusters: beyond the captive portal to seamless WiFi | Purple

The Foundation of Frictionless Connectivity

Our mission at Purple is to improve how people connect in the real world. For 13 years, we have worked toward an ultimate vision: that public WiFi should be secure, seamless, and everywhere.

The motivation for starting this business was the universal dislike of clunky captive portals - those forms everyone hates filling out when trying to access WiFi. Captive portals create friction, but they are still the industry standard. Our new solution directly addresses this friction while increasing security and maintaining venue value. Let's address some myths surrounding seamless WiFi.

Mobile data myth: “Mobile data (4G/5G) makes public WiFi obsolete.”

Reality: The need for WiFi is increasing, not decreasing, indicating that public WiFi remains essential.

Data Caps and Costs: 

The perception that everyone has unlimited data is often confined to an echo chamber. In the US, only 13% of cell phone plans are unlimited. Many telcos have changed their plans, implementing fair usage policies that cap speeds after a set usage threshold, even when labeled "unlimited".

High consumer demand

There has been a 60% increase in searches for "free WiFi" and "WiFi near me" over the past year. 80% of people say they will eat, visit, or stay at places that have the best WiFi. Sites like Booking.com use WiFi quality as a specific review point.

5G doesn't penetrate indoors

To achieve faster speeds, 5G uses higher frequency bands. Higher-frequency waves have shorter wavelengths, which are more easily absorbed or blocked by physical obstacles, meaning those indoors are likely to need WiFi to access the internet.

High-density coverage failure 

In environments with large crowds, such as stadiums or city centers, cellular coverage is often poor, making public WiFi essential.

Security & privacy myth: "Seamless WiFi sounds like an open network; is security guaranteed?"

Reality: Enterprise-grade protection through certification.

Certificate-based security 

The Purple app delivers military-grade security using certificate-based security. Unlike WPA shared keys, which are equivalent to an open network and pose security challenges, the Purple solution is certificate-based. This involves a handshake between the user's cell phone and Purple's servers to establish a secure connection.

Data protection

To ensure data protection, all guest data is encrypted on our servers and stored in different regions, as appropriate for various countries. We are compliant with all major data protection laws globally, including CCPA/CPRA. 

Venue data myth: "If we eliminate captive portals, venues lose the ability to capture contact details, market to customers, and remain compliant."

Reality: We can maximize quality data through choice and compliance.

Data minimization

We adhere to the principle of data minimization, which is a core fundamental of nearly every data protection act in the world. We ensure people want to share the data.

Frictionless data sharing

The new app-based approach removes friction, leading to higher-quality data. The user connects seamlessly to the secure network and then receives a small notification asking, "Would you like to share your data for special offers and rewards?". This choice-based method has resulted in a significant increase (over 20%) in the amount of data shared because friction is completely removed from the process.

Venue analytics

Venues gain a holistic understanding of the physical world, comparable to metrics used for digital properties. Analytics include: who is coming, how often, how long they stay, recency, frequency, bounce rates, and paths.

Getting set up myth: "Deployment is complicated, will slow down existing networks, and will inundate users with pop-ups."

Reality: A quick and effortless setup

Speed

Setup is extremely easy. If the venue has existing enterprise equipment (Cisco, Meraki, Ruckus, Aruba), deployment can take as little as 30 minutes using the available guides. The platform is also deployable behind 3rd-party WiFi setups, such as Ubiquiti access points.

Plug and Play

For those without access points, the Purple Hub can be plugged into a router. The Purple Hub does not affect existing speeds as it functions as a gateway beyond the existing broadband provider. In fact, if venues use Purple's DNS servers, the perceived speed for end users often increases because these servers are much faster than public DNS servers.

Pop ups

Users will not be inundated with pop-ups just by walking past venues. A delay mechanism is employed, varying by venue type, meaning a user will typically be in a location for 5, 10, or 15 minutes before seeing a notification. In city-wide deployments, users connect seamlessly in the background and very rarely see pop-ups, as Purple is acutely aware of the need to minimize and keep pop-ups meaningful.

Ready to Experience Seamless Connectivity?

Purple’s focus on secure, seamless WiFi eliminates the universal friction of captive portals while enhancing the security and seamlessness for all users, and providing WiFi as a utility for all. For venues, we help capture higher-quality data through stronger customer intent. 

Download the App here and Book a Demo

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