Guest network
A wireless network for visitors that provides internet access without any route into internal systems.
Done properly it sits on its own VLAN with a firewall policy permitting internet only, client isolation enabled, and bandwidth limits so it cannot affect business traffic.
It is also where staff put personal phones and where contractors connect, which makes it worth treating as hostile rather than merely separate.
Where this comes up
Guest network sits inside our networks and infrastructure work. If you are trying to work out what this means for your own environment rather than in the abstract, that is the page worth reading next, and a short call will get you a straight answer faster than either.
Related terms
SSID The name of a wireless network, as it appears in the list of available networks. Network segmentation Dividing a network into zones with controlled traffic between them, so a compromise in one does not reach the others. VLAN A logical network created on shared physical switching, keeping groups of devices separated from each other. BYOD Allowing staff to access company systems from personal phones and computers.