Hotel Network Design Checklist: Guest Wi-Fi, IPTV, VoIP and CCTV
Guests judge a hotel on two things before they even reach the room: check-in and Wi-Fi. Behind the scenes the same network also carries room phones, IPTV, door locks, POS terminals and security cameras. This checklist helps owners, consultants and integrators design a hotel network that works on day one and is still good in five years.
1. Separate the services
| VLAN | Devices | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Guest Wi-Fi | Guest phones and laptops | Client isolation, captive portal, bandwidth limit per user |
| Staff | Office PCs, PMS, back office | 802.1X where possible |
| Voice | Room and desk IP phones | QoS priority, PoE |
| IPTV | TVs and set-top boxes | IGMP snooping enabled on all switches |
| CCTV | IP cameras and NVR | No internet access |
| Payments | POS terminals | Isolated for PCI DSS |
| IoT | Door locks, HVAC, lighting | Restricted to its controllers |
| Management | Switches, APs, controllers | Admin access only |
2. Plan Wi-Fi for capacity, not just coverage
- Rooms: one access point for every 2–4 rooms with concrete walls, or an in-room AP for premium rooms and suites.
- Lobby, restaurants and meeting rooms: size for the number of people, about 25–40 active users per AP.
- Pool and outdoor areas: weather-rated outdoor APs.
- Choose Wi-Fi 6 at minimum; Wi-Fi 7 for new builds and major refurbishments.
3. Size PoE switches per floor
- Count APs, phones and cameras per floor and add 20–30% PoE headroom.
- Use managed Layer 2 switches with VLANs, QoS and IGMP snooping.
- Use 10G SFP+ uplinks from each floor to the core when Wi-Fi 6/7 APs are installed.
4. Voice and PBX
- SIP IP phones in rooms with hotel features: wake-up call, room status, emergency number.
- IP PBX with PMS integration and a VoIP gateway for analogue lines where needed.
5. Security and compliance
- Isolate POS terminals for PCI DSS.
- Keep CCTV recordings for the period required by local regulations.
- Log guest Wi-Fi sessions where the law requires it.
6. Resilience
- UPS for core, floor switches and the PBX.
- Redundant internet links with failover.
- Spare switches and APs on site or available locally within 24 hours.
Quick summary
- Eight VLANs, one per service
- Wi-Fi sized for people, not square metres
- PoE budget with headroom on every floor
- 10G uplinks for Wi-Fi 6/7
- Local spares and warranty
Navijin delivers the full hotel network from one brand: PoE switches, Wi-Fi 6/7 access points and controllers, IP phones and PBX, IP cameras and NVRs. Read our hotel solution or request a free design review.