Automotive trades

Connectivity for car washes

Pay stations, memberships and cameras run unattended. Modern vehicles are diagnosed, programmed and paid for online, and a bay that can't connect can't work.

Internet, wireless and security for car washes

Each of the three has to be right, and they are usually bought from different companies. We compare them together.

Internet

Membership systems and pay stations need a connection that does not drop.

Wireless

Wireless links tie together tunnel controllers, kiosks and cameras.

Security

Unattended payment equipment is a frequent target for tampering.

Article

An unattended pay station is an unattended computer

By the Telecom Agency advisory team

Pay stations take cards all day with nobody watching them. They sit on a network that also carries cameras, tunnel controllers and free Wi-Fi.

What a consultant changes

Telecom Agency separates and protects the payment equipment and adds a backup connection so memberships and payments keep working. The advisor sources security and connectivity together, and explains what the card rules require in ordinary language.

How Telecom Agency shops the market for car washes

The advice
An advisor recommends a protected network for pay stations, separate from cameras, controllers and guest Wi-Fi, with a backup connection for memberships and payments.
The price
Security and connectivity are quoted together for each site. Operators with several washes are priced as a group.
The service
The advisor checks the separation is still in place after equipment changes and is the contact when a site goes offline.
  • No fee to you: providers pay the advisor
  • Every provider compared, none favoured
  • One contact for every carrier
  • Reviews and support after the install

An illustrative scenario based on situations common among car washes. It does not describe a specific client.

What we usually put in place

  • Shop internet with a backupA second connection so programming and payments keep going.
  • Wi-Fi across bays and the lotCoverage where the vehicles and scan tools are.
  • Separate customer and payment networksWaiting-room Wi-Fi kept away from the registers.
  • Phones tied to shop softwareCalls and texts that show the customer and the vehicle.

Providers that often fit

The shortlist depends on your addresses. Open a provider to check availability where you work.

The best connection available,at a price you can compare.

Tell us where you work and what you run. An advisor brings back internet, wireless and security options side by side, at no cost to you.

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