Clariane and Wifirst: 9 years of virtuous partnership

Founded in 2003, the Clariane Group (previously Korian) specialises in providing care for the elderly through the management of healthcare facilities and services. Wifirst has been managing the internet access and guest WiFi portal of more than 70 clinics in the group's SSR (aftercare and rehabilitation services) Inicea since 2014.

// COVERAGE CHALLENGES

Unlike retirement homes and nursing homes, which are often located in city centres or on the outskirts of urban areas, the majority of aftercare and rehabilitation centres are located in less densely populated areas where Internet access is poor or even totally non-existent ("non-fibre-ready"). The issue of Internet access in the SSR clinics was therefore a difficult challenge to overcome! 

From auditing to the key role of the Wifirst box

For each clinic that we manage, we have an expert systematically carry out an audit in order to identify the possible WAN inputs and define a location for Wifirst boxes. This is an essential and indispensable step in the deployment of a Wifirst network infrastructure.

Depending on the compatibility of the site, Wifirst will suggest the best option in coordination with Clariane's IT department:

• Internet access via fibre: latency is very low and the Internet connection is very stable. The very high speeds make it possible to connect the various computer networks and accommodate the new uses that are increasingly demanding in terms of speed, such as VoIP
• If the site is not eligible for fibre: Wifirst is able to combine several ADSL lines to provide an acceptable speed.
• If the area is not fully covered: one or more 4G modems can still be used to access the Internet at an unlimited speed via a wireless connection. 

In the first two cases, the Wifirst network has an unequalled capacity and availability rate, thanks to peering agreements with both major operators and alternative players. 

Subsequently, it is the Wifirst box (or Wibox) that ensures bandwidth equity between the users active on the network. The Wibox is an appliance developed by Wifirst that has three main roles: 

1. Manage internet access (ensure bandwidth equity between users)
2. Provide access control on the Guest SSID
3. Supervise the entire infrastructure deployed: WAN, switches and access points

// SIMPLICITY CHALLENGE

While new technologies make it possible to limit the isolation experienced by residents in SSR clinics, it is also essential to adapt the mode of connection to the profile of the patients, in particular by taking into account the effects of age, multiple co-morbidities or functional and cognitive dependence. 

Extremely simple user login

The TV portal solution implemented by Wifirst allows guests to be welcomed in their room with an intuitive and interactive interface, in line with the brand's standards. Wifirst implements a secure authentication process on a captive portal personalised according to the Clariane Group's specifications.

The connection to the network is very simple. Once the user has activated WiFi on their terminal (smartphone, tablet, PC, etc.), they simply select the identifier (SSID) of the network deployed on the site (Inicea_residents or Inicea_visitors). The user can then connect with any device that supports WiFi and has an interface that allows them to browse the Internet. The connection to the SSID is free and the user has no security key to enter, the portal is displayed automatically.

The home page and the entire user path are accessible on all browsers on the market and on all devices. The proposed portal is a responsive design, i.e. it is developed to automatically adapt to all screen sizes.