The short answer: give patients their own guest network that can reach the internet and nothing else. Keep reception PCs, consulting-room computers and connected equipment on separate staff networks behind a business firewall. Clinicians who work from home should connect through secure remote access, never through an open door to the practice network. Then monitor the network, so you can spot and fix problems early.
This guide is for GP practices, dental practices and private clinics in Meath, Cavan, Westmeath, Louth and Dublin. It covers the practice network and Wi-Fi. It doesn’t cover your practice management system or clinical software, which your software vendor supports.
Why clinic guest Wi-Fi needs its own network
Patients expect Wi-Fi in the waiting room. Parents want to keep children busy, and some people work while they wait. The risk comes when that Wi-Fi is the same network as your reception desk. A patient’s phone, or a laptop carrying malware, could then sit beside the PCs that open patient records.
Under the GDPR, data concerning health is one of the special categories of personal data listed in Article 9. Article 32 asks organisations to put security in place that is appropriate to the risk. In its data security guidance, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) notes that wireless access to a server can expose a network to attack. Separate clinic guest Wi-Fi is a simple, practical step in that direction.
Split the network into zones
Most practices need at least three zones. Each one gets its own network name or its own section of the network:
- Guest: for patients and visitors, with internet access only.
- Staff: for reception PCs, consulting-room computers and practice laptops.
- Devices: for printers, card terminals and other connected equipment that staff use but don’t log in to.
The firewall controls what each zone can reach. The guest zone shouldn’t see anything inside the practice. The devices zone should only talk to the computers that need it.
Connected clinical equipment needs care. This includes the server or PCs that run your practice management system, and any medical devices on the network. Check with the equipment supplier or software vendor before you move them to a new zone or change their settings. Some need particular network ports or fixed addresses to keep working.
Setting up clinic guest Wi-Fi in the waiting room
A few settings make clinic guest Wi-Fi easier to run day to day:
- A clear network name, such as the practice name plus “Guest”, so patients don’t pick the staff network.
- Its own password, which reception can change without affecting staff devices.
- A limit on how much bandwidth guests can use, so a video in the waiting room doesn’t slow down reception.
- Business-grade access points placed for good coverage in the waiting room, consulting rooms and offices.
Keep the staff Wi-Fi password away from the front desk. Locums, visiting reps and contractors who only need the internet should use the guest network too.
Put a business firewall at the edge
The firewall sits between your practice network and the internet. The DPC’s guidance calls a firewall essential where there is any external connectivity. It adds that proper configuration is important. The National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance for small businesses describes a firewall as a protective barrier between your network and the internet.
Your broadband provider’s router may include a basic firewall. A practice usually needs more control than that, such as separate rules for each zone and secure remote access. Ask who manages the firewall, who keeps its software updated and where its settings are recorded.
Secure remote access for clinicians
GPs often review results or letters in the evening. Practice managers may work from home on payroll day. Remote access is useful, but the DPC notes that it creates a potential weakness, especially over wireless networks. Its guidance also says organisations should consider multi-factor authentication for remote access.
A secure setup usually means:
- A secure connection through the firewall, not a remote desktop port left open to the internet.
- A named account for each person, so you can remove a locum’s access when they finish.
- Access only to the systems each person needs.
- A check with your software vendor on how they support remote access to your practice management system.
On public Wi-Fi, such as in a hotel or airport, the NCSC advises encrypting your data, for example with a VPN. That matters for clinicians who work while travelling.
Monitor the network and keep records
A network that nobody watches can fail quietly. An access point drops out, or the firewall misses an update. Monitoring flags problems like these, so someone can follow them up, often before reception notices. The DPC suggests monitoring should include networks, firewalls and remote access services.
Write down what you have: each access point, the firewall, the network zones and who has remote access. The Irish College of GPs data protection guideline suggests GPs consider regular information security audits. The areas it lists include networks (including Wi-Fi), firewalls, and peripheral and medical devices. Good records make that kind of review much quicker.
Hypothetical example
A four-doctor GP practice in Navan has one Wi-Fi network, and its password is on a card at reception. Patients, staff and the card terminal all share it. The practice adds a guest network with its own password and a bandwidth limit. Reception and consulting-room PCs move to a staff network, and the printers and card terminal get their own zone. The practice manager checks the practice management system with the vendor first. Doctors who work from home now connect through the firewall using their own accounts.
How Sweeney Computer Services can help with clinic guest Wi-Fi
Oliver Sweeney founded the company in 1985. Today we support more than 50 businesses and more than 10 schools from Hurdlestown, Co. Meath. We set up guest Wi-Fi, business firewalls and secure remote access for practices. We look after the PCs, network and accounts your practice software runs on, and we work alongside your software vendor.
We start with a site visit, then send a written proposal. Our own team installs the access points and cabling, and we document the equipment and settings. We quote equipment and cabling separately. See our IT support for medical and dental practices, our Wi-Fi and networking services and our cybersecurity services. Our backup and disaster recovery page covers what happens if a system fails.
Network monitoring is included in both of our managed IT plans. Silver starts from €45 and Gold from €70 per user per month excl. VAT. Gold also adds 24/7 security monitoring through a partner. We charge Microsoft 365 licences separately. Our helpdesk runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and after-hours emergency support costs extra.
A quick sense-check
Is your waiting-room Wi-Fi on the same network as reception?
Book a short call with Michael Sweeney to talk through guest Wi-Fi, firewalls and remote access for your practice.
