Edinburgh entrepreneur aims to shake up public wifi

A self-taught software programmer is aiming to help more bars and cafes offer wifi to customers with the official launch in Edinburgh of his 'plug and play' gadget.

Patrick Clover with his BlackBX wifi device. Picture: Chris Watt

Patrick Clover, founder of BlackBX, said his cloud-based technology does away with the need for installation engineers and set-up fees, offering establishments access to a secure wifi service from £25 a month.

He said: “Often public wifi is slow, offers a poor user experience and constantly asks you to log back in. BlackBX is my solution to this problem. The software can be incredibly beneficial and give you more insight into your customers enabling you to make better business decisions based on the data from BlackBX.”

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The system has already been installed by Swedish bars and restaurants group Boda, owner of venues including Akva, Hemma and Joseph Pearce’s.

Boda co-owner Anna Christopherson said: “It is essential for the hospitality industry to provide free public wifi for customers these days. BlackBX has definitely added value to our business. We have been able to use the data and analytics from the software to create automated marketing campaigns.”

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