LenzVU launches HotSpotVU, a free customer Wi-Fi service that helps small businesses collect customer contacts with permission, see who comes back and automatically invite customers to return.

TORONTO, Nov. 2, 2026 /CNW/ -- Most cafés, gyms, salons and shops already offer free Wi-Fi. Very few get anything back from it. Customers connect, enjoy their visit and leave—without leaving the business any way to stay in touch.

LenzVU today launched HotSpotVU, a managed guest Wi-Fi service for small and multi-location businesses. When customers connect to a business's free Wi-Fi, HotSpotVU shows them a customizable welcome page, collects their contact information with their permission and makes it available for automated defined marketing and follow-up, so the business can stay in touch with offers, reminders and automatic invitations to come back.

No technical knowledge is needed. HotSpotVU arrives as a ready-to-use router that is already set up. Business owners plug it in, follow the guided setup and their customer Wi-Fi is working.

What HotSpotVU does for your business

• Turns free Wi-Fi into a customer list. Customers sign in to get online, and you can collect their name, email or phone number, with clear permission to contact them.
• Helps you recognize your regulars. See who is new, who comes back and how often. A front-desk screen can display who is walking in so you can welcome returning customers by name.
• Brings customers back automatically. Send an offer or a "we miss you" message to customers who haven't visited in a while, without tracking anyone by hand.
• Shows when you're busiest. Simple reports help you plan staffing and promotions.
• Keeps your business network safe. Customer Wi-Fi stays separate from your payment system, computers and other business equipment.
• Takes the tech off your plate. The router, setup, monitoring, updates and support are all included.

"Every business owner knows the feeling of a great regular who just stops coming in," said Afi Aflatooni, Founder and CEO of LenzVU. "Most of them never left an email or phone number. HotSpotVU uses something businesses already have—free Wi-Fi—to keep that connection, with the customer's permission, and to make inviting them back automatic."

Who HotSpotVU is for

HotSpotVU is built for local businesses where customers spend time on site, including cafés and coffee shops, restaurants, gyms, fitness studios, yoga and Pilates studios, martial arts schools, hair salons, barbershops, spas, retail stores and waiting rooms. It also supports franchises and businesses that operate several locations.

Pricing and availability

HotSpotVU is available now across Canada for C$599 per year, (less than C$50 per month). The plan includes a preconfigured router, guided setup, device monitoring, software updates, support and a free LenzVU account. No equipment purchase or technical setup is required. Learn more at hotspotvu.com.

HotSpotVU features and capabilities

The sections below describe HotSpotVU's full set of features for business owners, managers and IT teams who want the details.

Branded welcome page and flexible sign-in options

With HotSpotVU, the guest experience begins with a customizable sign-in page (often called a captive portal or splash page) featuring the business's logo, colours, images and welcome message. After signing in, visitors can be directed to the business's website.

Businesses choose the access method that fits their setting, from simple click-through access to name and contact collection, venue access codes, or email and SMS verification. Optional profile photos add another way to personalize the experience.

Previously authorized devices can reconnect within an access period selected by the business, ranging from five minutes to fourteen days. Returning guests get online with fewer repeated sign-in steps, while the business controls how long access remains valid.

Customer recognition and guest directory

HotSpotVU's guest directory brings shared contact information, connected devices, visit history and consent status into searchable customer records. Verified devices can be linked to the same customer profile, helping businesses recognize returning guests across more than one device.

A branded front-desk display welcomes connecting guests by name and shows their photo when available. For businesses where personal relationships matter, this gives staff another way to recognize familiar faces and offer a more personal welcome.

Automated customer follow-up with LenzVU

HotSpotVU connects consented customer information with LenzVU, an AI-powered CRM and marketing automation platform. A free LenzVU account is included, giving businesses a starting point for organizing customer relationships. Optional marketing and engagement services are available separately.

With the relevant LenzVU services enabled, businesses can build follow-ups around customer activity. For example, a business could send an automated email to an opted-in customer after a month without a recorded visit. A café could share a new menu item, while a fitness studio could invite customers to an upcoming workshop.

This helps owners stay in contact with customers without manually tracking every visit or writing every follow-up, and gives them a practical way to build a contact list through everyday customer interactions.

HotSpotVU's visitor reporting goes beyond a simple count of Wi-Fi connections. Reports include new versus returning visitors, repeat-visit rates, visit frequency, visit-duration statistics and retention comparisons between reporting periods. Owners can review changes over time to understand customer engagement and inform marketing decisions.

On supported equipment, anonymous activity trends also show relatively quiet and busy periods, with calibration and data-quality indicators to help interpret them. These reports can support decisions about staffing, promotions and the customer experience. They reflect observed device activity rather than a complete count of everyone who enters a venue.

Automatic sign-in prompts and venue information (CAPPORT)

In plain terms: when a customer joins the Wi-Fi, their phone can automatically bring up the business's welcome page, so they don't have to ask how to connect.

HotSpotVU supports CAPPORT (Captive Portal API), a modern Wi-Fi standard that helps compatible phones and other devices recognize when guest sign-in is required and direct visitors to the welcome page. CAPPORT also supports a venue-information link on supported devices. A restaurant could link to its menu, a fitness studio to its class schedule, or a retail business to current offers. How these options appear depends on the visitor's device and operating system.

Easy smart-device setup with OpenRoaming

In plain terms: compatible screens, sensors and other smart devices can join the network securely without anyone typing a Wi-Fi password into each one.

HotSpotVU's OpenRoaming support and built-in connected-device onboarding help businesses deploy compatible devices without manually entering a Wi-Fi network name and password on each one. OpenRoaming enables supported devices with the appropriate credentials to connect automatically and securely to participating networks. HotSpotVU combines this with dashboard-based management of approved connected equipment.

For businesses with multiple locations, this makes it easier to repeat a deployment across venues without configuring every device for a different network. Automatic connection requires compatible devices and appropriate provisioning, and businesses retain control over which devices are authorized to use their network.

Network security and bandwidth control

HotSpotVU separates guest access from private business systems such as point-of-sale terminals and office computers, and applies authorization and expiry rules to guest connections.

Businesses can also manage how available bandwidth is shared. Connection-speed measurement and separate shared speed limits allow different treatment for ordinary guests and verified customers in selected LenzVU audiences. Audience-based benefits require the relevant LenzVU feature.

Content filtering and website restrictions

Website and service restrictions provide additional control, with separate rules by access tier. Businesses can apply supported service blocks, category restrictions, custom domain rules and allowed exceptions. Filtering operates on a best-effort basis.

Guest network usage reporting

Live connection and usage reports show connected devices, connection history, session duration, upload and download totals, and device characteristics and more.

Multi-location management and remote equipment tools

HotSpotVU provides centralized control from a single dashboard for businesses with one venue or many. Owners can review company-wide results, inspect individual venues, and access guest records and equipment information.

Remote equipment tools provide router health and connectivity status, diagnostics, remote commands and software updates. Supported equipment also allows adjustments to Wi-Fi channels and transmit-power settings.

Privacy, consent and compliance

HotSpotVU includes separate consent choices for contact storage, marketing communications and photos, so businesses can distinguish between information a guest agrees to share and permission to use it for marketing. Consent status remains visible within customer records so staff can review the permissions associated with a profile.

Versioned terms and privacy notices, business-specific addenda and configurable retention settings support how each business manages guest information over time. HotSpotVU is designed to help businesses meet Canadian privacy and anti-spam requirements, including PIPEDA, CASL and Quebec's Law 25.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Wi-Fi hotspot?

A hotspot is the free Wi-Fi a business offers to customers on its premises. HotSpotVU is a managed hotspot service: it provides the equipment, the sign-in page and the tools to turn that Wi-Fi into a way to stay in touch with customers.

What is guest Wi-Fi marketing?

Guest Wi-Fi marketing means using your free customer Wi-Fi to build a contact list, with permission, and then staying in touch through email, text messages and offers. HotSpotVU and LenzVU handle both parts.

Do I need technical skills or an IT person?

No. HotSpotVU arrives as a preconfigured router with guided setup. Monitoring, software updates and support are included.

Do I need to buy my own router?

No. A preconfigured router is included with the service.

How does HotSpotVU help bring customers back?

It records when consenting customers visit. With LenzVU, you can automatically send offers or reminders, for example to customers who haven't visited in a month.

Do customers have to sign in every time they visit?

No. Returning devices can reconnect automatically for a period the business chooses, from five minutes to fourteen days.

Can customers use the Wi-Fi without agreeing to marketing?

Yes. Businesses can offer simple click-through access, and permission to receive marketing is a separate choice from sharing contact information.

Is my business network safe if I offer free Wi-Fi?

HotSpotVU keeps guest Wi-Fi separate from private business systems and lets you limit bandwidth and block selected websites and services.

Can I manage several locations?

Yes. One dashboard covers every location, with company-wide and per-location reports.

What types of businesses use HotSpotVU?

Cafés, restaurants, gyms, fitness studios, salons, spas, retail stores, waiting rooms and multi-location franchises.

What does HotSpotVU cost?

Plans costs C$49.92 per month with an annual plan. The router, setup, support and a free LenzVU account are included.

Is HotSpotVU available in Canada and US?

Yes. HotSpotVU is available across Canada and US (the units are shipped from Canada and might be subject to import duties and brokerage fees).

About HotSpotVU

HotSpotVU is a managed guest Wi-Fi service from LenzVU that helps small and multi-location businesses turn free customer Wi-Fi into customer relationships. It combines a branded Wi-Fi welcome page, permission-based contact collection, repeat-visit reporting, automated follow-up through LenzVU and centralized network management. Learn more at https://www.hotspotvu.com.

About LenzVU

LenzVU Inc. is a Canadian company based in Vaughan, Ontario. Its flagship platform, LenzVU, is an AI-powered CRM and marketing automation platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses, particularly in fitness and wellness, turn enquiries into conversations, bookings and customers. It brings phone, text messaging, email, web chat and AI-powered front-desk tools together so businesses can respond promptly and keep potential customers engaged.

LenzVU helps businesses continue the conversation with automated follow-ups, timely reminders and relevant messages based on a lead's interests and activity. Staff can review conversation history, track opportunities and step in when personal attention is needed, while automation handles repetitive outreach.

HotSpotVU extends this approach to in-person visits, connecting consented guest information with LenzVU so businesses can nurture relationships after visitors leave. LenzVU Inc. also offers PayrollVU, CalendarVU, ScreenVU and LiveSign.

SOURCE LenzVu Inc.