Free data for your check in: Cisco, Facebook partner up for Wi-Fi promo

Global networking company Cisco has teamed up with Facebook with a new product that it reckons will help businesses increase brand recognition and proactively target promotions and advertisements based on customer preferences and demographics using Wi-Fi.

The product, called the Cisco Connected Mobile Experience (CMX), with Facebook Wi-Fi is currently being piloted by retailers, hotels and other public gathering spots.

This solution, says Cisco, helps improve the consumer experience, provides a quick and simple way for consumers to access Wi-Fi by checking in on Facebook, and gives businesses more opportunities to connect with their customers.

The company also claims that CMX for Facebook Wi-Fi provides businesses with more likes and check-ins for their Facebook page, increasing the demographic data on their customers, so they can better serve them.

Basically, the technology works like this: when you are in the mall doing some shopping and walk into a store running CMX for Facebook Wi-Fi, you can open a browser on your mobile device, go to any page and is directed to a “check in with Facebook” login page.

You then log in to your Facebook account, and are then given access to the store’s Wi-Fi network and taken to their Facebook page. From there you can check-in, “like” the store, and use and share promotional information with Facebook friends.