The easyHotspot is the ideal solution for providing controlled WiFi access to your network or the Internet. Password controlled access makes it ideal for these applications:

• Cafes
• Motels/Hotels
• Caravan parks
• Community wireless networks
• Company networks
• Temporary hotspots at seminars

Starter Pack - Available Now

It contains:

• 1 x easyHotspot, preconfigured with our standard Welcome/Login page.
• 55 x 1 hr tickets. (Order more at any time).

How easyHotspot Fits in Your Network

Click image to enlarge

The easyHotspot sits between your existing broadband router and the PCs/Laptops that you want to control. The easyHotspot acts like a traffic cop, making sure only those with a valid ticket are allowed to pass. You can extend the wireless coverage area by adding one or more Range Extender units.

Features for the easyHotspot Owner

• Cheap. Many hotspot solutions cost between $1000 and $5000 in hardware alone. The easyHotspot is based on widely available, industry standard components - keeping your costs down.
• Ticket Controlled Access. Your customers access your Internet connection by using a Ticket provided by you. The ticket has a login password. Tickets can control the time online, the data traffic volume, or both, or neither. See below for more details.
• Ticket-less Controlled Access. With the EHS-2 and EHS-3 options below, you can have customers pay online via PayPal. So that means they can pay using credit card online!
• No onsite PC required. Unlike some hotspot solutions, easyHotspot does not require that you have a PC onsite to manage the controlled access. The only hardware you need onsite is the easyHotspot unit (blue box) pictured above.
• Wireless or Wired Access. You can provide controlled Internet access via wireless (WiFi), and/or wired (Ethernet). Wired access would suit an Internet Cafe with desktop PCs.
• Usage Statistics. With an AAA Server account, you can check/download a variety of data including total data volumes, connect times, etc.
• Expandable. You can expand the wireless coverage range by adding extra antennas, amplifiers, and/or Range Extenders. No matter how large the physical network, you only need one easyHotspot device to control all network access.
• Profitable. Attract more customers by offering free Internet access - but only to your customers. Alternatively, you can increase your profits by selling Internet access at any price you choose.
• Secure. By default, customers can not access any devices on your local area network (LAN). Customer traffic passes through the LAN to get to the Internet, but customers can not access any LAN device. However, ticket controlled access to your office LAN can be enabled by using a front-panel button.

Features for the easyHotspot Customer

• WiFi Access. Any WiFi equipped laptop can connect to the Hotspot. [Optional: the hotspot owner can provide access via ethernet (CAT5) cable.]
• No special software required. The customer simply needs a computer that has a standard WWW browser. That's it!
• Simple login/logoff procedure.

User Experience

Click image to enlarge

The typical user would see the sequence below on the first Internet access.

• WiFi-enabled laptop, connects to your easyHotspot.
• Starts up Internet Browser, which normally attempts to go to his Home Page. In our example above, the home page is http://www.google.com.au.
• Redirected to a Welcome - Login page. This page is pre-written and exists as an embedded page within the easyHotspot device. This page comes pre-installed in your easyHotspot. The default page is free. Optionally, this page can contain any www page design the hotspot owner wants, such as:
  • Logo, pictures, text
  • Links to maps, or other pages
  • Terms and Conditions
  It always includes the Login and Password input boxes.
• The user's PC now has full Internet access; www, email, etc.

Range Extenders

For larger coverage areas (e.g. Motels/Hotels), the coverage range will need to be expanded using some combination of booster antennas, amplifiers, and Range Extenders. The Range Extender does not need a wired connection back to the easyHotspot. It simply needs a near-by power point. Multiple Range Extenders can be deployed as needed.

As always, our Free Design Service is always available.

AAA Server

If you choose to have a private AAA Server account, we save you time and headache by setting up your WorldSpot.net account, configuring your easyHostspot to connect to that account, and testing all prior to delivery. The Hotspot Owner manages the account using any standard internet browser. He can:

• Create/Edit/Delete user login accounts. Each account can have a specified time limit and/or data volume limit.
• Check usage statistics.
• Check a log of individual user account logon/logoff times.
• Create and print bulk tickets. These tickets could be (e.g.) 30 min tickets for Cafe customers, 24 hr tickets for Motel guests, 7 day tickets for temporary office workers, etc.

Tickets

Click to enlarge

The easyHotspot system is based on the use of tickets. A ticket is a Login/Password pair that has been pre-assigned. Shown here is the default ticket design. Optionally, we can customise the ticket with your graphics/logo/text.

A ticket;

• is stored on the AAA Server.
• can have any text or graphics on it.
• is typically printed on paper or a label, but does not have to be.
• has associated limitations. The most common limitation is a max. time limit. Any time limit can be set, including unlimited (i.e. permanent tickets). See Ticket Profiles below for more information.
• can be sold at any price
• can be ordered pre-printed in batches of 100 from Freenet Antennas. Click here to order.
• are sent to you in hardcopy format, or emailed in a printer-ready PDF file. The PDF file can be printed on your local office printer.

Tickets Profiles

• Time: The ticket expires a certain time after the ticket is first used. The time continues to count down regardless of whether the user disconnects or logs off. Time limits are measured in seconds and can have any value. Default (standard) tickets have a simple TIME limit.
• Data Volume: The ticket expires after the user has downloaded a certain volume of data. (Default: Unlimited data volume). Data volume limits are measured in megabytes (MB). Only available with Private AAA server accounts.
• Data Rate: While the user is online, his download speed will be limited to the rate specified. (Default: No speed limit). This type of limit cannot 'expire'. It is normally combined with a TIME and/or DATA VOLUME limit. Data rates are measured in kb/s (kilobits per sec). Only available with Private AAA server accounts.

What is Required?

The LAN:

• must have a DHCP server that provides IP address, Subnet Mask, DNS server address, and gateway (to the Internet) address.
• must have a connection (via the gateway router) to the Internet.
• can have a firewall between the LAN and INTERNET. easyHotspot has been tested and works with the very common Network Address Translation (NAT) type of firewall.

Billing Plans

Billing Option	LV-FNA	LV	HV
Traffic	Low volume	Low volume	High volume
Charged	Per ticket	Per ticket	Per Hotspot per month
AAA Server Account	Shared Managed by Freenet Antennas.	Private Managed by You.
Payments made to	Freenet Antennas When ticket is purchased	Worldspot.net When ticket is used	Worldspot.net Monthly
Custom ticket design available	Yes	Yes	Yes
Custom Login page design available	Yes	Yes	Yes
Unlimited time tickets available	No	No	Yes
Admin/Test tickets	Use 2 minute tickets (from $0.50 each)	Use 2 minute tickets (free)
Can upgrade to:	LV	HV	-
Can downgrade to:	-	LV-FNA	LV
Tickets available	2 min 15 min 1 hr 24 hr 30 day	Any except Unlimited time	Any (including Unlimited time)
Tickets prices	See Freenet Pricing	See Worldspot Pricing

What do you get?

Package	DIY	Starter Pack	EHS-1	EHS-2	EHS-3
Billing Plan	None	LV-FNA	LV-FNA	LV	HV
Linksys WRT54GL	√
easyHotspot unit		√	√	√	√
30 day installation support		√	√	√	√
Free design service Details		√	√	√	√
Preinstalled Welcome/Login Page		√	√	√	√
Add your own Custom Welcome/Login Page				√	√
AAA Server Account				√	√
easyHotspot configuration and testing		√		√	√
Online customer payment (PayPal/Credit Card)				√	√
55 pre-printed 1 hr tickets Details		√
2 minute test tickets	None	20	20	None	None
Range Extender		Option	Option	Option	Option

• Linksys WRT54GL If you want to make a DIY Hotspot, by all means do so. You will need a WRT54GL, a lot of free time, a high level of Linux system admin and scripting skills, and did we mention ... a lot of free time.
• easyHotspot unit: Comes preloaded and tested with the easyHotspot software. Includes usage manual/instructions. All the equipment is ready for self-installation. Contact Freenet Antennas if you would prefer to have one of our recommended installers do it for you.
• Welcome/login page: The default Welcome/Login page is a generic, simple design. If you choose the EHS-2 or EHS-3 options, you can create your own custom Welcome/Login page. This page is stored on the AAA server.
• AAA Server Account: This online account will allow the hotspot owner to easily create/edit/delete user accounts, and view usage statistics.

Known Bugs

• Connecting to Microsoft PPTP (Microsoft server) VPN server. Users connecting via the easyHotspot can not connect to Microsoft PPTP VPN servers. This problem seems to only occur with Microsoft VPN servers. Users can connect to other VPN servers - e.g. Cisco, IPSEC, ... successfully.

Downloads

	Installation Manual
	Installation Manual (V2)
	Login page (HTML). You edit this sample if you want a custom login page for your customers.
	Ticket (HTML). You edit this sample if you want a custom ticket for your customers.