Starting a Wifi Hotspot

N

Nightsight

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Cape Town
Hi guys, I hope to get some ideas if possible. I want to set up a hotspot at a coffee shop, but don't know what equipment to use. I am somewhat familiar with the propogation rules and antenna specs and the area I'd like to cover, how many pepople I want to be able to connect at any one time with decent throughput, and what additional services I'd like to offer - like having a redirect page with my home page as the login page, and exposing some other businesses in the complex.

What hardware will I need to get and if needed what software? I will also need to have a simple GUI for staff to use when selling the "airtime", but also want to have dedicated line for myself, without others seeing it or having access to it.

All inputs and advise welcome...
 
Nightsight said:
Hi guys, I hope to get some ideas if possible. I want to set up a hotspot at a coffee shop, but don't know what equipment to use. I am somewhat familiar with the propogation rules and antenna specs and the area I'd like to cover, how many pepople I want to be able to connect at any one time with decent throughput, and what additional services I'd like to offer - like having a redirect page with my home page as the login page, and exposing some other businesses in the complex.

What hardware will I need to get and if needed what software? I will also need to have a simple GUI for staff to use when selling the "airtime", but also want to have dedicated line for myself, without others seeing it or having access to it.

All inputs and advise welcome...
Click to expand...

RouterBoard with Mikrotik (comes with the board)

will do everything you require
 
Last edited:
*CM9!... u gonna need to understand, and be comfortable with Mikrotik too....
 
mikrotik is your answer. i can setup a mikrotik router with a small omni, connect that to an adsl line, configure a prepaid voucher system with time based access control and a captive portal page (which we can customise for you). pm me for a price, if you're in the cape town area that is...
 
Ryder_JHB said:
*CM9!...
Click to expand...

Whoops!:o

I am interested, but mainly asking to get a little elaboration from the guys that know. There are always a good few of these posts asking for setting up a HotSpot, and the answer is a routerboard running mikrotik.

The mikotik, and routerboard sites are rather complex and intimidating to say the least for the first time browser.

Is it simply configuring it with their downloadable app, plenty time, and a little fiddling?
 
more like a lot op time and plenty fiddling. you can buy a license from them and use the software on an old pc, but when i tried it i had major driver issues. best bet is to buy the board and license in one. and if you're using it comercially, get a pro to set it up.
 
frenchi6625 said:
more like a lot of time and plenty fiddling.
Click to expand...

Cool, I don't need it personally, I run a wirless network with a bunch of mates, but we have an accounting method in place, if this was simple, it would be worth the cost of changing hardware...
 
what are you using at the moment? do you give them access on a prepaid basis?
 
frenchi6625 said:
what are you using at the moment? do you give them access on a prepaid basis?
Click to expand...

Well, becuase it's all friends there is a level of trust involved...
I run a ClarkConnect proxy server, which can generate usage reports per user. I just run the reports at the end of the month, and that's the cost per person.

hardware is stock standard 2.4 wifi, whatever each person bought, mainly Senao.
 
i take it that when a user connects to your unsecured ap, clark only allows certain mac addresses to access the internet?
 
It's a secured AP (WPA & MAC), CC simply let's everyone through, although it can restrict use.

It runs standard squid.
 
Managing your Hotspot

Hi,

You may want to check out Hotcakes Hotspot Manager when setting up a Hotspot.

http://cakeforge.org/projects/hotcakes/

Its a LAMP front end and can by used with Mikrotik or Chillispot.

Its Open Source with a list of features, and includes step by step documentation (under Docs) to set up your hotspot.

Cheers.
 
not exactly simple, but worth a look. mikrotik still does it out the box.
 
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