joe wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a small bar/restaurant and interested in turning it into a
> hotspot. The reason for this is so I can supply my yuppie crowd
> internet access.
> I would like to keep it simple ( I'm not going to charge for access ).
>
> Can anyone provide links on how I can go abouts doing this?
What do you have in mind? My house could be considered a hotspot because I
leave my wireless network open. It could be as simple as installing a
wireless access point and allowing your router to issue DHCP to any
connected device. Do you need some access control, or would you like to
direct the users to a web page that says "Hi Thanks for buying booze and
food from me. This free internet access is done as customer appreciation."
I'll assume you have broadband internet access at your establishment
already. - - So, you need a router or gateway server to issue DHCP and you
need a wireless access point.
I've done two things at different times to let people know they are
connected to my network. I used a little program called airsnare (the
author reads this group and has posted links to it)
http://home.comcast.net/~jay.deboer/airsnare/ . When someone connects, they
get a pop up that tells them they can go ahead and use the connection, but
warns them their activities are being monitored. There are excellent
instructions for install and set up located on his website.
The other thing I've done (more recently) using a gateway server is to run a
redirect to open a page of my choosing. My gateway server happens to also
have apache web server installed (BTW, it is redhat 7.3), so I just
redirected the users connection to port 80 localhost@localdomain where a
default page resides describing to the user that they are connected to my
network and it tells them my "ground rules" (like no kazaa and to please
take it easy on large binary transfers in case I'm playing an online game so
my pings stay normal <wg>). They only hit the redirect on their port 80
connection attempt, so after they have seen the page, they are free to
navigate the web (unless they close their browser and lose their port 80
connection, in which case, they have to see it again if they re-open their
browser).
A business in my home town that has a "free hotspot" requires users to get
an IP address and configure their connection device themselves. A waitress
or the courtesy clerk have access to plastic cards that have the connection
information (IP addy, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server) and a
set of instructions for W2K and WXP. His router is configured to only
accept the static IP addresses that are on those 25 or so cards. Those cards
are physically attached to a metal base so that customers don't wander off
with them.
Hope that helps
Similar Threads
Linear Mode
