Antamedia Online Manuals

Introduction

Network Setup

How Does It Work ?

Introduction

Antamedia HotSpot software should be installed on a standard PC computer running Windows OS. We call this computer HotSpot computer.

The HotSpot computer has to be a gateway for other computers in the network. With such setup we are forcing all computers in the network to redirect traffic through the HotSpot software which w controls whether such traffic should be allowed or blocked. It is allowed if a customer has been authenticated with a username and a password, and it is blocked if a customer is not logged on to the system, or account time has expired.

The HotSpot computer needs to have 2 network cards. One network card (NIC1) is used for the internet connection. If the traffic is allowed, it is redirected to the second network card (NIC2) which is connected to the Internet. Between NIC2 and the Internet you can use routers, brigdes, modems (xDSL, ISDN, Cable...), etc. This traffic being accomplished, which is based on the internet connection, you are able to open web pages, watch video materials or communicate in any possible way with the Internet.

The HotSpot software does not require any specific hardware, so you can use Access Points, Modems, Switches or Routers that you already have and using them you can configure the network settings.

Network Setup

First, we need to determine which kind of a connection we will use. There could be a few ways for the communication between the HotSpot software and customers: ICS, NAT-ing, RRAS, etc. In this case we provide you with an example using the Windows Internet Connection Sharing ( ICS ). You can find the thorough explanations of the Windows Internet Connection Sharing ( ICS ) on www.antamedia.com/manuals/ics

The NIC 1 with an IP address 192.168.1.2, the subnet mask 255.255.255.0, DNS and the gateway IP 192.168.1.1 is connected to the Inernet via the Router to HDSL. The NIC 1 has the access to the Internet over the modem or the Router. IP addresses of NIC 1 and the Router are in the same IP range. The Router IP address is usually provided by the ISP.

As a first step, we will share the Internet connection on NIC 1. To remind you, this is a network card that connects the HotSpot computer with the Internet.

Once you finish this step, IP addresses will be changed. The IP address of NIC2 is usually provided by your ISP and ,for example, it might be 194.190.20.128

The NIC2 (connects your network with the HotSpot computer) will get the IP address 192.168.0.1. This is default IP that Internet Connection Sharing sets to your network card. Note that you can change this IP address. The Subnet mask is 255.255.255.0. Instead of default IP range 192.168.0.1 you can use ,for example, 10.0.0.1.

In this network topology, the Access point is used to connect wireless laptops through the HotSpot computer to the Internet. The IP address of the Access Point will be, for example, 192.168.0.10. The Access Point has DHCP enabled so it assigns IP addresses automatically to all wireless laptop computers. Laptops will get an IP address from range 192.168.0.11 to 192.168.0.50 and will have the same subnet mask as the HotSpot computer 255.255.255.0. The Gateway IP address should be 192.168.0.1 and DNS addresses are usually assigned by your ISP.

NOTE : The network topology is able to provide an access to about 240 users. To provide the Internet access on more than 254 customers, please see the network topology 4.

Basic network topology: few wireless laptops, access point and computer running HotSpot software

How Does It Work ?

Once your laptop customers step into your Access Point WiFi range, they will be able to scan the network and discover your Access Point. On connection, the Access Point assigns them IP and DNS settings automatically using DHCP. Please note that you need to enable the free connection to the Access Point without an encryption or other limitations. If you have multiple Access Points you should specify a different IP range that DHCP assigns to wireless users.

At this point, a customer is connected to your WiFI and is able to type some URL in the web browser. Antamedia HotSpot will check this IP and MAC addresses and if a customer is not authenticated, it will return login page to the customer browser. A username and a password are required to gain the access to the Internet.

If customers are new, they are able to sign up for new accounts and pay with credit cards. The process is completely automated and a customer is able to choose the username, the password and a pricing plan (like 1 Hour Internet time or one month unlimited access). You do not need staff to sell tickets.
Please note: Appropriate HotSpot software license with the credit card payment option is required.