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Create your own Hotspot


Share the Internet with your friends, neighbors, customers or business location:

Internet cafes and storefronts can provide free or billed access to the Internet. Run the software along with your POS (Point of Sale) software to provide at the counter cash sales. Or use the credit card billing options or pre-paid tickets to generate revenue almost anywhere, at home or at your business.
A user to your hotspot would view a welcome page before continuing to the original intended destination. 

What you need to run your own hotspot:

  • An Internet connection (e.g. DSL or Cable)

  • A Wi-Fi Access Point

  • ControlAP™ running on a PC or laptop (Windows, MacOSX, Linux), with two network adapters where one connection can be a USB connection (to the modem) and the other can be an ethernet connection (or a usb to ethernet adapter) connecting to a LAN connection on your Access Point. 

    note: ControlAP can also run inside select APs

New VOIP Prepaid Calling Card Support now available with ControlAP Pro!
In addition to printing access codes, print calling cards for use with Asterisk PBX software

Mobile hotspots can be created with a laptop or pda connected to a mobile phone with Internet capability and with a WiFi adapter running in AP mode (if available) or in Ad-hoc mode.  Or a laptop can use two wireless adapters (e.g. a built-in wifi adapter and a USB wifi card).

 
          

Add username/password login authentication for the entire site or per user, provide an acceptable usage policy or use pre-printed access codes.

The Standard Edtion features a 'Pay at the Counter' mode that allows the user to enter any username, and when the user's time expires he goes to the counter to pay and extend his session.  A web based counter management interface lists current users with options to add any amount of time, charging any price using exsiting POS software with option to vary price at different times or depending on usage.

Benefits to using the Pay at the Counter mode of operation:

                     - Avoids username/password management and printed access codes
                     - Encourages users reluctant to use credit cards online can pay at the counter
                     - Controls and limits usage to the hotspot vicinity
As a very minimal configuration, with ControlAP you can simply redirect a user to a website.
Here's a recommended setup for a typical hotspot location:


Where ControlAP would run in the controller PC above. A point of sale or management PC (office PC above) can manage users using the  Pay at Counter mode of operation. With ControlAP Plus and Pro, user logins can be redirected to a remote location securely (using SSL) over the Internet using a patent-pending SSL redirection protocol.  Note the embedded inside the AP version does not require a dedicated PC.

Web based administration is available at the local hotspot (or acessed remotely) and a separate hotspot operator interface is available for the centralized authentication / billing server with ControlAP Pro supporting multiple remote hotspot locations.

Selected ControlAP administrative screen shots:
               

ControlAP provides a premium hotspot solution for most platforms, locations and budgets. Providing extensive interoperability and customization and choice of billing without contractual limitations or fees.

Future features and enhancements include user driven per hotspot pricing models and login customization, usage statistics and graphs, interoperability with voice over IP solutions, as well as additional remote access and security controls. 

Choose ControlAP to be the wireless or wired access portal for your home or business enterprise growing with your needs.  ControlAP, the very first to provide a software hotspot solution for the Windows and MacOS platforms is now supporting more platforms including the ability to run inside name brand Access Points and many embedded devices.
For a quick summary of all the ControlAP Editions see About. 

   For a product features matrix see Features.




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