Going it Alone

---

Some HotSpot operators may, for any number of reasons, want to construct and set up their own network. For instance, a HotSpot operator may not perceive the benefit of being part of a larger network alliance (e.g. the HotSpot is off the beaten path and there are no other HotSpots nearby and few business travelers). Thus, getting the small group of end-users that frequent the HotSpot to sign up for, say, a Boingo account, is futile. Or the operator may have its own ideas about what services to provide to the venue owner and the end-user. Or perhaps the HotSpot operator wants to keep 100 percent of the revenue and to handle the billing functions internally. This makes sense if, the operator owns a group of small hotels, cafés, or convenience stores and has an infrastructure for billing and accounting support already in place.

Small coffee shops, restaurants and inns may not want to charge the end-user for wireless access and thus billing and accounting support aren't needed. This group, in theory, can simply create a HotSpot by plugging an access point into an existing wired network hub or router. Doing this, of course ignores security and billing issues. Most businesses will want a more professional, business-like HotSpot.

For those who want to "roll their own" HotSpot, all they must do is to follow a few simple steps:

First, determine the coverage area and bandwidth you'll need. Your HotSpot could cover a small coffee shop, a bed and breakfast, and/or an apartment building or it could encompass an entire neighborhood or park. You need a high bandwidth (a minimum of 386 Kbps) modem, or a PC equipped with a T-1 card (which can deliver 1.5 Mbps). Configuring such a nice fat digital pipe to the Internet presumes that you have enough access points operating at a high enough bit-rate, so that your users can take advantage of this available bandwidth. (Short-haul access points can be small, commercial Linksys, D-Link or 3COM devices, or a higher-end dual-band Avaya or D-Link AirPro.)

Figure 12.3: A "homegrown" Hotspot network layout. There are any number of ways a HotSpot can be designed and constructed. The one shown in this graphic is the minimum. Note that some vendors combine one or more of the standalone devices shown here into multipurpose units.

Next, choose a different antenna if necessary. Larger-scale systems (e.g. apartment complex, hotel/convention center complex, or small housing development) may need something other than the antenna that accompanies the access point. An omnidirectional antenna mounted on a roof can cover a small neighborhood in a circular area around the antenna, while a more directional antenna (yagi, sector, panel, etc.) narrows the coverage area but increases the range of the signal. Typically, antennae can connect to an access point using a short cable with an "N" or "SMA" connector at each end.

Note 

Don't use an amplifier to boost the signal over one watt because it will get you into trouble with the FCC. In fact, Wi-Fi providers must adhere to a number of regulatory standards. The most pertinent of these regulations are set out in Appendix III.

Finally, set up the equipment. To reduce signal loss caused by the cable, mount the access point as close to the antenna as possible. If the antenna is on a roof, then the access point should be housed in a commercial or homemade weatherproof enclosure. For example, the 802.11b airPointPro is available in three form factors: a standard indoor model, a ruggedized NEMA4-compliant model to withstand temperature extremes for outdoor configurations, and a "total" model with an integrated antenna for "one-box" convenience that can be placed anywhere. (See chapters 6 and 7 for more details on how to design and deploy a wireless local area network.)

Delivering power to an exterior-mounted access point is easy if it is compliant with the Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) standard, which allows power to be sent over unused wires in an Ethernet cable. In the case of the airPointPro, a "powerShot" PoE injector is included with every unit, which allows the airPointPro to be placed up to 100 meters (327 feet) away from a power outlet. The unit even comes with a weatherproof RJ45 connector for both the "Outdoor" and "Total" models allowing quick installation of the Ethernet CAT-5 or Cat-5e cable.

Keep an eye on security issues. Small private networks, even wireless ones, often save money by sharing a single public IP address with all of the computers on the LAN. The router, computer, or other gateway device presents a public, registered IP address to the Internet and a private world of IP addresses (the "subnet") used by all of the devices on the LAN (or wireless LAN). The standard subnet for private networks includes IP addresses in the range of 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255. In order for computers using these IP addresses to share one or a few "real" IP addresses on your publicly available gateway, your gateway device must run the proper software, such as Network Address Translation (NAT) type software. NAT products include Sygate's Home Network and Office Network products or Wind River's WindNET NAT. NAT is built into Windows ME and XP, where it's part of the "Connection Sharing" facility.

Implementing NAT can automatically establish a firewall between your internal network and outside networks, or between your internal network and the Internet. A firewall's purpose is to keep intruders out of your network, while still allowing people on the network to access the Internet. A firewall can be a separate, standalone device between a modem and a gateway, or it can be software running on the gateway.

Many basic access points act as NAT-capable routers instead of simply bridging to the network. In such a case, one could simply plug the access point directly into the Internet network. The gateway could also be configured as a "captive portal." Captive portals allow you to use a common web browser as a secure authentication device. In theory, they allow you to do everything on the network securely via the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the IPSec tunneling protocol normally used with Virtual Private Networks. One type of captive portal software, NoCatAuth from the NoCat group, supports logins along with configurable restrictions to bandwidth and ports, based on whether the user is a trusted member or not. This comes in handy if someone at your HotSpot sends spam through your access point and your ISP threatens to shut down your account, if someone sends threatening or harassing email, or if someone hacks into your system and tinkers with government websites.

Several vendors offer business owners solutions for "going it alone."

Airpath Wireless. Many HotSpots will charge for their HotSpot service. This requires additional billing software. For many less experienced entrepreneurs, Airpath Wireless, Inc.'s turnkey package, "Hot-Spot-In-A-Box," includes everything needed to install a HotSpot-the network equipment, the end-user billing, even a branded portal. The HotSpot-In-A-Box solution features the Airpath Roaming Connector (ARC100C), which provides all the network equipment required to build a HotSpot bundled into a single unit. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection (and perhaps a special antenna and/or additional access points).

Hot-Spot-In-A-Box purchasers automatically become a part of the growing, worldwide provider-neutral Airpath Roaming Network. By being provider-neutral, Airpath Roaming remains transparent to end-users while providing a single-source of network integration for its members. Any telco, ISP or independent provider that has subscribers can share access to the same equipment or infrastructure by being a part of the Airpath Roaming Network. HotSpots with existing end-users retain control of their branding while offering the benefit of roaming anywhere within the network.

Airpath also offers custom designed solutions to accommodate all types of venues, including large hotels, convention centers, airports, marinas, and campuses.

IP3Networks. This company's of out-of-the-box products are helpful for business owners deploying their own HotSpots. Its "NetAccess for Wireless Hot Spots" is a 1U 19 inch, rack-mounted Linux device that comes with a 566 MHz Intel Celeron CPU and 256 MB of RAM, and provides plug-and-play access for end-users, as well as security and bandwidth management features, billing capability, complete logging, and extensive management tools. The HotSpot operator can even force page redirects if he or she wants to set up a website or portal. It's also compatible with the Boingo network.

This solution gives the HotSpot operator full control over duration, speed, and price; allows the operator to offer multiple classes of high-speed access; reserves different amounts of bandwidth for different areas (useful for small hotels that have conference rooms and guest rooms); and enables one-to-one static mapping that lets the HotSpot operator assign static IP addresses on a per-user basis. The operator could even create a special pricing plan that charges extra for a static IP address, which is important because some corporate VPNs won't allow entry into the corporate network without a static IP address.

The NetAccess product ships in two versions: the NA-25 (25-user license) has a suggested retail price of $1000, and the NA-50 (50-user license) has a suggested retail price of $1500.

Nomadix. This public networking provider offers what it calls the Universal Subscriber Gateway or USG. The USG is a stand-alone, 2U 19 inch, rack-mounted VxWorks device that can fully integrate with the Boingo network and billing system. Like the IP3Networks' device, the USG requires no client reconfiguration, even when static IPs or proxy settings are enabled. Standard features include 802.11 and web-based SSL authentication, RADIUS, AAA, and billing tools; a Home Page Redirect function that lets the HotSpot intercept browser requests and redirect users to a page of its choice; and bandwidth and billing options that are fully customizable.

---