Free wifi solution.

[andymanley]

Hi all.

I am looking to set up a free wifi solution in a bar.

We have a good fast stable internet connection and a BT business router.

Setting up a simple unsecured wifi connection won't be a problem.

What we would like to do is ask for email addresses and phone numbers so we can harvest clients data for promotional purposes.

Even if it is a connect to the free wifi and a popup message appears with our logo and enter your email address to continue.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

[shovenose]

Re: Free wifi solution.

Ubiquiti UniFi AP Pro.

[rauno45]

Re: Free wifi solution.

what about security? What if the bars personal computers are on the same network. there could be a hacking oppertunity or a security risk then. What i would do if it was my decision is that i would make 2 separate wifis or networks. One for the personel and one for the clients. I have heard of a inteno router here in europe that has that kind of ability. That way people on the public network can no way interface directly with the personels computers and the router wont eaven show that they excist.

[Elysarian]

Re: Free wifi solution.

what about security? What if the bars personal computers are on the same network. there could be a hacking oppertunity or a security risk then. What i would do if it was my decision is that i would make 2 separate wifis or networks. One for the personel and one for the clients. I have heard of a inteno router here in europe that has that kind of ability. That way people on the public network can no way interface directly with the personels computers and the router wont eaven show that they excist.

Easiest (though not necessarily most cost-effective) way to do this would be to have a second cable (cat-5 rather than DSL on the WAN side) router set up to serve the public side - with the right software on that router you could also throttle the bandwidth so the public users don't saturate your connection, NAT would take care of most of the security issues as long as you use a different subnet/appropriate routing rules for the two segments.

It's how I've set up connections in hotels in the past.

[xplayerx]

Re: Free wifi solution.

Easiest (though not necessarily most cost-effective) way to do this would be to have a second cable (cat-5 rather than DSL on the WAN side) router set up to serve the public side - with the right software on that router you could also throttle the bandwidth so the public users don't saturate your connection, NAT would take care of most of the security issues as long as you use a different subnet/appropriate routing rules for the two segments.

It's how I've set up connections in hotels in the past.

I Agree

[stj]

Re: Free wifi solution.

be carefull,
the u.k. is a servailance shithole.
you may need to log traffic to protect yourself from the treasonous government terrorists accusing you of something.
you also need to check your ISP contract incase they pull the plug on you for being a "re-supplier"
specially as you are competing with BT's supposedly free wifi for BT customers.
i'm refering to "OpenZone" if they still call it that.

and also if you collect e-mail addresses you may come under the "data protection act" rules.

[Mad_Professor]

Re: Free wifi solution.

If you had pfsense router/firewall or something similar you could setup a second lan and set a firewall rule to block all traffic leaving from lan2 going to lan1 and another rule to block all traffic coming from lan1 going to lan2, then a default rule to allow all outgoing traffic that's not going to lan1. Then setup a wireless nic and bridge it to lan2 then use captive portal for the welcome page/information and get your web designer on this when get to that stage.

[ant3202]

Re: Free wifi solution.

if you have something nice like a mikrotik router / ap .... it is a gd start but .... you need to research more on it...

[shovenose]

Re: Free wifi solution.

You could use an EdgeRouter Lite it's got a nice GUI if you don't want to muck around in a CLI. just put the public WiFi in its own vlan. Also the UniFi AP supports vlans so you can have different networks like a public WiFi and a private WiFi.

[diif]

Re: Free wifi solution.

I hear good things about the Ubiquiti stuff shovenose. I was thinking of using them in a Primary school that's asked me to look at their wireless problem. Have you much experience with their stuff ?

[synaesthesia]

Re: Free wifi solution.

Ubiquiti gear is excellent, and I would recommend it for primary schools over and above the more expensive fully managed kit like Meru, Ruckus etc with the only exception for 1:1 schools (where every child has a device).

It is very well tested, and surprisingly not enough people hear about it in the UK despite a HUGE amount of public systems being provided by Ubiquiti UniFi gear; councils, city-wide wireless systems are prominent around the country. Returns are a little fiddly but with the considerably lower cost you could always keep a few spares on hand and still be well in pocket. I use UniFi in 3 primaries and a secondary and it doesn't bat an eyelid, running both full wireless and guest wireless on separate VLANs.

A captive portal which runs on the controller (any computer you like) would solve the security issue; you could have a poster on the wall behind the bar with the password or similar on it, rotate the passwords as you like.

[stj]

Re: Free wifi solution.

wifi is banned in schools in many european country's for health reasons - the u.k. has guidlines that make me think it may also ban it soon.

[synaesthesia]

Re: Free wifi solution.

Utter, utter rubbish. The day that happens, I'll eat every wireless point in my schools. The tinfoil hat campaigners will never get that passed.

[stj]

Re: Free wifi solution.

you miss-understand.
it's the fear of someone claiming injury compensation because they spent months sitting against a wall with a router on the other side of it.
which IS dangerous btw.

microwave energy is dangerous,
a smart person takes this into account and uses it carefully with care taken in relation to antenna placement and power levels.
fools stick their head in the sand and pretend there is no risk.

go live in the top floor of a block of flats with a cellfone antenna array on the roof.
tell me after 2 years how many of your neigbors are still as healthy as when you moved in.

[diif]

Re: Free wifi solution.

Hey synaesthesia, I recognise that username Thanks for your reply. I'd heard good things about their stuff. We had Ruckus at my last school.
Which counties stj ? I found reference to France and nurseries but that was it.

[stj]

Re: Free wifi solution.

i think germany and either sweden or norway.
probably others.

most schools have no real need for wifi anyway, they use pc's in fixed locations.

[diif]

Re: Free wifi solution.

No. Most schools do. Chromebooks, iPads and laptops. Most schools use some device that is wireless.
France's nurseries. Can't find anything else about other countrie's schools.

[stj]

Re: Free wifi solution.

http://www.wifi-in-schools-australia...worldwide.html

that's a few seconds with a search engine.

[tom66]

Re: Free wifi solution.

you miss-understand.
it's the fear of someone claiming injury compensation because they spent months sitting against a wall with a router on the other side of it.
which IS dangerous btw.

microwave energy is dangerous,
a smart person takes this into account and uses it carefully with care taken in relation to antenna placement and power levels.
fools stick their head in the sand and pretend there is no risk.

go live in the top floor of a block of flats with a cellfone antenna array on the roof.
tell me after 2 years how many of your neigbors are still as healthy as when you moved in.

Bollocks. Utter, complete, bollocks. First, you cannot compare a 100mW wifi router to a 300W+ cellphone tower. I too would not like to live with a transmitter within 20 feet of me. That's genuinely dangerous due to RF burns and heating, in the same way as a microwave oven can be dangerous if run with the door interlocks bypassed.

Microwave radiation is not dangerous at low power levels, it is only dangerous if tissue heating occurs which can lead to burns and internal damage. It does not cause cancer, except indirectly if the burning causes specific cell damage.

[diif]

Re: Free wifi solution.

http://www.wifi-in-schools-australia...worldwide.html

that's a few seconds with a search engine.

Calling for a ban and recommending it not be installed is not the same as banning.

At least you should be safe with that tin foil hat of yours