Hotspot Overview

Hotspots

Hotspot Set:

A hotspot is a physical location or area where people can access the internet, sometimes known as “Wi-Fi or WI-FI hotspots,” is supplied to devices that can connect to wirelessly. This is typically done through a hotspot capable WAP (wireless access point).

In order to set up a hotspot, you must first create a hotspot that allows devices, such as smartphones or laptops to connect to the WAP (wireless access point) that has internet connectivity.

Steps on how to set up the hotspot itself will be in the module called hotspot setup guide.

Hotspot Settings:

When setting up a Wi-Fi hotspot on a WAP, these settings allow you to customize different aspects of the hotspot, such as its name (SSID), security measures, and linked device management.

Hotspot Templates:

Hotspot Templates are used to create custom Hotspot landing pages for users to see. In order to get there, you have to click on Hotspot > Hotspot Setup > Hotspot Templates, then click on + Add Template at the top right of the page. Add New Hotspot Template:

Here you can name the template you would like to use. Then you have to select the template folder which you added in the folder located in:

“/var/www/html/datatill/assets/hotspots/templates/.”

To set up the Customer Template which you just added, you will need to add a new Hotspot Location.

Hotspot Location:

To add a new hotspot Location, start by going to Hotspots > Hotspot Locations >Click on

• Type in your Hotspot ID
• Enable ‘Use Custom Template.’
• Disable ‘Location Name.’
• Type in (Short Name), name for your Hotspot Template.
• Choose your hotspot router in the dropdown list.
• Then type in your Custom Login Text (Example: Free Wi-Fi Login).
• Display support text (yes/no) – here you can display support information for your hotspot clients.
• Display twitter account (yes/no) – here you can display your twitter account.
• Display purchase location (yes/no) – here you can display the locations where vouchers can be purchased.
• Online voucher sales (yes/no)
• Show all hotspot vouchers – here you can display all hotspot vouchers or a select few.
• Show different data vendor details (yes/no) – here you can display different vendor data vouchers (Vodacom, MTN, Cell C), by entering the vendor text along with imagery for your voucher.
• Free Trails (yes/no) – here you can allow users to use the hotspot based on a time limit or a set amount of data.
• Free Trail users must register (yes/no) – When enabled users need to register and very their accounts before they can access free data.
• Auto creates sub accounts (yes/no) – when enabled a sub account for each MAC address will be created on user login, to aid future seamless login.
• Free trail button text– the text to display on the free trail button.
• Enforce free trail T&C’s (yes/no). This is to enforce T&Cs on free trail users.
• Hide free trail limits (yes/no) – Hides the data and time limits on the hotspot login page.
• Prepaid services (yes/no) – Here you can have prepaid services on a hotspot device.
• Prepaid services intro text – here you can provide an intro text to prepaid customers before choosing a prepaid package.
• Show all prepaid packages (yes/no) – here you can display all prepaid packages or a select few.
• Sponsor details (yes/no) – here you can add your sponsors.
• Partner details (yes/no) – Here you can add your partners.
• WI-FI portal (yes/no) – here you can add a button and text to navigate the user to your wifi portal.
• Hotspot banner logo – Here you can add your banners and logos on the hotspot page.
• Once all fields are filled you can click the add location button.

Hotspot Terms and Conditions:

The Hotspot terms and conditions are inserted here using a WYSIWYG editor. During the install of DataTill, a default terms and conditions are generated. You can use and edit this if you wish otherwise; you can create your own.

Walled Garden Entries:

The term “walled garden entries” refers to the specific material, services, or resources that are accessible within a controlled and restricted network. This is known as a “walled garden.” Users are banned from accessing the larger internet or external resources in this context walled garden entries are the exception in this context.

After Making changes do not forget to click on Update Routers (The red button at the top).

Add Walled Garden Entry:

• Destination Field – This is the destination of the walled garden entry, which can be in form of a DNS name, wildcard address or IP address. For example: www.example.co.za, *.example.com, 127.0.0.1
• Port Number – port of the service.
• Protocol – protocol of the service.
• Description -Here you can specify the description of the walled garden entry.
• Allow or Deny access – Here you can choose if the entry should be allowed or denied.

Hotspot IP Bindings:

This can be used to allow certain devices to automatically be authenticated and bypass the walled Garden Entries and Blocked Sites. After Changing any of the entries make sure you update the routers. Regular entries perform as if the entry is not there.

Add Entry:

• MAC address – MAC of the device to be bypassed, blocked or regular.
• Binding Type – Bypassed, blocked, or regular.
• Comment – Here you can add a comment to the binding entry.

Hotspot Products:

These are your Hotspot data Top-up products that users can purchase. Hotspot Products can be restricted to certain Hotspot locations; however, this is done at hotspot locations.

Add Hotspot Product:

• Product code – Code of the hotspot product.
• Product Title – Title of the hotspot product.
• Labels – Here you can assign a label to the hotspot product. Labels are covered in the Tools Section.
• Radius service – Here you can choose the radius service where the hotspot product will be running on. Radius services are covered in the Radius setup guide.
• Cost – Price of the product inclusive of VAT.
• Expire After – Sets the expiry date of the hotspot product.
• Show on hotspot landing page.
• Show on prepaid purchase page.
• SageOne – This cannot be filled in as it gets pulled from sage. After adding the product, sync the product to sage and the SageOneID should now appear on the hotspot product.
• Concurrent sessions – Max number of simultaneous sessions per hotspot product.

Hotspot Promotions:

• Promotion Title – this field you can add the promotion title
• Date Range In this field you can add the date range that you want to use.  
• Show on all Hotspots(yes/no) – Here you can show on all hotspot promotions or a select few.
• Button Title Text – In this field you can add the button title text.
• Promotion Heading – Here you can add the promotion heading.
• Promotion Text – Here you can add the promotion text.
• Promotion Image – Here you can add the promotion image.
• Once all fields are filled you can click the add location button.

Hotspot Voucher Batches:

Add Batch:

Batches are voucher cards that can be printed and sold. A batch first needs to be created and are they activated when needed by generating them. Once generated the vouchers cannot be changed. However, they can be deactivated.

• Batch Description – Here you add your voucher batch description.
• Customer – In this field you will select the customer.
• Voucher Type – In this field you add your voucher product.
• Voucher Face Value – In this field you add the cost amount, please note this amount is VAT inclusive.
• Valid Until – Here you add the date that the product is valid for.
• Active Duration – Here you choose how long the voucher is valid for, Example: 1 day or 31 days.
• Number of Vouchers – Here you add the number of vouchers you want to generate in the batch.
• Concurrent Sessions – this is the number of simultaneous sessions, per voucher. This amount supersedes the concurrent sessions of the voucher type.
• Voucher Num Prefix – Here you can add the voucher number prefix, this amount supersedes voucher number prefix in Setup->Hotspots->Hotspot voucher defaults.
• Voucher Num Length – Here you add the voucher Number length, this amount supersedes voucher Num length in Setup->Hotspots->Hotspot voucher defaults.
• Voucher Pin Length – Here you add the voucher pin length, this amount supersedes voucher pin length in Setup->Hotspots->Hotspot voucher defaults.
• Voucher Logo – Here you can add the voucher logo.

Generated Batches:

Hotspot Vouchers:

This is a list of all the generated Vouchers that have been used or expired.

Hotspot Purchases:

This is a list of all the hotspot voucher Purchases. To find hotspot purchases Navigate to Hotspots ->Hotspots Purchases.

• Complete transaction button –  this is to manually complete a voucher purchase where you can choose the payment gateway used in the purchase.

Hotspot Purchase Summary:

This is a summary of all the vouchers purchase at a hotspot location. To get here please navigate to Hotspots-> Hotspot purchased summary.

Hotspot Summary Report:

This is a summary of the data usage for each hotspot location. To get here please navigate to Hotspots->Hotspot Summary Report.

Hotspot Sessions:

This is a list of all the devices using the hotspots. To get here please navigate to Hotspots->Hotspot sessions.

Hotspot Usage Graph:

This is an example of a hotspot usage graph per hotspot. To get here please navigate to Hotspots->Hotspot Usage Graph.

Hotspot Usage Dashboard:

This is an example of a hotspot usage Dashboard. To get here please navigate to Hotspots->Hotspot Usage Dashboard.

Hotspot Usage Statistics:

This is an example of a hotspot usage Statistics. To get here please navigate to Hotspots->Hotspot Usage Statistics.

Free Trial Users:

This is a list of all free trail users (This depends on your hotspot setup; free trail users must register).

Blocked Sites:

These Entries can only be added by manually inserting them into the database. Please contact our support for assistance.

Unify Controllers:

Controller Stations:

• Controller Description – In this field you can add the Unify Controller description.
• Controller URL – In this field you can add the Unify Controller URL, example: https://127.0.0.1:8433
• Controller Version – In this field you can add the controller Version.
• Login Username – In this field you can add your login username.
• Login Password – In this field you can add your login password.

 Controller Sites:

This is a list of all Sites linked to Unify controllers.

Connected Stations:

This is a list of all Connected Stations.

Manage Prepaid Users:

The following is to manage prepaid users and give prepaid users monthly data. First create the default prepaid registration user group that you want to use (suggested name: Prepaid Unconfirmed Customers), then enable default prepaid registration user group, and set the group to a new group that you have created. Setup > Hotspot -> Scroll down to Prepaid Services on the page.

Customer Groups:

Create a default customer group that all prepaid customers get assigned to by default. This customer group must not have any data package assigned to it. Create a customer group for every residence that you have a hotspot in.

For each residential group set the monthly cap for the hotspot. This data will only be given to prepaid customers at the start of the month. If the user has just registered, then an admin must give the user a top-up, so that they can have data for the month.

Data Top-up for Users
Data Usage for user:

Prepaid History in Data Usage: 

Adding a Data Package in Prepaid History:

The process of adding a data package in prepaid history:

1. A prepaid client registers on the hotspot landing page.
   
   
2. A customer and a Radius user account is automatically created in DataTill, and the customer gets put in the default prepaid customer group.
   
   
3. An admin must then check whether the customer is allowed to be registered. If the customer is allowed then, the admin must move the customer to the correct prepaid customer group (which has a monthly data package)
   
   
4. The admin must then top-up the user in the customer usage page.
   
   
5. When the user runs out of data, they will be able to top-up with a hotspot package, using their credit card, or they can use a hotspot voucher if they have one.