Hotspot Web Portal
ExpiredOffering 'Guest Internet Access' to customers or visitors to your premises is a common part of visitor hospitality and presents an opportunity for branding and engagement whilst also being able to restrict access or ensure users understand the service provision.
Often, you might want a welcome page, displaying your own branding (remind them who they have to thank!), advertise special offers or just provide a welcome message.
You may also want to obligate them to accept 'Terms and Conditions' or an 'Acceptable Usage Policy' before going online in order to protect your own organsation but also to remind them of responsible usage.
If you don't want to provide self-service free-to-all access, you may want to authenticate or identify users before they can access the Internet through the guest network, perhaps giving out unique access passwords or daily changing codes, with or without time limits (e.g. max 2 hours access). You may also want to collect their personal information (e.g. email address) or encourage them to 'Like' or check into your premises/business as a quid-pro-quo for Internet access.
DrayTek's comprehensive Hotspot Web Portal is a highly configurable and customisable way to direct users to a Hotspot Portal page, when connecting to a network with a DrayTek Vigor router installed as the Hotspot controller.
| DrayTek Hotspot Web Portal makes it possible to: |
| Display a welcome page with custom branding and welcome text |
| Display Terms and Conditions, which the user must accept to access the Internet |
| Authenticate users through their Google and/or Facebook account |
| Authenticate users by sending an Internet access code to their mobile phone via SMS text messaging |
| Authenticate users via RADIUS, for integration with external portal services such as Purple Wi-Fi |
| Direct users to a website upon connection or display a notification message |
| Apply the Web Portal to the router's own wireless networks, or LAN interfaces to provide Hotspot Web Portal on DrayTek VigorAP wireless access points |
| Generate time-limited access tokens (password/PIN) for customers |
| Add additional VigorAP series wireless access points to extend coverage around your building. |
When users connect to a DrayTek Vigor router's network with Hotspot Web Portal, they cannot immediately access the Internet and are directed to the Portal login page to accept the Terms and Conditions of the network, or identify themselves with the network through the selected authentication methods.
What do I need ?
The DrayTek Hotspot feature is included in the Vigor 2862 series routers; there is no per user or additional charge for the facility - you just require that router.
You can use the built-in wireless (on wireless equipped routers) or our external wireless access points (VigorAP 910C or VigorAP 903 models) as part of a managed or company-wide structure.
Existing users of these routers will be able to download the latest firmware to add the feature free of charge.
Features in Depth
The different aspects of DrayTek's Hotspot Web Portal are explained and demonstrated in these sections:
Captive Portal |
Captive Portal Detection HTTP & HTTPS Redirection |
Customisation |
Customisations possible with Hotspot Web Portal |
Multiple Login Methods |
Landing Page - Skip Login Click Through - Accept Terms & Conditions Social Login - Google and Facebook Authentication SMS Login - Receive an access code via text message |
User Information |
Real-time status reporting and logs of connection history |
Captive Portal
Hotspot Web Portal is designed to limit user's access to the Internet and direct them to the Hotspot Web Portal page to log in
Hotspot feature using router's built-in wireless
Hotspot feature using separate wireless access points
When a user connects to the Hotspot network and tries to access "www.google.com", that request is redirected to the DrayTek router's Hotspot Web Portal page. Users cannot bypass this redirection and do not have access to the general Internet until they have logged in and/or accepted the Hotspot network's terms and conditions.
This uses both Captive Portal Detection to guide users directly to the Hotspot Portal, and HTTP & HTTPS Redirection to direct users to the portal page when accessing any website on the Internet.
Captive Portal Detection
When a device connects to a network, it will check whether it has Internet access upon connection and where the device determines it cannot access the Internet, it will typically prompt to sign in to the network with a notification.
With Captive Portal Detection, the DrayTek router can direct a user's device directly to the Hotspot Web Portal page upon connection to the network.
HTTP & HTTPS Redirection
When a user connects to the Hotspot Web Portal network, their Internet access is blocked by the router and instead redirects all access to the router's Hotspot Web Portal page through HTTP & DNS redirection.
This redirection points users to the Portal page when accessing any HTTP websites and can also redirect HTTPS websites (optional).
Customisation
DrayTek's Hotspot Web Portal interface is designed for both mobile and desktop clients, with the interface resizing to fit on smaller or larger screens.
A DrayTek router's Hotspot Web Portal profile (up to 4 profiles per router) can be reconfigured to suit your company's branding with custom logo and background images, welcome text and Terms and Conditions.
All colours, text displayed and button text can be altered to fit your requirements.
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Multiple Login Methods
Hotspot Web Portal provides several different options to present to users when they connect to the Hotspot network:
Landing Page - Skip Login
This is the simplest entry method. When users connect to the Hotspot Web Portal network, they are not required to log on, provide any details or accept any terms and are simply redirected to a specified web site or a customisable notification message. That can be a welcome message from you or your company's own web site, for example.
Click Through - Accept Terms & Conditions
In this method, there is no login, authentication or personal detail to enter but users are directed to the Hotspot Web Portal welcome page upon connecting, with Terms and Conditions that they can read through. You can set your own T&Cs to suit your own requirements.
The user must click Accept to accept the terms and conditions of the network and can then access the Internet.
Social Login - Google and Facebook Authentication
Users are presented with options to authenticate through their Facebook account, Google account, or both (selectable). The user must then log in to their Google or Facebook account and provide their name and email address to the network through their account. Once the user has authenticated with their Google or Facebook account, they will have access to the Internet.
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SMS Login - Receive an access code via text message
Users must provide a valid mobile phone number to receive a single use PIN code, this code is sent to their phone through an SMS text message sent by the router. This PIN code can then be used on their phone, tablet, laptop or other device to provide Internet access.
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User Information
View details of connected users and connection history in the Users Information section: 
Each User logged into the system is recorded in a user database (requires USB storage). This can be searched and accessed to show connection history and details of users that have authenticated with Hotspot Web Portal, showing when each user logged in and out:
