Tuesday, December 21, 2010

New Feature in Control Center: Location Groups

There is a new feautre in the Control Center, called Location Groups (can be found under 'Manage' menu). The menu is enabled only If you have more than 2 locations.

You can group locations to see statistics for the group. For example you have 3 locations in City 1, four locations in City 2. You can create a City 1 Group, and you can select the group in the Purchase Report to see sales stats for those locations groupped together.

Furthermore you can define the group as a 'Roaming Group', which means that people can use their account in all of the locations in the group (but only those who bought an access within one of the locations in the group). An example: let's say you have a campground chain with 10 campgrounds and you have a hotel chain with 4 hotels. But you don't want to enable global roaming because the prices are different in the hotels, so you don't want that people who bought an access in a campground can use the account in the hotels. So you can define two roaming groups so people can only roam within the group.

The roaming can also be disabled for a specific location, let's say you have a 5 start hotel where you only want to allow internet for people who bought the access there. Then you can disable roaming (isolate the location), in Manage > Locations > click on name > Modify Hotspot Data > Default Limits > Enable roaming. If the location is part of a roaming location group, this will override the roaming settings for that specific location and roaming will not be allowed there.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Hotspot FREE with SMS password delivery

Hotspot FREE users now can now use a new way to give access to their customers. Voucher codes can now be sent to the user's mobile phones instead of givint the voucher to them personally.

This is an ideal solution if you want to authenticate your users, but you cannot give vouchers to them (there is no reception for example).

In some countries (Italy and France) the law requires to authenticate all users in public hotspots.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Instead of asking the user to enter a voucher code on your WI-Fi Splash page, they are required to enter a phone number. We send them the voucher code via SMS, then they can log in to the hotspot.
You can restrict the countries if you only want to have users from a specific country. You can also set a time interval restriction, within this interval users can only request one voucher code to the same phone number.


HOW MUCH DOES THE SERVICE COST?

The costs of the SMS delivery is included in the Hotspot FREE package, there are no extra fees.
The subscription fees are depending on the number of Voucher codes that your users activate in a month.

You can find detailed pricing here (Under Pricing)


HOW CAN I SUBSCRIBE?

You just have to create a new Hotspot FREE location, then turn on the SMS to Voucher module in the Control Center > Manage > Locations > Click on name > Modify Hotspot > Splash Page Settings.
If you already have a Hotspot FREE location which you want to work that way, you have to set the option in the same menu.


NOTE: If you are using a custom Skin, then you may need to update sms.inc.html. To do so, just create a new Skin based on the same skin as you have created your custom skin, copy the code from sms.inc.html and paste it to your custom skin's sms.inc.html .

New Features in the Control Center

We are working hard to give you new features, enhancements based on your feedbacks. Some of the latest improvements are:

- Voucher codes are now working without activation. This means that users can log in directly with a voucher code (as a username and password) without requiring them to activate it first. This makes the process much easier and less confusing. When they enter the code into the login box, the voucher is activating automatically and the user will be logged in without any interruption.

You can turn off the Voucher module if you want and tell your users to log in as a user with valid access. However the voucher box is still good because people will know that they can get a voucher, and some people may find it easier to enter the voucher code into the voucher activation box.

- Online help in the Control Center: when you see dotted lines, just leave your mouse over the line for a few moments, then a popup will appear with detailed help.

- Help Desk is now available from the Control Center. You can send us a support ticket directly from the Control Center. You can find the option in the Tools menu.

SEND US YOUR IDEAS

Do you have an idea or suggestion about how can we improve our service?

You can send your ideas here (after logging in to the Help Desk with your operator Username and password).

Other users will see and comment your ideas and vote on them!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

SMS Authentication in your Hotspot

Today we released the SMS Authentication option.

When turned ON, users have to enter a phone number after they clicked on a package or entered a voucher code on the splash page. The system sends a 4 digit code which has to be entered back for verification. If verification was successful, the process continues as before (user can register an account or login in case of online payments OR activate the voucher). You can also restrict where the SMS can be sent (for example to italian phones only). That way only customers with a valid italian phone number can purchase access online by credit card or paypal for example.

The SMS authentication can be used for the following purposes:

- In some countries (f.e. Pisanu Law in Italy) user identification is necessary in public hotspots

- You can turn this option ON if you want to reduce the abuse of the system

- You can collect phone numbers and send information, advertisements, etc. to those phone numbers (especially useful in free hotspots). WARNING: You have to replace the NOTE text and tell users that they will get SMS messages if you want to use their phone numbers for this purpose.

You can turn this option ON in the Control Center > Manage > Locations > click on name > Modify Hotspot Data > Splash Page Settings.

COMING SOON: Voucher codes via SMS (You don't have to give the voucher code to the user personally, they can get a code via SMS)

NOTE: If you're using a custom Skin, the sms part may appear wrong. For this to be fixed you can create a new Skin (based on the same layout as your existing custom skin), copy the contents of sms.inc.html and paste it to your existing skin's sms.inc.html.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Special Ubiquiti AirOS Firmware with embedded Hotspot Portal

We have released a new firmware for Ubiquiti 802.11 access points which is one of the most stable solutions to date.

Now you can use your Ubiquiti AP as not just an AP which has to be connected to a Hotspotsystem supported device, you can use it as a real Hotspot AP! The best thing is that you can keep the original functionality of your APs as this firmware was built from the original AirOS, but we have added a very important functionality, the Hotspot Portal!

The installation is super simple, you just have to upgrade the firmware (for free as there are no license fees) and change your operator username, all other settings are built-in!

You can find a detailed guide here!

Currently the WDS functionality is in beta phase.

2 new skins released: Ski and Marina Skins


Click here to view all of our Skin design / Hotspot Splash themes .

Also, we have changed all skins a bit to include the new Adyen logos and updated credit card icons (AMEX with USD, EUR, GBP, DirectEBanking and iDEAL for EUR). If you are using custom skins you can see which file has been changed if you go to your skin, see the templates, if the name is displayed with green color you should revert it or update your skin template.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

New Feature: Allowing simultaneous access from more than 1 device

In our system all accesses can only be used from 1 device simultaneously (sharing of account is not allowed), until now.

Now it is possible to create custom packages that can be used up to 5 devices simultaneously. This can be set in Customize > Packages menu.

Please note that this means that a user who buys this package will use up to 5 times more bandwidth AND up to 5 times more data traffic. However this option is not recommended with traffic limit packages, because it can be confusing for users. Let's see an example:

User buys a package for 1 hour valid for 2 devices with 100MB traffic limit. User logs in from the first devices, router will allow 100 MB of usage. After then the user logs in from the second device with the same account, the router will allow 100 MB, because there were no usage on the account yet. If the user stays logged in from both devices, he can use 100+100 MB. However, after downloaded 50 MB, the user logs out from the first device, then logs back in, all usage on the ACCOUNT will be summarized and deducted, so the sum of usage on BOTH DEVICES will be deducted from the original 100MB, so the user won't be able to use another 50MB, because the usage of the second device will also be deducted.

IF YOU ARE USING CUSTOM SKINS...

We are now using a 3-line display if a package is valid for more than 1 device. In this case 'index_package2_table.inc.html' template will be used instead of index_package_table.inc.html when displaying the package. Previous behavior was different, because 'index_package2_table.inc.html' was used if a package used other limits than the location's default limits.

Please revert your files according to that, if you modified those templates.

Under limits, "Valid for x devices" text will be visible. Currently this is displayed in english in every language, please help us with tranlations.

Friday, September 17, 2010

New Payout Schedule

Hope you'll like the next announcement :)

By changing our primary payment processor we are now able to pay you out earlier. From this month we will send payments to our operators after the 15th day of the end of the actual month, not later than the 30th day. This means that you will receive your earnings approximately 1 month earlier than before.

The same is true for Paypal payouts.

So for example your earnings from September will be paid out between 15th-30th of October.

You should have received your august PayPal earnings now. If you didn't, please contact us.

Friday, July 30, 2010

New Feature in the Control Center: Session Report with simultaneous users chart


We would like to introduce a new feature in the Control Center: Session Report.

With this you get a full featured list of the login-logout sessions in your hotspots (radius accounting information). It contains full details, including the NAS Id and the MAC address of the device where the user is connected, the internal IP address and port that the device gave to the user, etc.

All can be exported to a csv file, along with full user information.

You can also have a chart generated which shows the simultaneous sessions based on your criteria, with a comparison chart from a previous period.

Some notes:
- Historical data is available only from february, 2010
- If you filter to a specific device, the real usage on the device can be different as only those devices report usage which have the hotspot part enabled. So if the router or AP gets the internet connection from an other device and acts as a repeater, then the usage of the device is gathered on the parent device (which runs the hotspot service).
- Secondary operators can also access the report if you gave access to user information (but only for those location which they have access of course)

The new report can be accessed in the Control Center > Reports menu.

Let us know, what do you think of this new report, hope you will find it very useful.

Monday, July 19, 2010

New Features: Give a name to your device + device status history


You can now give a name to your devices. This is especially useful when you have lots of routers in one place, those were called WDS #1, WDS #2, etc. previously, but now you can give it a name so you can identify the device much easier.

This can be done from Manage > Locations, you can click on a WDS router in the list and you will reach the device's page. If you have only one router or would like to check out the main router, then click on the name of the location and click on the mac address from the device list.

Once you reach the device's page, you can also see the status history of the device with a nice chart so you will know immediately how many times your router was down and for how long within the previous month, and older downtimes are listed too as well. The history iof devices were recorded from march, 2010 so earlier notifications are not visible.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Primary Payment Processor Changes

We are adding a new payment gateway to the system on the 1st of July (today) to improve our services. The new payment gateway is powered by Adyen, a dutch company formed by the founders of Worldpay.

The new gateway has several new features and enhancements:

- Acceptance of AMEX in USD, EUR and GBP
- Acceptance of Sofort DirectEBanking in EUR for customer from Germany, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland
- Acceptance of additional payment methods coming soon (like Moneybookers or Direct Debit)
- Enhanced payment pages
- More currencies are supported (existing ones plus JPY, SGD, CZK, HKD, MXN, DKK, ILS, PHP, PLN, TWD)

For some currencies Adyen will replace RBS Worldpay as the primary payment gateway. Normally you don't have to do anything, payment pages should work as usual.

However if you set up your router manually (for example Mikrotik routers) you have to add the following in the router:

Allowed host: *.adyen.com
Allowed IPs: 82.199.90.136/29, 82.199.90.160/27, 91.212.42.0/24


We will add additional payment methods to the Adyen gateway in the next few days, we will post the requirements as they are available. We will also post some new details on our website soon.

Should you have any questions or problems, you can contact our Help Desk.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Ubiquiti Pico2HP + Open-Mesh + Hotspot System

Upgrade Pico2HP to Open-Mesh

1. Download openwrt-atheros-ubnt2-pico2-squashfs.bin from http://dev.open-mesh.com/downloads/stable/firmware/

2. Put the Pico2HP in recovery mode (power on hold reset until flashing)

3. Give your machine a static on 192.168.1.10

4. Open a command prompt and type the following command:

tftp -i 192.168.1.20 put openwrt-atheros-ubnt2-pico2-squashfs.bin

5. It takes between 12 and 20 seconds before it tells you it was successfull. When its done unplug it from your machine and plug it into an internet source and wait about 7 1/2 minutes and it will stop flashing. Wait about 15 minutes and it will dial into the dashboard. If you dont want to wait just SSH or Use putty to get into it and use the 0p3nm35h password and just type update.

Hotspot Setup

1. You need to log in to the Open-Mesh Dashboard (you need to create an Open-Mesh network by clicking on "Add Network" link or use your exiting network login and click on "Edit Network").

2. Add your devices to your open-mesh dashboard. Select the "Add/Edit Nodes" button and place each node on the map by clicking and dragging it to the correct location. You will need to fill out the MAC ID of each node (found on the back of each unit if you are using an Open-Mesh hardware). If you are using an Open-Mesh compatible hardware, then you need to find out the MAC address of the hardware (usually can be found on the packaging box).

3. Select HotspotSystem.com as your radius config and set the nasid for your location. Nasid is:

- For your first location, or if you have only one location, the nasid is your operator username.

- If you are using multiple locations the nasid must be set the following way: operatorusername_locationid
(for example: john_2 , if your operator username is john, and you would like to set up location #2)

4. Change timezone to: Europe/London on the dashboard

Optional Step: You can add your own site to the end of the allowed domains list separated with a comma.

5. Press Update Network Settings on the top of the Dashboard.

6. Login to the Control Center and change your Internal Login/Logout URL to open-mesh (Manage Loc.> Modify HotSpot Data > Splash Page Settings

You're done!

Friday, May 7, 2010

How to setup Ubiquiti devices with DD-WRT & HotSpot System (Bullet, Nanostation, Powerstation, Picostation, etc.)

First you need to download the latest firmware:

- Go to the router database at www.dd-wrt.com
- Search for the router type you have (like "Nanostation", then and select your model)
- Select the latest v24 preSP2 (build 14144 or later) in the "Supported by" listbox
- Download the TFTP image

Then change the firmware to DD-WRT (you can also find a guide in DD-WRT forums):

- Connect to Nanostation's LAN port with fixed IP (set your computer to e.g. 192.168.1.2)
- You can test if the device is there if you ping the ip 192.168.1.20 continously (M$ Win cmd "ping -t 192.168.1.20").
- Put the device in fail safe mode (keep pressing the reset button, disconnect the power, wait 3 seconds and connect the power - keep the reset button pressed during the whole time - after a couple of seconds you will see blinking disco led lights, you can release the reset button now):

user@host:~$ tftp 192.168.1.20
tftp> bin
tftp> put ubnt_firmware.bin (use the name that you have downloaded)

If you don't have tftp, you can download it from here: TFTP for Windows

Alternatively you can upgrade the firmware via the web interface at http://192.168.1.20, System > Upgrade(we have successfully uploaded the tftp image via webflash)

- Wait approximately 5 minutes for the firmware upgrade to be finished

Set up HotspotSystem with DD-WRT:

- Open the new DD-WRT page at http://192.168.1.1, then change username/password
- Go to Setup > Basic setup > WAN Connection Type to DHCP, then press SAVE SETTINGS (we will apply settings later)



- Connect Nanostation's LAN port to a local network with internet connection
- Connect your computer wirelessly to SSID: dd-wrt
- Go to http://192.168.1.1, on Services > Hotspot > Hotspot System has to be enabled, fill out your Operator Username and Location ID



Press APPLY SETTINGS.

You can change SSID to a hotspot name like "Cheap Hotspot" at Wireless > Basic Settings.

You are done!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Device List

We have silently updated the Manage > Locations > View Location page, which now has a device list table.

The table list all of your installed devices with mac address, IP address, system load, uptime, OS and the date and time of last report. You can even sort devices if you want.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Popup Status Window Redesigned



NOTE: The popup status is english only. If you can help us translate it to your language, please send us a help desk ticket!

When a Wi-Fi user logs in to your hotspot, a status window appears which shows the usage and some other window.

We have redesigned this, showing more information like session time and usage, remaining traffic (if the user has a traffic limit) and remaining time.

Traffic is calculated from the accounting information. The router is sending the usage periodically to the router (in every 100 seconds), so when the user hits refresh, the usage stats may not show the real usage.

The status window looks the same in every skins. If you are using a custom skin and modified the popup html code, you should revert it to the original and do the modifications again. If you didn't modify that code, then it will be automatically updated fro your skin, there is nothing you have to do.

Do you like this? Click on the button below :)

Small changes in Locations List

You can now see the last activity of each routers when you put the cursor over the load graph.

Last activity is a user log in, log out or interim updates.

If the router is not sending life signals for some reason, but there was an activity in the last 2 hours, then it will not say "DOWN", it will say "UP, but not sending life signals".
In this case you should turn off any firewalls, especially any SPI Firewalls you may have on your network.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

HotspotSystem.com Launches Free Wi-Fi Control and Management Service

Businesses running open Wi-Fi networks should protect themselves by placing a control on their Wi-Fi in order to know who used their public hotspot and when. Hotspotsystem.com provides a new, easy and free of charge solution, called Hotspot Splash.


(PRWEB) April 14, 2010 -- Using existing open-source firmwares like DD-WRT, CoovaAP, Open-Mesh and a hosted and free hotspot management service by HotspotSystem.com, businesses can add new functionality to their existing routers in just a few minutes without any costs.

After they subscribe to the service, they can redirect Wi-Fi users to their own Wi-Fi start page, where users have to accept the Terms & Conditions to be able to use the internet. From that point, their computer can be identified and can be tracked retroactively.

Days of completely open and unsecured Wi-Fi networks are numbered.” - said Oliver Faludi, managing director of HotspotSystem.com. “Italy was the first country in 2005 who regulated public internet with the “Pisanu Act”. Now the UK government prepares a new “Digital Economy Bill” after a UK Bar Owner was faced a $13,000 fine for copyright infringement. Eventually registration of Wi-Fi users will be a standard requirement internationally. Using our service, businesses can continue to provide free public internet to their users.


The service comes with multiple Start Page designs, called “Skins” for cafes, hotels, etc. and can be completely customized so they can display their own logo, a daily menu, special offers or they can run ads to sponsor their Wi-Fi.

The company also offers the system with vouchers for a small fee, where people can only use the internet with a valid voucher code. In countries, where registration of users is required by the law, businesses can make their Wi-Fi more secure by giving vouchers to their guests and optionally register people so they will know exactly who used their Wi-Fi service and when.

Although there are several free hotspot management software out there, the new service of HotspotSystem.com can be an ideal choice for those who wish to control their Wi-Fi, because of the added features and easy handling. There are no additional computers required to run the service as the software is running on the router itself. Also, the company alerts the staff via email when the service is down.

For more information you can visit the company's website at http://www.hotspotsystem.com.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Run commands on your router remotely!

You can now run remote commands on any DD-WRT/HotspotWRT/CoovaAP routers through the Control Center.

Requirements:

- Your routers must send life signals in every hour which are recorded in the Control Center (Router Alert function) properly.
- If you have installed your router before 1st of April, 2010, then you need to execute a patch or re-setup your router. You also need this patch if you have installed dd-wrt through the built-in hotspotsystem setup (latest pre-SP2 firmwares).

Why is this good for you?

Because you can remotely reboot or change settings on your router without having to go to the router's admin interface!

You can run any commands, but we have pre-set some important functions for you, like:

- Reboot
- Change SSID
- Change TX Power
- Change DNS
- Add/Remove one Host/IP to the WhiteList
- Add/Remove a Domain and its Subdomains to the WhiteList (HotspotWRT/Coova only)
- Display Login Box on Main Splash Page (Combined Splash/Login page)

These are just preconfigured example commands, but you can use any command you wish (for example you can play with iptables)

How does it work?

When the router sends a life signal (in every hour), it will execute the commands you recorded. This means you may have to wait 1 hour for the command to be executed. You can record multiple commands, all will be executed at once.

Where can I execute a command?

In the Control Center, go to Manage > Locations > Click on location > scroll at the bottom. Choose a command or create your own and choose the mac address of the router, then press submit.

Enjoy :)

Friday, March 12, 2010

Introducing Hotspot Splash: a free service from HotspotSystem.com

12th, March 2010 - Introducing Hotspot SPLASH

Hotspot SPLASH is for those who want to offer a Free Wi-Fi service (in a café, tourist attraction, airport, etc), but want to show a splash page first where users are forwarded before they can use the internet. There are several reasons why Hotspot Operators want to do that:

- they want to show a specialized page of the place (tourist information, daily menus, etc)
- they want to show advertisements to users
- they have special terms which users have to accept before they can use the internet



Hotspot SPLASH Features:

- There is no need to enter any username or password for the users to log in to the hotspot. Users have to click on the continue button and access is granted automatically.
- You can set a time interval and/or a traffic limit which is allowed for the user to browse the internet. After this, the user will be forwarded back to your splash page.
- You can set the bandwidth limits for users.
- The landing page can be fully customized, but you can use our existing built-in Skins as a base.
- You can track the usage of each MAC address in the Control Center.



Pricing: the service is currently free. In the future you may have to pay a small monthly fee for high traffic locations (over 1000 accesses/month).

More features will be added for this service soon. It would be great to hear your feedback about the Hotspot SPLASH service. What options would you like to see in the future?

Friday, February 26, 2010

Payoneer’s Prepaid Mastercard: Questions and Answers

Following our recent announcement about our new payment option, here are some questions and answers:


How can I change the payout method to Payoneer?

Log in to the Control Center, click on Tools & Settings > Your Profile, select Payoneer Mastercard as your Payout method for Regular Credit Card Payments and DON'T FORGET TO PRESS THE MODIFY button!


How much fee do I have to pay for Hotspotsystem for loading the card?

You don't have to pay any fees for this. It's free!


What is the minimum payment I can get loaded on the card?

It's $100 USD / 75 EUR / 100 AUD / 65 GBP / 700 SEK.


What happens with the card if I don't get a payment from you in every month?

If the balance on the card is $0 for 60 days, it will be deactivated. You can lower the payment limit to $100 to receive frequent payments, or be sure to leave some money on the card (and keep in mind that they will deduct a monthly fee from the balance every month).


Who is Payoneer?

Founded in 2005, Payoneer Inc. provides fully-hosted prepaid MasterCard solutions for organizations that need to remit payments to remote, dispersed populations worldwide. Payoneer's turnkey prepaid card platform enables companies of all sizes to optimize their payments delivery by replacing traditional payment methods with prepaid MasterCard cards and recurring electronic transactions. Payoneer is a registered MSP with MasterCard Worldwide and an approved partner of Meta Payment Systems®, a division of MetaBank. Payoneer is headquartered in New York and maintains its R&D center in Tel Aviv, Israel. Payoneer is privately held with venture funding from Carmel Ventures, Greylock Partners and Crossbar Capital. For more information, please visit: http://www.payoneer.com/aboutUs.aspx

Payoneer recently named Winner in Fourth Annual Paybefore Awards.

How does the Prepaid Mastercard work?

Payoneer's system requires an initial approval from Payoneer. After your application is reviewed and approved, a personalized debit card will be mailed to you. Once received and activated (follow instructions given by them), you can use it like any other Mastercard, to pay directly at merchants or to withdraw from an ATM machine. You can see a video demostration at the end of the post.

What are the fees of Payoneer's Prepaid Mastercard?




If I receive a prepaid MasterCard card, what am I committed to?

Nothing. You can use the card to obtain cash for your funds, use it in stores or online. If you decide to use the card, it can be loaded and used multiple times. Once the money on the card is depleted, and your card has a zero balance for 60 days, the card will automatically be deactivated and you have no further obligations with respect to the card.


What happens to my card if I don't use it?

If the card value is depleted and remains at a zero balance, no monthly maintenance fees are charged until funds are loaded onto the card again.


What foreign exchange (FX) rate is used?

Payoneer's Prepaid Mastercards are USD based. If you charge your customers in EUR, GBP, AUD, NZD or SEK, we will convert this amount to USD before loading your card using our bank's exchange rates.

In a non-USD based ATM or purchase, there will be an other conversion. In this case, Foreign Exchange Conversion rate is computed at the time of the transaction, whether at a retail venue or at an ATM. Conversion rates are calculated based on daily rates adopted by MasterCard (can be up to 2.2% above market rate), any fees applicable by the retail or ATM location and other processing entities.


How does my card work at an ATM?

Your card can be used at any ATM that displays the MasterCard acceptance mark. Withdrawal limits at ATMs may vary. The daily withdrawal limit is generally $1000, but the ATM you choose may be limited to providing a lower amount.


For more FAQ you can visit http://www.payoneer.com/faq.aspx .

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Get your HotspotSystem Payments directly on a Prepaid Mastercard!

HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM is introducing a new card for our operators to receive their payments. As of today you will be able to register for your own HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM Prepaid MasterCard®, powered by Payoneer, and receive your HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM payments directly on the card.

Enjoy the benefits of getting paid onto the HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM Prepaid MasterCard:

- Cards can be used anywhere MasterCard® is accepted – online and in stores
- Withdraw cash in local currency at ATMs around the world
- HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM payments will be loaded directly onto the card
- HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM load the card for free! - versus the wire transfer which has a 20 USD fee/transfer
- Online access to view your account, payments, balance and transaction history
- If the card is lost or stolen, a new card with the remaining balance will be issued

Payoneer has stringent regulations for customer privacy and uses top of the line security technology. If you ever have any questions about your card, Payoneer offers customer support by phone, email and live chat. For more information please visit www.payoneer.com .

To request a Prepaid Mastercard you need to do the following:

1. Log in to the Control Center, then click on Tools & Settings > Your Profile.
2. Under „ PAYOUT INFORMATION for Hotspot PRO Locations” click on the Payoneer logo and apply for the card.
3. To receive payments to your Payoneer Master card, click on the „ Payoneer Mastercard” as your Payout method for Regular Credit Card Payments and press the „Modify” button.

Make sure to sign up by March 5th so you can have the card in hand for the first payment that will be made on the middle of March.

Another important note: Payoneers’s Prepaid Mastercard is USD based. Before payments, we will convert the payout amount to USD using our local bank’s rates. Once the money is loaded on the card and you wish to get this money in any other currency than USD, MasterCard will convert the amount to the desired currency.

Payoneer’s Prepaid Mastercard has a one-time setup fee of $9.95 USD, but if you apply for the card before March 5th and you get at least $150 USD payment to the card within 3 months, you will get the $9.95 USD setup fee refunded by Payoneer.

You can see a more detailed information about the fees on the signup page of Payoneer (when you apply for a card).

We are excited to offer you this new card to manage your funds, making HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM a better place to do business.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Improved Support for Mikrotik Routers

We have added a new method for using our hotspot system with Mikrotik routers.

Mikrotik routers were supported already, but you had to use the built-in login page of RouterOS, and link back to our splash page.

Now it is possible to display our well-designed splash pages directly. The login box will be embedded in the splash page.

Check out our Hotspot Installation Guide for Mikrotik Routers.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Campground Skin Released


This is a new Skin for Campground / Campsite / Camping Hotspots.

As usual, you can use this skin for your Hotspot Splash Page easily, just log in to the Control Center, click on Manage > Locations > click on name > Modify Hotspot Data > Splash Page Settings.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Displaying the Login Box on the Main Splash Page


By default, customers have to log in on a separate page, not on the main splash page. This is better because when the customers see "Click here to log in", then the link goes to a page where the login box is displayed only so it's very straight-forward.

It is now possible to combine (merge) the login box with the main splash page, so the login box will be displayed above the package selection or voucher activation box. Login links will lead the customers back to this page.

For more information please read here.

On the screenshot above, you can get the idea. This is a combined splash/login page with the Ocean Blue Skin.

Changes on Locations Page


Several new features has been added to the Locations page which you can access from the Manage menu.

1. We have rewritten the code which generated the Locations page, so it should be much faster now.

2. You can now see the exact number of logged in users on all of your routers, including WDS routers! The first number besides each router icon represents the number of users who bought an access on that specific location and the access is still valid. The second number is the number of users who are logged in to that specific router, including roaming users and master accounts.

If you are using multiple locations, your users can roam between your locations (f.e. if they bought an access in location #1, they can log in to location #2, etc). This can be turned off in Manage > Locations > click on name > Modify Hotspot Data > Set Default Limits.

So if you see something like 1/2, then it's not a bug in the system, because it means that 1 user has bought an access in that location which is still valid, but maybe there are roaming users or master accounts logged in to that router.

3. Last activity can also be seen if you place your mouse over the chart which represents the router's current load OR if your router is not sending life signals (for example Mikrotik or Mesh routers) you can now see the last activity date instead of "DOWN". Last activity date is the date of last communication with the router (login date, logout date or accounting updates)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Café Skin Released

We released our new Café Skin. You can use this skin for your Hotspot Splash Page easily, just log in to the Control Center, click on Manage > Locations > click on name > Modify Hotspot Data > Splash Page Settings.

Now we have 10+1 Skins total, all available in 10 languages (excluding the oldest skin which is not supported anymore). The 12th Skin is coming soon which will be a Skin for Campgrounds.

Click here to view all available Skins.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Switch from KeZone Hotspot Software by Timico

I don't know how many people are out there who may want to change their KeZone hotspot software provided by Timico.

It's not an easy thing because there is only ssh access to the router so they have to use tftp to change the hotspot software.

The solution can be found in this forum thread: http://forums.linksysbycisco.com/linksys/board/message?board.id=Wireless_Routers&message.id=129417

Only people that were/are connected to KeZone/Timico are able to obtain the password as it's their broadband password.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Wi-Fi Hotspot Statistics for 2009

First, we would like to wish a happy new year to all of our operators and wi-fi users as well :)

We have collected some statistics using our global database of thousands of sales from hundreds of locations worldwide. It may help you as a guideline however we know that each operator has to find out what works best at their location, what prices to use, what access lengths to offer, etc.

PAYMENT METHODS

Pre-Paid Vouchers 49,54%
Credit Card Sales 44,02%
PayPal Sales 6,44%

TYPE OF CREDIT CARDS USED FOR BUYING HOTSPOT ACCESSES

Visa 54,82%
MasterCard 36,23%
Visa Delta 8,19%
Laser 0,34%
Solo 0,30%
Visa Electron UK Debit 0,09%
Maestro 0,03%

MOST POPULAR ACCESS PERIODS

1 HOUR 44%
24 HOURS 18%
3 HOURS 12%
2 HOURS 10%
1 WEEK 9%
30 MINUTES 8%
1 MONTH 6%

AVERAGE SALE PRICE BY CURRENCY

17.35 AUD
8.52 CAD
12.68 CHF
24.16 DKK
7.62 EUR
4.77 GBP
47.31 HRK
1952 HUF
73.79 NOK
11.66 NZD
97.53 SEK
552 THB
7.86 USD
60 ZAR

AVERAGE SALE PRICES BY ACCESS PERIODS and CURRENCY

30 MINUTES

2.9 USD
3.3 EUR

1 HOUR

4.73 USD
5.09 EUR


24 HOURS

7.44 USD
6.54 EUR

1 WEEK

16.7 USD
15.6 EUR

1 MONTH

21.9 USD
26.27 EUR


MOST POPULAR SALE PRICES BY CURRENCY

4.99 USD
3.5 EUR
1.99 GBP
3.95 CAD
6.5 AUD
8 NZD
70 ZAR

AVERAGE BANDWIDTH LIMITS USED

Download speed: 784 Kbit/s
Upload speed: 204 Kbit/s