Control Center has been released

We released the Control Center today which replaces our current Operator Area.

Control Center is part of a full redesign process which we will release in 3 stages.

The first one is the Control Center, then we will replace our main information pages, and there will also be a new page for Wi-Fi users with the same layout.

In the new Control Center, there is a well-structured menu in the top so you can now find functions more easily.

We have also added support for Google Maps, so you can now view your locations on a map.

Personal and Payout info menu is now called 'Profile'.

Please log in and try out the New Control Center, get familiar with it. If you need help, you can download the Control Center Guide which has also updated.

Hope you will like the new layout, more changes coming soon...

HotSpotSystem.com is on Twitter

We are now posting regularly on Twitter. You can receive instant status updates, tips, product deals, etc.

Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/hotspotsystem

Twitter is a unique approach to communication and networking based on the simple concept of status. What are you doing? What are your friends doing—right now? With Twitter, you may answer this question over SMS or the Web and the responses are shared between contacts.

Optional Voucher Registration

From now on you can force users with Pre-Paid or Free Vouchers to register before they can activate the voucher. This is required by the law in some countries, but you can also use it to collect personal information from your users, like e-mail addresses. Users personal data can easily be exported in the Transactions menu.

So here's how it works:

You can enable this option on a per location basis, just click on Hotspot Locations > Select Location > Manage Location > Require Registration of Vouchers in the Start Page Settings section.

After then the following will happen:

Users enter the code as before on the Hotspot Start page. If the code was valid, the same registration form appears as if it was a credit card transaction. Users have to choose a username, password, and fill out other registration details, like name, postal address, email address, etc. After users fill out the form, the activation link will be shown, along with the card details (expiration, bandwidth, etc).

The user registration is a system-wide process, so if the same user enters an other voucher code on the Hotspot Start page, then he or she can use the username and password which he/she has registered previously.

IMPORTANT: Users have to use their username and password instead of the voucher code when they log in to the Hotspot!

Optional Access to Vouchers For Secondary Operators

You can now grant access to Secondary Operators so they can access Vouchers for the location you specify. This means that they can print the Vouchers for themselves.
Additionally, you can grant/prohibit access to the Modify Vouchers' Layout page to allow/prevent to modify the Voucher prints.

Monthly Recurring Subscriptions

From now on you can create a monthly custom package with recurring payments.

This is very useful if you have long-term paying customers.

All you have to do is to select the "Recurring payment" option on the Create or Modify Custom Package page. Then your splash page will change automatically and the package will show "recurring payment" text so your users can easily identify that the amount will be charged in every month.

Your users can cancel the subscription any time on Worldpay's or PayPal's website, or we can cancel it for them too. Our refund policy says:

"If you have paid for HotSpot access through the system or paid for a service, you have right to cancel within seven days of the purchase in case you haven't used the service that you've paid for. If you cancel your order, you will have your payment returned."

So if a customer forgets to cancel the subscription, he/she can cancel it within 7 days and we will refund the amount of the last charge, if he/she didn't use the account during that period.

One more thing: credit card companies don't charge recurring users on an exact time when 1 month expires. So to ensure continuos hotspot access, users will get 1 month access until the end of the day. For example if they buy the monthly access at 13:00 PM on 26th March, 2009, they will have access until 23:59PM on 26th April, 2009. Their card will be charged at some time on 26th, April 2009 which will add an other month for them.

Recurring option is available only with monthly packages.

HotSpotSystem.com Presents: Skins

We have added a new level of customization for those who would like to modify their Hotspot Start pages further, called Skins.

You can now create your own Skins, insert HTML codes into templates, changing graphics etc.

You can even create different Skins for different locations.

For more information, please download the Skin Guide: http://www.hotspotsystem.com/deskpro/attachment_files.php?id=17

Please also visit our Knowledgbase articles at: http://www.hotspotsystem.com/deskpro/kb_cat.php?id=11

IMPORTANT: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REMOVE THE HOTSPOTSYSTEM.COM COPYRIGHTS FROM THE TEMPLATES. If you would like to use your own brand, you need to purchase the White Label option.

The Skin management can be found in the Operator Area, where the new Skins menu will appear.

Custom Login, Logout URL support for Custom APs/Routers

By default, our system is using http://192.168.182.1:3990/prelogin as a user login URL which is supported by DD-WRT/Chillispot/Coova.

Now you can customize this link if you're using an other device which is using an other URL format to call the login/logout pages.

You can find this option in the Operator Area > Hotspot Locations > click on location > Modify Hotspot Data > Start Page Settings section.