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TarHeelV · 05-20-2004

Stumbled (no pun intended) upon the forums and saw some great opinions, so I thought I would run something up the flagpole and see what you all thought.

A hotspot appliance (HS in a box, but that term is so overused it is pathetic) that is a PC that is completely self-contained so it has router, NIC, everything already built it. Connects to existing high-speed data line and poof, a hotspot. The target market is retail, hotels, etc, that want to provide free wifi access to customers, so there are no billing issues. The AP provides content filtering and connects to a central point, via VPN, for management, so the owner is oblivious. The connection is secure in the fact that while it is on the existing network, the backoffice of the owner is separate.

When a user pops on, they enter the SSID then hit the web. First stop, customized login/registration screen. This is owned by the location, so they can ad advertising, etc to it. Existing ID, they login and are redirected to their original destination. New, they are taken to a reg screen. Pretty standard stuff. After registration, the owner can create a customized list of questions, marketing research type, but completely customizable. That would be a one time shot at registration. Now, all the registration info, as stated in the TOS can be provided to the owner. The owner gets a monthly report of all accesses via their AP (multiple locations can get a a summary of all locations, as well as stats for individual locations) which has name, address, logins, time online, etc. No tracking info of sites visited, etc. They can use this info to market, ie, a certain zip code is predominate among users or a certain user logged in twice in a month, the owner may want to send them a coupon via email or snail mail, etc. I think you see the point on the value of the demographic/marketing data.

Cost of the appliance, roughly $2K. Monthly maintenance fee, $69.95. Install is free. End User Support via toll free (or local), $159.00 a month for unlimited calls. All marketing material (tent cards, door sticker, instruction cards (business card size), buttons for staff, etc) is provided as well.

Shoot it down, folks. Constructive criticism welcome, please try to keep the flames down to 2nd degree burns. Could this fly? What changes, additions, subtractions, would you make?

Thanks in advance!

V

05-20-2004	#1 (permalink)
TarHeelV Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 8	Hotspot Appliance Stumbled (no pun intended) upon the forums and saw some great opinions, so I thought I would run something up the flagpole and see what you all thought. A hotspot appliance (HS in a box, but that term is so overused it is pathetic) that is a PC that is completely self-contained so it has router, NIC, everything already built it. Connects to existing high-speed data line and poof, a hotspot. The target market is retail, hotels, etc, that want to provide free wifi access to customers, so there are no billing issues. The AP provides content filtering and connects to a central point, via VPN, for management, so the owner is oblivious. The connection is secure in the fact that while it is on the existing network, the backoffice of the owner is separate. When a user pops on, they enter the SSID then hit the web. First stop, customized login/registration screen. This is owned by the location, so they can ad advertising, etc to it. Existing ID, they login and are redirected to their original destination. New, they are taken to a reg screen. Pretty standard stuff. After registration, the owner can create a customized list of questions, marketing research type, but completely customizable. That would be a one time shot at registration. Now, all the registration info, as stated in the TOS can be provided to the owner. The owner gets a monthly report of all accesses via their AP (multiple locations can get a a summary of all locations, as well as stats for individual locations) which has name, address, logins, time online, etc. No tracking info of sites visited, etc. They can use this info to market, ie, a certain zip code is predominate among users or a certain user logged in twice in a month, the owner may want to send them a coupon via email or snail mail, etc. I think you see the point on the value of the demographic/marketing data. Cost of the appliance, roughly $2K. Monthly maintenance fee, $69.95. Install is free. End User Support via toll free (or local), $159.00 a month for unlimited calls. All marketing material (tent cards, door sticker, instruction cards (business card size), buttons for staff, etc) is provided as well. Shoot it down, folks. Constructive criticism welcome, please try to keep the flames down to 2nd degree burns. Could this fly? What changes, additions, subtractions, would you make? Thanks in advance! V