Endian banner

The Hotspot Menu

The hotspot shipped with the Endian Hotspot Appliance is a highly flexible and customisable solution to provide secure and reliable wireless connection as well as for wired LAN connections. The key features implemented in the hotspot include:

  • three roles for the hotspot: it can work as a standalone hotspot, in a master-satellite configuration, or relying on an external RADIUS server

  • three types of users: hotspot administrators (full administration access), account-editors (some user management), and normal users (only Internet navigation)

  • different types of tickets: time-based vs. data-based, pre-paid vs. post-paid access

  • three different access portals for users: normal mode, no-JavaScript, and mobile

  • the option to add a customised background page seen by all users

  • a SmartConnect option to allow a user to buy access with credit card

  • user creation and activation via SMS.

  • option to allow certain web sites to be accessed even without tickets.

The GDPR, Social Networks, and use of hotspot user’s data.

The General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR allows European citizens to know who is in possess of their personal and sensible data and the purpose for which these data are collected, stored, or both. The GDPR therefore impacts also users of public hotspots, and of course of Endian Hotspot functionality, namely in two areas: interaction with Social Networks to access the Endian Hotspot, and user’s data that pass through the hotspot

Social Networks

When the Social Login is enbaled, the Endian Hotspot Appliance redirects users to the authentication server of the social network chosen by them and relies entirely on it. User’s credentials only transit (encrypted) through the Endian Hotspot Appliance but are not accessible to its managers and will never be stored on the Endian Hotspot Appliance.

The only social network’s data that are accessible to the Endian Hotspot Appliance are those that the users already share on their profile.

User data stored on the hotspot.

In this case, the manager of the hotspot or the company providing the hotspot service on Endian appliances need to clearly state in their TOS if they collect, store, process data of the users accessing the hotspot.

If they do, they need to inform the users how and for which purposes data are stored and who has access to them; in particular if there are third-parties that can access these data, it must be stated who, why and how they use the data. Even in the case that no data is collected, stored, or used, this should be clearly stated in the TOS.

In both cases, they need to provide a contact email address for users that may want to get in touch to have their data cancelled.

New in version 5.0: External LDAP/AD authentication servers, social networks integration.

New in version 5.0: Instagram and Twitter social logins.

In the Endian Hotspot Appliance, the BLUE zone is dedicated to the wireless devices, therefore the hotspot does not work if the BLUE zone is disabled. The connections from the BLUE zone to the RED one (uplink, i.e., the Internet) are governed by the outgoing firewall, hence to selectively allow access to the Internet, appropriate rules shall be defined there.

Upon entering the Hotspot, a page will open that contains three items in the left-hand side sub-menu, an Enable hotspot switch, and the first configuration option: The operating role of the hotspot.

The left-hand side menu items give access to various configuration and management options for the Hotspot Settings, Administration Interface, and Hotspot User respectively:

  • Hotspot Settings is the starting hotspot’s page, e.g., the you are currently in, and allows to choose the modality of the hotspot.

  • Administration Interface is the main part of the hotspot, where all the administrative tasks can be accomplished.

  • Hotspot User allows the management of the hotspot’s superusers.

Moreover, Client Access to the Hotspot is a guide that drives clients through the process of accessing the hotspot and then to connect to the Internet.

See also

On the website help.endian.com, there are some tutorials available, that should prove useful to the administrator’s needs:

  1. How to Setup Self-Service with Free Tickets

  2. How to Setup Self-Service with Paid Tickets

  3. How to Setup a PayPal Sandbox

  4. How to Setup a Business PayPal Account

Previous topic

Authentication

Next topic

Hotspot Settings

Other products

Endian UTM Series
Endian 4i Edge Series