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Tips on Setting Up and Hosting a Wi-Fi Hotspot

  • Article is provided courtesy of Cisco Press.
  • Date: Oct 21, 2009.

Contents

  1. Secure Your Private Network
  2. Protect Your Hotspot Users
  3. To Cover Large or Busy Areas, Consider Creating a Wi-Fi Mesh Network
  4. Place the Hotspot Gateway in a Central Spot
  5. Use an Identifying Network Name (SSID)
  6. Discover the Hotspot-Specific Firmware Replacement: CoovaAP
  7. Possibly Use a General Firmware Replacement
  8. Look into Using the Sputnik Service
  9. Look into 802.1X Authentication and WPA/WPA2 Enterprise Encryption
  10. Consider ZoneCD if You Have an Old PC Lying Around

Article Description

Eric Geier, author of Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access, shares tips on installing and operating a Wi-Fi hotspot. He touches on the security of your private and public network and other deployment topics. Plus he discusses a few different hotspot solutions (most are free!).

Like this article? We recommend

Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access

Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access

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Consider ZoneCD if You Have an Old PC Lying Around

Consider ZoneCD if You Have an Old PC Lying Around

If you have a spare computer, you can turn it into a hotspot gateway. ZoneCD is a Linux-based live CD that runs on generic computers and works with any wireless router or AP to provide public and private access.

Your Intel-compatible PC needs only 128 MB of RAM, a bootable CD-ROM drive, a floppy or USB drive, and two Ethernet network adapters.

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