Setting up Wireless Access

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Niscoupe

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#99020 11-Mar-2012 10:21

We own a cafe and are looking at the best options to set up a wireless broadband service for our customers. We would be wanting to offer free access but would need to be able to limit (or charge for) 'large downloads'!
Any suggestions on the best way to cater for this would be much appreciated.
We are currently with Telecom.

grant_k

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#593460 11-Mar-2012 10:41

Zenbu would probably be a good option for you.

nate

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#593625 11-Mar-2012 17:18

Niscoupe: We own a cafe and are looking at the best options to set up a wireless broadband service for our customers. We would be wanting to offer free access but would need to be able to limit (or charge for) 'large downloads'!

I also own a cafe, and had some custom gear installed. The best thing is I don't pay any ongoing monthly fees, I only have to pay the monthly broadband bill.

I made the decision early on that the system had to function without any input from staff, because:

When it gets busy, they've got far more important things to do
They don't have the expertise to diagnose a wireless issue

Our wireless works simply - you get x hours of usage with a limit on your upstream/downstream. This means if there are multiple users, everyone gets a fair chunk, plus its quick enough to browse, email, use facebook etc but not quick enough to torrent on. After x hours, you get cut off, and then it resets after a period of time.

We also run a staff wireless which is unlimited, full speed and has no time limit.

PM and I'll get you in touch with the clever boffins who set it up for me.

Niscoupe

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#594339 12-Mar-2012 21:29

Thanks for that Nate, have been in touch.

Zenbu appears to be quite a good settup, have spoken with a few motel owners that use it and they reckon its a great system. Thanks for the suggestion Grant

CYaBro

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#594358 12-Mar-2012 22:03

Can you post your solution here Nate for others to see as I'm sure this could benefit more people?

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raytaylor

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#594360 12-Mar-2012 22:06

+1 for zenbu here too.

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nate

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#594550 13-Mar-2012 13:23

CYaBro: Can you post your solution here Nate for others to see as I'm sure this could benefit more people?

It's custom hardware that I had a mate here off Geekzone setup for me. We've made some tweaks over the last few months based on customer feedback.

Not really a commercially available product hence why reluctance to post more info :)

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Zeon

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#594554 13-Mar-2012 13:32

Take a look at Antamedia hotspot. You set it up on a computer and can limit the bandwidth and usage for each connection. You can print off little dockets which you can give to people when they make their order.

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SATTV

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#594579 13-Mar-2012 14:53

+1 for Zenbu.
It is very cost effective and very good.
Easy to install and manage.

I know enough to be dangerous