Wireless Internet cafe

[Schoolies]

I'm thinking about giving a proposal to a local cafe shop for wireless internet access. I frequently go to this cafe and they do not have internet access, which I think cafe places, now, need to have.

I am going to talk to the manager to see what he/she thinks but I would like to get all my information first.

What I was thinking is to just put a wireless router in the middle of the (small) cafe and bam that's it. But then the manager might want to have the ability to allow/deny certain computers from using the internet. This would be solved by using the MAC filter on the router.

Is there a router than can specify a maximum bandwidth per connection. I don't want to have one person hogging all of the bandwidth.

I guess what I'm looking for is, how would you setup a cafe with wireless internet access? I have my ideas but two brains are better than one.

Thanks

 

[Goosemaster]

Random ploy to make money?



SEARCH for wireless security.



AS for throttling the bandwidth we are talking a lot of $ or a lot of brains.

 

[Goosemaster]

Post your ideas and I will tell you how they stand.

 

[Schoolies]

Not really a random ploy to make money, this would be beneficial to the cafe shop as well, if they decided to charge.

More of a random ploy to build up my experience/resume/clientel. And I do actually go to the cafe often...

I will post my ideas tomorrow... im dead tierd. Thanks for the response.

 

[Goosemaster]

As we are dealing with a BUSINESS here, I would recommend 1 of 2 things

1) forget about this completely.

2) buy some equipment and learn how to use it. Once you know what you are talking about, then go for it


I by no means mean to insult you. It's just a sign of maturity when you are able to give them a quote / offer, come in one day, install it and leave.

For the sake of the business, don't use the cafe as a testing ground. It would quite iressponsible of you to pass yourself off as someone who KNOWS what they are doing, when you really don't. Of course it is up to you.

 

[AFB]

Remember that the cafe may be held resonsible for what people do on the connection. This means thing like child porn or hacking.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: amdfanboy
Remember that the cafe may be held resonsible for what people do on the connection. This means thing like child porn or hacking.

Exactly. Don't say you know what you are doing if you truely don't.


Give us your ideas and we'll gladly critique them

 

[Schoolies]

Goosemaster, thanks for your responses.

When does asking for suggestion mean I don't know what I'm doing? There are may ways to setup things and I'm trying to scope out my other options.

Let me restate my question for everyone...
My main concern is allowing only those who paid for it the Internet to be able to access it. I don't want people stopping on the side of the road and getting connected. For this to happen, it is necessary for the employees to be actively involved in allowing certain people access. Without, like you said Goosemaster, buying very expensive hardware/software, the only option I see for them is to filter mac addresses and use WEP.

With a small budget in mind, do you see this as an acceptable setup?

Thanks again

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Schoolies
Goosemaster, thanks for your responses.

When does asking for suggestion mean I don't know what I'm doing? There are may ways to setup things and I'm trying to scope out my other options.

Let me restate my question for everyone...
My main concern is allowing only those who paid for it the Internet to be able to access it. I don't want people stopping on the side of the road and getting connected. For this to happen, it is necessary for the employees to be actively involved in allowing certain people access. Without, like you said Goosemaster, buying very expensive hardware/software, the only option I see for them is to filter mac addresses and use WEP.

With a small budget in mind, do you see this as an acceptable setup?

Thanks again

1. Most any wireless Accesspoint will ALlow MAC Filtering(access lsits). THe problem ends up being how many clients you will expect Simultaneously, and if that device supports that many clients MAKE SURE THOSE LISTS ARE TEMPORARY. That is why I recommend you always have your own private/Admin host connected via ethernet cable so it isn't effected

2. Getting People's MAC addresses EVERYtime they come will be a hassle. In addition, the whole process of getting people to give you their MAC addresses is also naturally flawed unless you make it as seamless as possible.

3. Other than that, make sure you block EVERY port except port 80. Your will most likely not need any other ports.

4. Make sure the AP is set to DHCP.

5. Use strong Passwords on the router and Access points.

6 Perhaps Have a little form made out with appropriate instuctions so when People come in they can write down their MAC address for you

 

[Goosemaster]

Continuing:

Bandwidth throttling is something else completely. That implies a layer 3 device that can also use TCP flowcontrol, this ends up being a very configurable device. =$$$

TWO OPTIONS:

1) Use windows 2003 server as the router. One NIC for the NEt, and one for your LAN. THen COnnect an ACCES POINT to the LAN side for your clients. Windows 2003 server has Qos(quality of service) features so you can essentially throttle the bandwidth. The access list capacity will definitely be greater in scale than any consumer router.

2) try your hand at other OS's. Astaro linux ( Astaro) is a distribution that besically sets up the host PC as a VERY POWERFUL router. It will do bandwidth prioritization(QoS) and such down to the Kb/s level if you want.


Like I said earlier, this is NOT something you want to experiment with for a business. If so, TELL THEM that. YOu will only cause trouble, and make a REALLY REALLY REALLY bad name for yourself. I repeat this warning not to question your judgment, but to make you fully aware that inexperienced users have caused a LOT of problems that I am aware of in a LOT of businesses.


Once again, these are fine setups, but please rehearse and perfect your use of them. AStaro is(or can get) quite complicated. Windows 2003 Server is easier, but you still have to know what you are doing.


Finally, I recommend you, and I quote "LOG THE SHIAT" out of everthing htat goes on there. IF liability is ever in question, those files will be VERY important. For a business, I'd keep them on a seperate HD, or at least make daily backups.

 

[AFB]

Don't many WiFI cards have a barcode forf the MAC.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: amdfanboy
Don't many WiFI cards have a barcode forf the MAC.

Yeah. IF he think up a way of walking over to their table, telling the cut. he needs their MAC< and then flip over their laptop, she should go for it.,

 

[Snuffaluffaguss]

most cafes with wireless around here, don't have any MAC filtering or anything, its just on. THink about how hard it would be for non-computer type people to log into the router everytime someone comes in and wants to uses. Either leave it wide open, or don't use it.

 

[lightpants]

Try this
hotspot in a box

Jim

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: lightpants
Try this
hotspot in a box

Jim

That is FING SWEET

 

[Schoolies]

Thanks lightpants!

I'm going to look more into that dlink gateway.

 

[Schoolies]

Check this out as well: Ticket Printer

This is the kind of information I was looking for. I knew there had to be something out there that made my job, and the client side administration, easier.

Thank you Goose and Light

 

[lightpants]

If you get one, let me know how it works, I have a client with a small tea shop that is interested in setting up a hotspot in a few months and I could use the input. I had seen the d-link unit a few months ago. I wish I had the extra cash to buy a set up and test it out. If it works as advertised, it would make setting hotspots up a snap.
Jim

 

[AFB]

That printer is $400!!!!!:Q:Q WTF?? Thats insane.

 

[Schoolies]

Ok will do.