New Challenges for Next Generation Wi-Fi Hotspot Providers

      1.       Increase in Wi-Fi devices and amount of user’s data on the network

Number of wireless devices connecting to a public wireless hotspot networks are multiplying day by day. The main reason behind this increase of devices can be attributed to growing base of mobile users carrying multiple wireless gadgets such as smartphone, iPad, and notebook, wherever they roam.  In fact, today’s internet users are going through a paradigm shift as they are always wanted to be connected to the internet. This has resulted into exponential growth in user’s data on the wireless hotspot networks.  A lot of free Wi-Fi internet service providers have to cope-up with the demand for additional bandwidth required to handle the sudden growth of user’s data on their network.

2.       Demand for throughout coverage

Since transmit and receive range of smartphones and other similar handhelds are less compared to laptops, new coverage holes are getting created in an already deployed conventional Wi-Fi hotspot network. Service providers are under intense pressure to provide throughout coverage, for example in hospitality industry where guests need to have Internet access not just in rooms but also in passage, terrace etc.

3.       Digital certificate cost

In conventional Wi-Fi hotspot, authorized access to the Internet access is provisioned using a web based login portal. Providing user authentication without application layer security is a serious security threat to a service provider. Awareness about the insecurity of open Wi-Fi configuration is growing fast and hence application layer user authentication control can be easily bypassed. Therefore, service providers have to also bear the cost of digital certificate required by https based user authentication procedure.

4.       Unwanted connected device handling

Today’s hotspot infrastructure is churning out as it is unable to deliver desired performance due to large number of wireless clients connecting to the network, causing network to reach its maximum capacity soon. Under such condition, wireless hotspot infrastructure has no inbuilt intelligence that can help differentiate between a paid and unpaid user and hence when the number of clients exceeds the connection limit, even paid users have to suffer. Problem like this is affecting the revenue from fee based wireless hotspot service.

5.       HS 2.0 integration overhead

In order to provide support for roaming customers, a new technology called Hotspot 2.0 (HS2.0) is being adopted by the wireless broadband industry. In order to support HS 2.0 WISPs need to upgrade their wireless hotspot infrastructure. The technology also requires integration with cellular service providers in order to support SIM card based user authentication. This is probably ok for carriers who are creating their own wireless hotspot infrastructure to support data offload. Wireless service providers already having hotspot running need to shell out additional cost in order to bring support for user authentication required in HS2.0. On contrary to this, wireless user base is still not ready to use the technology as it requires software/firmware upgrade on client device, which can be a big barrier to HS2.0 based service monetization.

The cost of running a Wi-Fi hotspot service is growing while the revenue from the service is not showing similar growth sign.  Airegis solution for Wi-Fi hotspot enables wireless service providers to run a truly secured wireless internet service that can be offered to hotspot users as value added premium service. Apart from providing privacy and over-the-air data protection, the most attractive advantage of Airegis powered wireless service is that network connectivity, authentication, and network usage policy are clubbed together into one that helps next generation smartphone user in getting a quick access to the Internet. The inbuilt intelligence of the Airegis powered Wi-Fi hotspot system allows only authorized device to connect and use the service. This helps in keeping the wireless network resource available for those who have subscribed to premium wireless service.  The cost of digital certificate needed for conventional captive portal authentication can be also saved as with layer-2 security based wireless system, need for a secure web authentication becomes redundant.

In short, by embracing Airegis powered Wi-Fi hotspot solution, wireless internet service providers can easily beat new challenges of next generation wireless hotspots.