Features list

This list is not complete - but we have tried to get most features in!

• Business and operational models
• Product management
• Authorisation and Authentication
• Monitoring and Support
• Look and Feel
• API
• Technical

Business and Operational Models

Amazingports supports several different business models and offers compliance with the 2006/24/EC directive on anti-terrorism.

• Hotspot
• Enterprise Guest Access
• Internet Cafe
• Free for customers
• Free + Premium model
• HomeSpot
• Daily Pass
• Community WiFi and collaborative networks
• Municipal WiFi

Hotspot

Traditional WiFi, WiMax or 3G "hotspot" model where users pay for access when they require it.

Enterprise Guest Access

You can configure AmazingPorts to provide your guests with Internet access while making sure your WiFi network is safe and sound. With AmazingPorts enterprise network integration it is quick and simple to handle both local and foreign users in the same network.

Internet Cafe

The only difference between the internet cafe model and the Hotspot model is that the venue provide the computers used to browse the internet or read emails.

Free for customers

Any hotspot venue that wish to offer its customers free internet access, can use AmazingPorts APIs to integrate their tills or POS system (point of sale) so that each receipt contains a voucher for customers.

The vouchers can easily be limited in time "surrounding" the purchase, and can be made to "reflect" the value of the purchase.

Example: A cafe sells coffee, each time a client pays, the POS system prints a voucher code on the receipt that give "Standard Internet access" for the number of minutes that match the amount paid for.

Free + Premium model

With AmazingPorts Access Controller a venue can leverage different Quality of Service levels and offer simple access to users with lesser quality requirements, while simultaneously selling a "Professional offering" with priority bandwidth and managed service levels for end-users with more specific requirements. Read about maximising revenue here.

HomeSpot

Anyone with a fast broadband connection can use AmazingPorts to secure his network and provide access to selected "neighbors" or by passers by issuing vouchers with the services of his choice! With AmazingPorts traffic management, you can make sure that bandwidth is always used and shared the way you want.

Daily Pass

The daily pass feature was specifically designed for conferences where many users are given access as part of a package, but 'other" users should pay. As daily passes has lower security requirements, the passes are generated using a small dictionary of simple words combined with a short number. When the feature is enables you can determine:

• How often the pass is generated
• What product "using the daily pass" gives
• Who receives the daily passes (both roles and email)

Once the pass is generated, "hand123", it can easily be printed and displayed where required.

Community WiFi and collaborative networks

If you and your friends have multiple Access Controllers, AmazingPorts offers the possibility of seamless roaming between these locations.

Municipal WiFi

AmazingPorts was specially built to handle large deployments of several thousand hotspots. The system handled seamless roaming and handover times between hotspots can be as little as 250ms.

 

 

Product management

Products

• A product is defined as a set of rules for period of time, like 4 days or 20 minutes.
• There are three types of rules "Accept", "Deny" and "Forward"
• Rules match a domain name or an IP or the logical value "lan" which resolves to the C-network of the WAN interface on the Access Controller
• Rules also match a port, a port range or a list of ports
• Rules are valid a day of the week and between two hours of the day (time zone sensitive)
• Products have a price in a base currency, this price impacts online sales and is shown in the accounting section for administrative purposes.
• The system automatically "re-calculate" the base currency into the end-users favorite currency in runtime, using the latest exchange rates from the European Central Bank (ECB)

Rule Example: Bing rule: Allow www.bing.com port 80, 443 on mon, tue and wed between 06:00 and 21:00

Product Example: Bing product: Provide the Bing Rule for 24 hours

Vouchers

• A voucher have a product that determines the service it "gives" to the user.
• Voucher have a validity, two dates in between which the voucher can be "executed" or used, this validity does not impact the product that the voucher "gives".
• Products can have automatic repetitions i.e. 10 x 1h product as opposed to 1 x 10h product.
• Vouchers when created in single quantity are presented using the voucher template, when many vouchers are created an excel sheet is created with the voucher data.
• Vouches have a "secret", the length if this secret is dependent on the length of the validity, this way vouchers that will be used "instantly" only need very short "secrets".
• When vouchers are used they are "limited" to the "home" network where they are used. This in combination with that locations can be none "homed" members of several networks, mean that you can create a hierarchy between sites that allow or doesn't allow roaming.

Voucher Example: Provide the Bing products a maximum of 6 times between 14 July 2010 and 20 July 2010

Default and direct rules

Vouchers and products in combination is the "normal" way to grant users access to internet and other services, but "objects" in the network infrastructure can receive rules "directly". These rules have the same characteristics as described above and are managed by Administrators of a network.

The following "things" can have direct rules

• Network devices, read a MAC address.
• A User (valid only when logged in)
• A Location - that is the public network port on an Access Controller (read eth¹ - ethⁿ)
• An Access Controller
• A Network (that is the "logical grouping" of Access Controllers and locations)

Authorisation and Authentication

System management

• The access controller shell interface can be accessed through SSH on port 22 using the user "root"
• The access controller local web admin can be accessed using the user "admin"
• Password rotation can be enabled for all local interfaces.
• The main administrative portal (https://ams.amazingports.com), where your system is managed after set-up, has the following roles:
  • Administrators
  • Voucher makers
  • Accountants
  • Support Agents
• Each role has a distinct set of features available to it

User management

• Each user registering in a hotspot can be managed by the Administrator
• Users can choose "Authentication provider", for example if google is chosen - AmazingPorts will validate user credentials against google and not store the password but the google user name instead.
• Enterprise version only: Authentication providers can be associated with rules and services enabling simple and swift integration into enterprise user management.
• Users can retrieve lost password for accounts.
  • If they use this function, a new password is generated because we store passwords in an asymmetric encryption format not allowing us to "decrypt' the password.
• User can select their language preference, and in every possible circumstance the system will attempt to serve them in the best possible available language.

Access Authorisation

Rules are mixed and matched together in real time please consult the FAQ for a detailed understanding of inheritance, priority and ordering of rules.

 

Monitoring and Support

Multi layered FAQ with notification

The Administration portal contains an FAQ where users can ask questions and get answers.

The FAQ is layered in such a way that end-users questions are forwarded to administrators of the network where the user "is", questions from Administrators are forwarded to the AmazingPorts support team!

AmazingPorts attempt to respond to all queries within 24h.

System monitor

The central AmazingPorts system events can be followed through RSS or Twitter all events are also published here.

Network monitor

Each network administrator can configure which notifications to receive over twitter:

• A new user appears
• A user registers
• AC reports
• AC fails to report
• A voucher is used

Look and Feel

The end user experience is fully customisable either through the built in portal or by using a third party landing page and the AmazingPorts APIs

Read more about customisation of the landing portal.

Application Programming Interface

AmazingPorts offer APIs for all important functions like managing redirections into a third party landing portal or for generation of vouchers. The APIs are based on http requests and XML responses.

Technical

• Integrated "real" SSL certificates recognised by 99% of browsers.
• Mange multiple ACs in "one network"
• Control roaming including asymmetric roaming (users from network A can roam into network B but not vice versa)

 

Ready to go?

You can download our software and get started here.

If you want to read more about how to set-up a public network or a hotspot - read our get started guide.

You can read more about pricing strategies here.

If you have any questions Contact us!