Common access policy templates

[Fignuts]

I'd also love to see some common access policy templates, selectable from the access profiles configuration screen!  Personally, here is what I'm trying out:

Free access (each session limited to one hour, 8kbps/16kbps up/down)	FREE
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps), 100 MB transfer	3.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) , 1 GB transfer	12.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for four hours	1.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for one day	3.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for one week, up to 2 GB	12.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for one month (31 days), up to 4 GB up, 4 GB down	25.00 USD

* Note the limits on the monthly access...hopefully it is possible to start using numbers larger than 32 bits, so we can specify limits over 4GB!

[WorldSpot]

The problem with templates, is that according to where you are in the world, bandwidth and prices are not the same at all. Some people have fast dsl, cable, sat, isdn, phone, 3g, gsm, etc...

About the 4G limit, it is a chlilispot limitation (or a radius limitation...) However, I can make the limit bigger, but it will still be limited to 4G per session.
Will do that soon.

[Fignuts]

Very true about the difference in pricing for different areas of the world...which is why I might suggest leaving out the pricing, letting the users select that.  Having a couple of different "suggested" templates (without pricing) might make setting up a hotspot even easier, though.  It can help people get ideas about what might work.

[WorldSpot]

  Creating a profile is quite fast. I still think that there can be very different bandwidths. And maybe there still are hotspots on connections that are not unlimited.
A very few users are using online billing (which I don't understand why  )
Having a look at some landing pages, there are very different offerings.
I will let users create their profile freely.

[Fignuts]

Ah, I understand...you want to encourage hotspot owners to think for themselves, eh?   Sounds good.

[DenbyWireless]

I'd also love to see some common access policy templates, selectable from the access profiles configuration screen!  Personally, here is what I'm trying out:

Free access (each session limited to one hour, 8kbps/16kbps up/down)	FREE
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps), 100 MB transfer	3.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) , 1 GB transfer	12.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for four hours	1.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for one day	3.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for one week, up to 2 GB	12.00 USD
Premium access (384kbps/768kbps) for one month (31 days), up to 4 GB up, 4 GB down	25.00 USD

* Note the limits on the monthly access...hopefully it is possible to start using numbers larger than 32 bits, so we can specify limits over 4GB!

This pricing structure has really got me thinking of what I need to setup. I hope to be opening 2 hotspots this spring for the tourists on a small island. 
I only have a 4mb line to work with and the ISP does have throughput limits.  Worldspot is pretty flexable, are there some good topics to read about setting up a price structure ?  Are the first 2 pay lines (100mb, 1G) outside of connection times ?  Lots to learn.. Thanks

[WorldSpot]

are there some good topics to read about setting up a price structure ?

Do you mean how to set it up or about how to choose what pricing you want?
If first, please read the documentation about creating access profiles. each one of these offerings is an acces profile where you can put many parameters.
If 2, I would say that it depends on a lot of things: yours costs, the competition, the type of customers...
If you have an unlimited internet connection, the real thing you sell is connection volume, but most people prefer to sell connection time... You choose or can do both.

Are the first 2 pay lines (100mb, 1G) outside of connection times ?

You can combine several limits including volume and/or time. The first limit that is reached ends the connection. Very flexible indeed.

[DenbyWireless]

In the above example, does this mean there is no time limits to the 100mb or 1Gb transfers?
Or is this additive to say the 4hour connection.
Without paying for transfer amounts, what is the user limited to ?
Just HTTP for the 4 hours ?

thanks,  Aaron

[WorldSpot]

In the above example, does this mean there is no time limits to the 100mb or 1Gb transfers?
Or is this additive to say the 4hour connection.

each line is a separate access profile. The description is user written. It is certainly time unlimited.

Without paying for transfer amounts, what is the user limited to ?
Just HTTP for the 4 hours ?

In the example, for 1$, the user has 4hour internet access whatever the usage (http, mail, etc...)

[Fignuts]

Most of those were just test values I put in that were rather conservative (high).  After I had it set up like I wanted, I started putting in access profiles I myself would be more likely to use.  I had to lower my prices a lot, because frankly I wouldn't pay much of a premium for access...it's too easy to get cheap broadband in urban areas today.  Location (like being on a small resort island ) is key in determining a fair price.

[DenbyWireless]

Most of those were just test values I put in that were rather conservative (high). 
Location (like being on a small resort island ) is key in determining a fair price.

So maybe Policy Templates will not work, but it would very helpful if people could list their policy prices so we could get an Idea of what's reasonable.  Where I am, HS (1.4mb) has just arrived.  It's a hot tourist place in the summer and most of them are coming up from the city to spend their money.  One thing I hope to offer is roaming between any of the hotspots that I manage. (Right now there are no Hotspots). 

Maybe you are right though, my prices do seem a bit high. Here is my first cut;
Each session limited to 5 min at low speeds details FREE
Access for 4 hours after first use details 5.00 CAD
Access for 1 day  (24 hours after first use). details 10.00 CAD
Access for 3 days (72 hours after first use). details 25.00 CAD
Access for 1 week, Access expires 7 days after first use. details 40.00 CAD
Access for 1 month, Access expires 30 days after first use. details 75.00 CAD

One question on tickets, Once a ticket is redeemed, can it be used on multiple MAC (machines)?
What if someone starts passing a monthly ticket around ? Will I even know ?

[WorldSpot]

So maybe Policy Templates will not work, but it would very helpful if people could list their policy prices so we could get an Idea of what's reasonable.  Where I am, HS (1.4mb) has just arrived.  It's a hot tourist place in the summer and most of them are coming up from the city to spend their money.   

Again it is really difficult to tell.
What I would say is that you should try then adjust. The really big advantage with a hotspot is that you can adjust your price whenever you want.

One thing I hope to offer is roaming between any of the hotspots that I manage. (Right now there are no Hotspots).

Yes, tickets or online billed tickets that come from an access profile are valid on all hotspot on which the access profile is applicable.

Maybe you are right though, my prices do seem a bit high. Here is my first cut;
Each session limited to 5 min at low speeds details FREE
Access for 4 hours after first use details 5.00 CAD
Access for 1 day  (24 hours after first use). details 10.00 CAD
Access for 3 days (72 hours after first use). details 25.00 CAD
Access for 1 week, Access expires 7 days after first use. details 40.00 CAD
Access for 1 month, Access expires 30 days after first use. details 75.00 CAD

I see that you choose to use expiration time instead of total connection time.
Personally I would add volume limits to limit abuse and make 2 price ranges with different volume limits all with expiration time.

Don't forget that volume is the real thing that does cost to you, not connection time.

There are very different ways to use the internet. If you just need to access your email, and make little web surfing, it is different than people watching videos and streaming music. The first category doesn't consume your line, you can have lot of them, the second will cause you problems if you have lot of connected people.

What volume to use? I really don't know. Just try your hotspot and make normal web surfing and measure the volume you consume with you history, you will get an idea.

One question on tickets, Once a ticket is redeemed, can it be used on multiple MAC (machines)?
What if someone starts passing a monthly ticket around ? Will I even know ?

Yes tickets are allowed to change mac address. But there can't be any simultaneous connection. If you want a mac address lock, it is possible, but I'm not sure if it is a good idea.
Mac addresses will be shown in the history.

[DenbyWireless]

What I would say is that you should try then adjust

I'm just trying to get some documentation going for a presentation and I really appreciate your good explanations and reasoning.

I see that you choose to use expiration time instead of total connection time.

I'm trying for a large coverage area w/multiple hotspots. My thoughts are that people will be more incline to buy days or weeks of connectivity. Do you forsee issues doing this?

Personally I would add volume limits to limit abuse and make 2 price ranges with different volume limits all with expiration time.

In my defintions I did put limits, I just didn't describe them.  It would be great if there was some way WorldSpot could build the web page based on policy (Defalut it). I'd also like a row/column based report on policies (sorted by Hotspots) so I can review at a glance.

Don't forget that volume is the real thing that does cost to you, not connection time.

That's correct, and I'm concerned about this.  Obviously I don't want to allow torrents, VOIP, videos and the like. I'm thinking HTTP mostly.  Is that configurable as well (I'm still learning) from WorldSpot or do I need to create rules directly on the router ?

As to Volume/clients I'm thinking if I'm that sucessful to worry about this, I can afford multiple lines.

One question on tickets, Once a ticket is redeemed, can it be used on multiple MAC (machines)?
What if someone starts passing a monthly ticket around ? Will I even know ?

Yes tickets are allowed to change mac address. But there can't be any simultaneous connection. If you want a mac address lock, it is possible, but I'm not sure if it is a good idea.
Mac addresses will be shown in the history.
[/quote]
A MAC lock would be ok, it's not a problem now. Just curious of the behaviour.

Great explanations here thanks,
Aa

[WorldSpot]

'm trying for a large coverage area w/multiple hotspots. My thoughts are that people will be more incline to buy days or weeks of connectivity. Do you forsee issues doing this?

No problem with that. Don't forget that if you want to cover large area, you might not need multiple hotspots, and you can use multiple access points connected to one single hotspot (wired with ethernet or wireless with WDS) (I should not say that ) You need multiple hotspots when you have multiple internet lines.

It would be great if there was some way WorldSpot could build the web page based on policy (Defalut it).

Near each description, there is a link "details" which shows everything in detail

I'd also like a row/column based report on policies (sorted by Hotspots) so I can review at a glance.

Good idea. I'll think about it

Obviously I don't want to allow torrents, VOIP, videos and the like. I'm thinking HTTP mostly.

VOIP is the future of hotspots! You should not block it (but I think there are some issues with chillispot and the SIP protocol...) Wifi phones are getting more and more popular, and it does not consume so much bandwidth (some upload ...)

Is that configurable as well (I'm still learning) from WorldSpot or do I need to create rules directly on the router ?

It should be configurable on the router. I think you can block P2P, but not tested.
I will be trying to integrate more and more router features in a specific firmware one day. Today you will have to play with dd-wrt or coova.

[DenbyWireless]

You need multiple hotspots when you have multiple internet lines.

If I service multiple areas, I will have to have multiple lines (unless I can bounce around or over it w/backhaul).
So I envision multiple hotspots.

It would be great if there was some way WorldSpot could build the web page based on policy (Defalut it).
Near each description, there is a link "details" which shows everything in detail

I was thinking that the description would some how contain the policy info by default. Maybe this would be wordy, but as a default it would be informative.

Obviously I don't want to allow torrents, VOIP, videos and the like. I'm thinking HTTP mostly.
VOIP is the future of hotspots! You should not block it (but I think there are some issues with chillispot and the SIP protocol...) Wifi phones are getting more and more popular, and it does not consume so much bandwidth (some upload ...)

Ya, Skype wifi phones are starting to pick up. We'll have to see how it works out.

Thanks (w/more questions coming... billing I think next.. but different topic.)
Aa