WiFi Internet service login page advertising for extra revenue

Installing a WiFi Internet service for a community

Many rural communities around the world have no Internet service, as there is no telecommunications infrastructure that connects the community to the national network. Satellite Internet services, such as Starlink, are enabling rural communities to get access to the Internet. The demand is greatest in countries of Africa and Oceania where the majority of the population have no access to the Internet, and where the coverage of 4G mobile phone services is limited to urban areas.

The infrastructure for a rural community WiFi service is shown in the next diagram. The satellite antenna that provides the access to the Internet connects to a controller that manages the community Internet service. The controller connects to a wireless access point that provides the WiFi connection for nearby mobile devices and also for distant homes that have a receiving WiFi antenna.

The controller has several important functions that are listed below.

• Share the Satellite Internet service between many people.
• Control access to the Internet service and set limits of use by providing community users with Internet access codes.
• Prevent abuse of the Internet service that might get the service disconnected.
• Charge community users for the WiFi service in order to pay the satellite provider, by printing vouchers for sale and charging online via Mobile Money.
• Provide information about the use and performance of the service.
• Monitor the service for failure and send out alerts.
  

The community Internet service login page

When community members connect to the WiFi service they are not connected to the Internet immediately. Instead when they open a browser tab the login page is displayed. The login page provides a box for the user to enter an access code. The access code is obtained from the community organization and purchased on a voucher. Alternatively the access code can be purchased online using Mobile Money or other payment method.

The Guest Internet controller generates the login page and the controller has a standard login page design with different backgrounds. The login page can also be customized using any design that can be programmed using HTML. The login page appears on all devices when the browser is opened; a mobile phone, a tablet or a computer can be used to access the Internet.

The default login page that is auto-generated by the Guest Internet controller is shown in the next figure. The access code is typed into the box shown in the next figure. The ‘connect’ button is then clicked. The access code is checked to ensure it is valid, this process is called authentication. When the access code has been authenticated the user is connected to the Internet for the period of time that is determined by the code.

What is login page advertising?

Organizations and communities that provide a WiFi Internet service for guests and residents provide the login page for the user to enter a code that will connect them to the Internet. The login pages can also display advertisements. Local businesses will pay to advertise their products and services to the business guests or community members. 

Advertisements are shown as banners on the login page and the Guest Internet controller can be configured to allow access to the advertisers websites even when the user has not logged in to the service using an access code. This is done by adding the domain name of the advertisers website to the allowed IP/domain list in the Guest Internet controller.

A login page with banner advertising is shown in the next figure. This login page format is shown on a laptop computer.

The login page with banners is a custom design that is programmed using HTML/CSS and javascript. The custom login page can interface with one or more external servers. In addition to the banner having a link to the advertisers website, the banners can be downloaded from a remote server so that the login page banners can be refreshed without installing a new login page. This is important if the advertising is sold on a monthly basis and updated with different advertisers at the end of each month.
 
The HTML design can be programmed to be responsive. This means that the login page layout changes according to the screen size of the device browser. The login page format for a mobile phone is shown in the next figure. When advertising banners are added to the page the user will scroll down the page to see the box to enter the code. The user will be accustomed to scrolling the browser page when looking at websites.

Additional revenue with login page advertising

A community WiFi service has costs that have to be paid. Typical costs are listed below.

• Monthly charge for the satellite Internet service.
• Monthly additional charge for satellite data use.
• Cost of maintenance for labor and equipment.
• Amortization of the investment in products and labor.
• Investment to expand the service.

The Guest Internet controller provides several methods to charge users for the Internet service. Selling advertising space on the login page will augment the income from the Internet service and possibly reduce the cost for users.

Development of custom login pages

The development of custom login pages can be prepared by anyone who is familiar with the development of websites. The knowledge required is programming using HTML/CSS and javascript. Login pages are simpler and faster to develop than a business website as the content requirement is much less. Guest Internet provides a programming feature that places the login box on the page where required.

Guest Internet provides a custom login page development kit, which has three components.

• The product manual provides custom login page information. Use the following link to download the manual and start reading on page 121.

https://www.guest-internet.com/pdfs/GIS_product_manual_(English)_1.1.24.pdf

• Login page sample templates are available. Guest Internet provides 7 sample templates prepared in one ZIP file that can be downloaded by using the link below.

https://www.guest-internet.com/login_templates/login_templates.zip

• Guest Internet provides a login page simulator that permits a login page design to be tested quickly without installing on a Guest Internet controller. The use of the login page simulator is explained in the product manual. Login page login.zip files can be uploaded to the simulator using the link below.

http://logintest.guest-internet.com/

user: test     pass: logintest

Contact the support team for further information, using the email address shown at the end of this document.

Installation of a custom login page

The custom login page design is installed on the Guest Internet controller. The design can download content from a remote server for flexibility. The custom login page is prepared as a file called “login.zip”. The content of this file is explained in the manual. The minimum file contains three elements.

o    The HTML file, called login.html
o    The CSS file
o    One or more image files that can be installed in a folder if desired

The three elements are ZIP’ed into a file called “login.zip”. Do not zip the files on an Apple MAC as this zip format is not standard.

The login.zip file is uploaded to the Guest Internet controller. Login using the admin password then select the login settings page in the advanced settings section. This is shown in the figure below. Go to the login page design and select “upload custom login.zip file” from the drop down menu. Select the file using the browse button. Click the change settings button. Finally click the red “reboot” message that will appear.

After reboot open the new login page using “aplogin.com”. Press CTRL-F5 on the computer keyboard and refresh the browser page to view the new login page.

Contact us today to start your Internet WiFi sales business

WISPzone has everything you need to start and grow, please contact:

info@wispzone.com

Guest Internet makes the best products for community WiFi, please contact:

support@guest-internet.com