Tweet

If you�re building a community wireless project, or setting up guest wireless access for your enterprise, you face several difficult problems that make rollout a little more complicated than just plugging in a cheap WiFi access point. The first problem is user authentication: assigning user IDs and passwords, and keeping track of usage. The second is keeping network usage fair, by preventing bandwidth hogs and one or two malicious users from spoiling the party for everyone else. While it�s always been possible to cobble together the pieces you need to pull this off � one or more APs, a managed Ethernet switch, and a Linux box running security and rate-limiting software � now you can get the whole package in a single box for under $600. The D-Link DSA-3200 Wireless G Public/Private Hot Spot Gateway combines an 802.11g access point with an authentication server supporting 250 user accounts in an internal non-volatile database. The unit also sports URL redirection, bandwidth control, network policy enforcement, timed sessions, traffic monitoring, and denial-of-service attack prevention.