Plainfield Ticket Closing and WifiDog
Since Plainfield reported smooth sailing for Monday and Tuesday on the new circuit, I called Merit Networks and closed the trouble ticket. For all intents and purposes, Plainfield's troubles are solved.
Meanwhile, I decided to go and do a fresh installation of all the software on the development server; an old Gateway E-4400 Pentium 3. I was running into issues with the WifiDog's database, and since this is a test setup that sees little use, I may as well start from scratch. This time around, I plan to better document the installation process since there are others interested in implementing a similar solution.
WifiDog is captive portal suite, meant to prevent hotspot misuse. It works in two parts; a gateway running at a hotspot, and an authentication server at a central point. A user who wanted to use a hotspot would be redirected to the gateway's login page. The user registers via e-mail, or simply logs in if they're already registered. The authentication server gathers statistical data from each hotspot, as well as tracks hotspot status. This is important to us since we can't just setup wireless hotspots; we have to protect and manage our resources or else everything slows down or fails from misuse and abuse.
The most enticing aspect of WifiDog is that it can be made to run on a multitude of hardware. The software is free and the hotspot hardware is cheap. For our purposes, I have a Linksys WRT-54G V. 4 wireless router that I bought earlier this year for testing purposes. It's been a learning experience loading and creating my own firmware, then going back and redoing things again and again. But it's paying off in that it has become easier for me to get things up and running and troubleshoot any problems that come up.
In fact, I was able to get the software working except for an issue with the authentication e-mails. This time, I hope to get a fully functioning setup and actually test it.
But, there is still no timeline on completion, testing, or deployment, so don't hold your breath.
Meanwhile, I decided to go and do a fresh installation of all the software on the development server; an old Gateway E-4400 Pentium 3. I was running into issues with the WifiDog's database, and since this is a test setup that sees little use, I may as well start from scratch. This time around, I plan to better document the installation process since there are others interested in implementing a similar solution.
WifiDog is captive portal suite, meant to prevent hotspot misuse. It works in two parts; a gateway running at a hotspot, and an authentication server at a central point. A user who wanted to use a hotspot would be redirected to the gateway's login page. The user registers via e-mail, or simply logs in if they're already registered. The authentication server gathers statistical data from each hotspot, as well as tracks hotspot status. This is important to us since we can't just setup wireless hotspots; we have to protect and manage our resources or else everything slows down or fails from misuse and abuse.
The most enticing aspect of WifiDog is that it can be made to run on a multitude of hardware. The software is free and the hotspot hardware is cheap. For our purposes, I have a Linksys WRT-54G V. 4 wireless router that I bought earlier this year for testing purposes. It's been a learning experience loading and creating my own firmware, then going back and redoing things again and again. But it's paying off in that it has become easier for me to get things up and running and troubleshoot any problems that come up.
In fact, I was able to get the software working except for an issue with the authentication e-mails. This time, I hope to get a fully functioning setup and actually test it.
But, there is still no timeline on completion, testing, or deployment, so don't hold your breath.
posted by Technology Coordinator at 9:14 AM
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