Using WifiDog

With a new user finally registering and using WifiDog, I thought now would be a good time to better explain what this service is all about. This isn't policy, but an explanation of what we're doing with WifiDog and guidelines for its use.

The purpose of WifiDog is to provide free Internet access for anyone with a laptop that has wireless connectivity. Since it utilizes our network resources, we use WifiDog, a captive portal suite, to track statistical use and spot any abusers.

This is not a guaranteed service. It could go down at any time, or we could choose to shut it down for any reason (especially if it's for legal or security reasons). There are still several things that need to be done before we even consider equipping the other branches. We have it up because we want to test it and see if it's a solution that will work at the other branches.

This is not a secure service. The wireless signal between your laptop or PDA and our router does not use any encryption of any kind. Like any other radio signal, data can be intercepted by anyone using the right hardware and software.

This connection is not recommended for online banking, PayPal, or other online transactions where confidential information is sent and received. The most secure way to conduct such work is through the use of a wired connection or one of our public PCs (which wipes its activity after every reboot). We are not responsible for any data theft or equipment failure caused by this service.

It is recommended that your equipment, if it's a laptop running Windows, should have anti-virus and spyware protection software, and that your operating system (be it Mac, Windows or Linux) is fully-patched with the latest updates. Please remember that it is your responsibility to maintain your equipment.

Wireless service is available only from 7:30 A.M. to 6:30 P.M. every day. This is one of the restrictions to help prevent and spot potential abuse while we're present. This could change at any time.

Statistical information is tracked, and this includes:

Mandatory (meaning that every account will have this information)
User name
E-mail address
Date of Registration
Account Status
Times online
Times connected
Amount of Data Used
Hotspot used
MAC address of network adapter
IP Address assigned at time of use

Optional (meaning that every account may or may not have this information)
Real Name
Website
Preferred Locale

We do not store any personal data, sites visited, or any other identifying information. The purpose of the above statistics is to (eventually) determine which hotspot gets the most traffic, identifying abusers, and troubleshooting any problems that could occur. This information is not publicly available, and will not be sold to anyone.

Finally, you probably noticed by now that I have not mentioned where this hotspot is located. That's because we don't officially provide wireless access to the Internet yet. There is no deployment date, no technical support, and no guarantees. Our current focus is on our public computers, the Software Overhaul (explained in our Wiki) and Time Management software. Wireless access is currently a low-priority project that, hopefully, will become a service at all our branches. We know that there are patrons that have requested this service and one day, we intend to provide it.

Use at your own risk.

We welcome any feedback (positive or negative) about this and any other services we provide.