Hotel Wi-Fi Hotspot Management¶

Guest Wi-Fi authentication in hotels is typically a manual, high-friction process — front desk staff generate vouchers, or guests use printed postcards with weak credentials. This document describes how to integrate HSG (Hotspot Gateway) with Oracle Opera Property Management System (PMS) using the FIAS (Fidelio Interface Application Specification) protocol to enable seamless, automated guest authentication using room number and last name.

Once integrated, guest account information is continuously synchronized from Opera PMS to HSG's local authentication database. When guests connect to Wi-Fi, they are automatically redirected to a captive portal where they log in using their room number and surname — no vouchers, no manual account creation, no front desk involvement. HSG handles captive portal, authentication, bandwidth management, access control, and accounting.

Use Cases¶

Scenario	Benefit
Multi-property chains	Replicate configuration across multiple hotel properties and synchronize with a centralized PMS.
High guest turnover	Automatic account creation/deletion eliminates manual voucher generation and front desk workload.
Differentiated service tiers	Apply different bandwidth and access profiles to guests (standard, premium, loyalty members).
Guest analytics	Automatically capture guest email and phone via PMS sync for marketing and analytics.
Room upgrades / Transfers	Account status and access profiles update automatically when guests are moved to different rooms.

Requirements¶

Infrastructure¶

HSG (Hotspot Gateway) — Acts as captive portal, authentication platform, and internet gateway
Opera PMS Server — Running FIAS interface module; must be reachable from HSG on configured port
Wi-Fi Access Points — Broadcast guest SSID; redirect unauthenticated traffic to captive portal
Network Connectivity — HSG must reach PMS server via IP and port (typically TCP/1433 or custom port)

Configuration Prerequisites¶

HSG provisioned and onboarded to mfusion
Guest VLAN created and configured on HSG
At least one hotspot instance created
PMS server running FIAS module with guest database

Architecture Overview¶

Solution Workflow¶

The integrated solution operates as follows:

Step 1 – Guest Check-in

When a guest checks into the hotel, Front Desk staff creates or updates the guest record in Opera PMS. PMS maintains:

Room Number
Guest Last Name
Check-in Date
Check-out Date
Room Status
Guest Account Status

Step 2 – PMS Synchronization

Using the FIAS interface, Opera PMS sends guest account information to HSG. HSG receives and stores guest data in its local authentication database. Guest records are continuously updated whenever room occupancy, guest status, check-out, or room transfers occur.

Step 3 – Guest Wi-Fi Access

The guest connects to the hotel's Wi-Fi SSID and is automatically redirected to the HSG captive portal page. The login form presents:

Room Number (username field)
Guest Last Name (password field)
Optional fields: Terms & Conditions, marketing consent, promotional content

Step 4 – Guest Authentication

After the guest submits credentials, HSG validates them against the synchronized PMS database. If credentials match an active guest record, access is granted according to the configured guest access profile.

Step 5 – Internet Access

Upon successful authentication, HSG applies the guest access profile, including:

Internet access permissions
Bandwidth limitations
Session timeout policies
Access control policies
User activity logging

The guest can access the Internet until logout, session expiration, or hotel check-out.

Integration Components¶

Component	Function
Opera PMS	Maintains and synchronizes guest account information
FIAS Interface	Communication protocol between PMS and HSG (FIAS XML-RPC)
Hotspot Gateway (HSG)	Captive portal, authentication, authorization, and accounting platform
Wi-Fi Access Points	Provide wireless connectivity to guests; redirect unauthenticated traffic to portal
Guest Device	Authenticates using room credentials and accesses the Internet

Topology Diagram¶

Configuration¶

PMS Integration Setup¶

Navigate to HOTSPOT USERS → User Management → Import → PMS Import.

This section establishes communication between HSG and Opera PMS. HSG periodically retrieves guest information from the PMS and stores it in the local authentication database.

Configuration Parameters¶

Parameter	Description	Example
PMS Vendor	Select the PMS platform (e.g., Opera PMS)	Opera PMS
Sync Interval	How frequently HSG synchronizes guest records from PMS	Every 15 minutes
IP Address / Hostname	PMS server IP address or hostname	`192.168.1.50` or `pms.hotel.local`
Port	Communication port used by PMS interface service	`1433`

Configuration Procedure¶

Enable PMS Integration using the toggle switch
Select Oracle Opera as the PMS Vendor
Enter the PMS Server IP Address or Hostname
Enter the PMS Interface Port (provided by PMS administrator)
Specify the synchronization interval (e.g., 15 minutes)
Click Test Connection to verify connectivity
Confirm the connection test returns success
Click Save Changes

Validation¶

After configuration:

HSG must be able to reach the PMS server on the specified IP and port
Connection test must return successful status
Synchronization logs should show successful guest record retrieval (see Verification section below)

PMS User Mapping¶

The PMS Mapping section defines how guest information from the PMS is mapped into the HSG authentication database. Each PMS field is associated with a corresponding HSG authentication attribute, allowing guests to authenticate using information already in the PMS without manual account creation.

Assign User Profile¶

Select the HSG User Profile that will be automatically assigned to all guest accounts synchronized from the PMS.

Typical guest profiles:

Standard Guest Internet
Premium Guest Internet
VIP Guest Internet
Conference Guest Internet

The selected profile determines:

Bandwidth limits
Session timeout
Access restrictions

Click Save Profile after selecting the appropriate profile.

Authentication Field Mapping¶

Configure the authentication field mapping to match your hotel's captive portal login method.

Example: Room Number + Last Name Authentication

HSG Database Field	PMS Field
Username	Room Number
Password	Guest Last Name

In this configuration:

Guest enters Room Number as username
Guest enters Last Name as password
HSG validates credentials against synchronized PMS records
This is the most commonly used configuration for hotel guest Wi-Fi access

Additional Information Mapping¶

Optional guest information can also be synchronized for marketing and analytics:

HSG Database Field	PMS Field	Use Case
Email	Guest Email	Marketing campaigns, guest analytics
Mobile No.	Guest Mobile Number	SMS authentication, SMS marketing, contact analytics

After completing the mapping configuration, click Save Map.

Verification¶

Test 1: PMS Synchronization¶

Verify that guest records are successfully synchronized from PMS to HSG:

Create a test guest account in Opera PMS or perform a new guest check-in
Wait for the next synchronization cycle or manually trigger synchronization from the PMS interface
Navigate to Hotspot Users → User Management → Local Users
Verify the guest account has been automatically created and assigned to the configured guest profile
Confirm the account displays "pms" under the "Created By" column (indicates PMS import)

Expected Result: New guest account appears in HSG local database with "pms" origin and correct profile assignment.

Test 2: PMS Communication Log Verification¶

Verify that HSG is successfully communicating with PMS:

Navigate to HOTSPOT USERS → Analytics and Reports
Review the PMS communication logs
Verify successful synchronization events showing incoming PMS messages (GO) followed by acknowledgement responses (ACK)

The presence of GO and ACK message exchanges indicates successful communication between PMS and HSG.

Expected Result: Communication log displays regular GO/ACK exchanges with no error messages.

Test end-to-end guest authentication:

Connect a test device to the hotel Wi-Fi network
Open a web browser; device should be automatically redirected to captive portal login page
Enter guest credentials:
Room Number (in username field)
Guest Last Name (in password field)
Click Connect to authenticate
If credentials match a synchronized PMS record, guest receives Internet access per configured profile

Expected Result: Guest is granted Internet access according to the assigned access profile. Guest can browse normally and is subject to bandwidth/session limits defined in the profile.

Troubleshooting¶

Symptom	Likely Cause	Solution
PMS Connection Test Fails	PMS server unreachable, wrong IP/port, network firewall blocking traffic	Verify PMS IP address and port are correct. Test connectivity from HSG CLI using `ping <pms-ip>`. Check network firewall allows traffic on configured port. Confirm PMS FIAS module is running.
Guest Records Not Appearing	Synchronization not triggered or PMS interface not sending data	Manually trigger sync from PMS interface. Check HSG logs for sync errors. Verify PMS is configured to send to correct HSG IP. Confirm guest check-in occurred in PMS.
GO/ACK Messages Missing	PMS and HSG communication broken or sync disabled	Verify PMS is configured with correct HSG IP and port. Check HSG firewall allows inbound PMS traffic. Confirm PMS FIAS module is enabled. Review PMS logs for outbound connection errors.
Guest Login Fails	Credentials don't match PMS record, account not synchronized, or guest checked out	Verify guest record exists in HSG local database (`show security hotspot users`). Confirm guest is still checked in and room is occupied. Verify field mapping (Room Number = username, Last Name = password) matches portal form.
Accounts Deleted After Check-out	Automatic cleanup after guest departure	This is normal behavior — accounts are removed from HSG when guests check out in PMS. If guest needs to reconnect, front desk must re-check them in.
Bandwidth Limits Not Applied	Wrong profile assigned or profile missing bandwidth settings	Verify selected profile exists and has bandwidth limits configured. Check guest account in HSG shows correct profile. Restart hotspot service: `security hotspot <lanif> stop; start`.

Best Practices¶

PMS Synchronization¶

Test synchronization interval — Start with 15-minute intervals; reduce to 5 minutes for high-turnover hotels
Monitor communication logs regularly — Check PMS communication logs weekly for errors or missed synchronizations
Backup guest database — HSG local database is temporary; never rely on it as the authoritative guest record. Always maintain PMS as the source of truth
Network monitoring — If HSG and PMS are in different subnets or datacenters, monitor network latency; high latency can delay account synchronization

Guest Experience¶

Customize captive portal branding — Update portal page with hotel logo, terms, and promotional content
Set reasonable session timeouts — Balance convenience (longer sessions) with security (shorter sessions for shared devices)
Offer multiple authentication profiles — Example: Standard (2 Mbps bandwidth), Premium (10 Mbps), Loyalty Members (unlimited)
Display clear login instructions — Provide in-room Wi-Fi guide explaining that username is room number and password is last name

Security¶

Restrict guest access — Apply firewall rules to block guest access to hotel internal networks (management VLAN, corporate servers)
Isolate guest traffic — Use separate VLAN for guest Wi-Fi; prevent access to other VLANs via client-local-access no in hotspot instance
Never expose management services — Ensure SSH and GUI access are restricted to staff network; never allow guest access to HSG management
Monitor guest activity — Enable logging and periodically review user session data for anomalies or policy violations
Keep firmware updated — Regularly update HSG firmware; refer to Release Notes for security patches