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Hotspot Gateway

The RansNet Hotspot Gateway (HSG) is an integrated platform for delivering managed guest Wi-Fi and hotspot services — combining a captive portal, AAA/RADIUS authentication, per-user access control, and account management in a single solution. It powers everything from a simple guest splash page to large multi-VLAN, multi-portal deployments with billing and self-service.

Hotspot features are configured under HOTSPOT SETTINGS and HOTSPOT USERS in the mfusion management interface, or via the CLI on each device.

How the Hotspot Works

When a guest connects to a hotspot network, the system walks them through a standard flow:

  1. Connect — The guest joins the hotspot SSID and receives an IP from the instance's DHCP scope.
  2. Redirect — Unauthenticated traffic is intercepted and redirected to the captive portal login page.
  3. Authenticate — The guest logs in via the configured method (username/password, OTP, payment, etc.); credentials are validated against RADIUS.
  4. Authorize — The user's access profile is applied — bandwidth limits, time and data quotas, and access rules.
  5. Account — RADIUS tracks the session for analytics, billing, and policy enforcement.

Each hotspot instance maps to a LAN interface or VLAN, so a single gateway can serve multiple networks — each with its own portal, login method, and policies.

Core Components

Captive Portal

The branded login page guests see on connection. Supports multiple templates, flexible login methods (username/password, email/SMS OTP, direct access, payment gateway), and full customization. See Captive Portal Configuration.

Authentication (UAM/AAA/RADIUS)

Universal Access Method (UAM) integration with a local or external RADIUS server handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for every user session. See UAM/AAA/RADIUS.

Hotspot Instance

The per-network controller that ties together DHCP, portal, RADIUS, and access policy for a specific LAN interface or VLAN. See Hotspot Instance.

Access Profiles and Users

Access profiles define the authorization policy (speed, time, data, device limits) applied after login; user accounts and vouchers grant access. See Access Profile, User Management, and Guest Management.

Sessions and Reports

Every login is recorded for accounting. User Sessions shows who is online, session history and login attempts; Analytics and Reports turns that data into usage, billing and quota reports.

In This Section

Topic Description
Overview Hotspot architecture and the end-to-end user access flow
Captive Portal Portal creation, login methods, branding, and seamless re-login (portal-sticky)
UAM/AAA/RADIUS Authentication, authorization, and accounting via local or external RADIUS
Hotspot Instance Per-VLAN instance: DHCP, portal binding, access control, and client-sticky
Access Profile Authorization policy — bandwidth, time, data quota, and device control
User Management Manual account creation, CSV/PMS import, and per-account access rights
Guest Management Front-desk console for issuing guest accounts and vouchers
User Sessions Online and historical sessions, login attempts, sticky sessions, and disconnecting users
Analytics and Reports Top users, peak hours, billing, PMS, quota and portal audit reports

Deployment Examples

For end-to-end hotspot deployments, see the captive-portal use-case guides: