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Cottage WiFi on CD

Posted by garym on July 4, 2005 - 1:26pm

For cottage managers and motel, campground or cafe operators planning to offer local area wireless Internet (WiFi), getting in the game just got a lot easier. All you need now is an old Pentium, a low-cost wireless router, and the ZoneCD:

ZoneCD is a bootable CD with software pre-configured to create a WiFi gateway. The CD is a mini operating system with automatic hardware detection, and includes support for WiFi end-user authentication and web content filtering.
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If anyone is interested, I have a supply of ZoneCD available; just leave me a note through the SBP. ZoneCD is Linux, but you don't have to know anything about Linux to use the ZoneCD. You just place the CD in your CD-ROM, and turn it on -- couldn't be simpler.

And best of all, each ZoneCD station is set to co-operate with other nearby ZoneCD sites, so there's no confusion, and offers us a technology to provide wide-scale wireless coverage, one location at a time. Now how cool is that!?

in case anyone is interested, here's the gritty tech details ...
Zone CD Features:

ZoneCD is a complete wireless gateway, with all the security and performance features you'd need whether you want a completely free and open customer network or a completely closed and protected private service. Your choice.

Open Mode

  • Homepage Redirection
  • Customize ZoneCD splash page
  • Content Filtering (block porn, downloads, etc.)
  • Customize Firewall rules (thwart attackers)

 

Closed Mode

  • Member authentication/registration
  • Homepage redirection
  • Bandwidth shaping (throttle controls)
  • Daily time limits
  • Daily download limits
  • Zone open and close times
  • Block by hardware MAC address
  • Configure permissions (member classes)
  • Customize firewall rules for each class
  • Content Filtering (block porn, downloads, etc.)
  • Daily Log Mailer program
  • Block traffic to your business LAN
  • Customized login
  • Branded "Terms of Use" template
  • Track use statistics
  • Multilingual login pages (Dutch,French,German,Spanish,English)

And no license fees. Ever.

The ZoneCD is a LiveCD, so it cannot retain setup information over a reboot; ZoneCD must save all configuration options to a floppy disk or a USB thumb drive -- for the same reason, they recommend an external router to connect to your ISP (DSL and Wireless usually provide this anyway).

Once installed, the gateway computer does not require any keyboard, mouse or monitor. It can also be set for secure access (SSH) for remote administration and maintenance.

If you're interested in joining the Plugged Inns, just send me a note here or email me at sbp@teledyn.com

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WiFi-Dog

Submitted by garym on July 5, 2005 - 10:45am.

WiFi-Dog is an alternative approach that's a bit trickier to implement, but if I understand the installation instructions correctly, the whole gateway becomes completely contained inside the linksys Wireless-G router. Amounts to pretty much the same feature set as the gateway off the ZoneCD, but requires the delicate procedure of re-flashing the ROM inside the router.

WiFi-Dog is the gateway software of choice for both the Toronto Wireless and the London (England) Wireless campaigns.

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

$20 Gateway

Submitted by garym on July 6, 2005 - 11:43am.

Jumpin' Jimminies, while it won't do the one-box Wifi-Dog trick, dig this: Business Depot offers the NWR04B-CA Wireless Router for $19.95! Crikey -- I recently paid $40 each for two 4-port hubs, and this one not only replaces them, but adds the wireless gateway.

May and I took the kids to the Sauble Bakery this morning where, at the back table, a woman was hard at work pouring over spreadsheets on her laptop. "You on wireless?," I asked and she laughed and said, "No."

But at $20 plus an old PC and the ZoneCD, maybe she should have said, "Not today. But come back tomorrow."

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever