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Captive Portal Features You Need

Choosing to implement guest WiFi in your business will change how it operates. With this, you have a unique opportunity to create a captive portal in your business that can, in turn, drive revenue. Below we will touch on what exactly a captive portal is and how you can leverage our captive portal features to get more valuable data from your clients and deliver real ROI.

What is a Captive Portal?

Before we start, we need to know: what is a captive portal? The basic concept is that when a customer joins your WiFi, they will be taken to a login page that asks them for some form of data to confirm that a real person is logging into your network.

They might log in using an email address or a specific social media account. Either way, your business receives an added value. You’ll learn data like:

  • Name
  • Age
  • Social media of choice
  • Email address
  • Visit length
  • The items people view when they log on to your internet and then your webpage

All this valuable data can be utilized to help you develop excellent marketing outcomes in your business. Using GoZone WiFi’s systems, you can add numerous captive portal features that will give you the greatest number of benefits. Consider adding each of these features to your new captive portal system.

Survey and Form Builder

If you’ve ever wanted to get direct feedback about specific ideas in your business setting, then the survey and form builder is for you. You can create a survey that triggers when someone logs into your WiFi, asking them to provide a brief answer about a new product or provide a review about their experience.

It’s a good idea to make sure you add a consent option on the screen when conducting these surveys through email. A consent agreement informs you who agrees to receive your content and who is not willing to that time.

Guest Flow

Before customers log into your WiFi system, they are greeted by a login page. You can customize that page to have anything from logos to new promotions in your business. The hard part is getting the information on the page without slowing down the time it takes to access your WiFi.

Guest Flow showcases branded content in an easy-to-navigate format for WiFi guests, rather than attempting to clutter a single splash page with multiple competing messages. Using Guest Flow, you can enhance the WiFi login experience for guests by displaying branded content, including interactive graphics, text, video, and even surveys and forms.

Payments and Vouchers

Businesses that have customers that can stay on their internet for a long time, such as in a hotel, will inevitably run into people that want access to faster WiFi. You can provide that for them at a cost. You can create a payment or voucher tool to sell your customers access to timed sessions on higher-speed WiFi.

Your business can set various speeds and session times available for purchase. Vouchers work by creating an option where guests access the different WiFi speeds and timed sessions you offer by inputting a 6-digit code into the captive portal.

WiFi Scheduler

You do not have to offer your customers access to WiFi every day of the week. Instead, you can set up a WiFi scheduler to set certain days and times when your WiFi signal is broadcasting. Perhaps your business is not open all week long, or you do not want to broadcast the signal when your business hours have ended. Using a WiFi scheduler can help in this endeavor.

Access Codes

Many businesses have come to realize that it’s safer for them to limit access to their WiFi systems. As a result, you can create access codes for your customers to use only when they have patronized your business directly.

This element of a captive portal is highly useful in hotels, convention centers, and any other place that has a lot of people that come and go without buying anything.

Session Profiles

If you have too many clients coming into your business and using up all the bandwidth, then you can use a login and timeout feature. That way, a person creates a session profile by logging into your WiFi but has their bandwidth throttled and timed, so they can’t use more than their fair share.

Presence Data

Do you want to know how many people come into your store and which hours are your busiest? You could use presence data by geofencing your brick-and-mortar store and using the data collected to reveal customer counts, how long they stay online, and more.

SecurePass

Although it might not be right for every business, SecurePass is another great option for businesses that want to give their customers the chance to onboard multiple devices quickly and easily.

Great areas of use for this valuable captive portal feature include RV parks, campgrounds, national parks, marinas, and other places where multiple guest devices need to be added to the WiFi system at a single time.

Ad-Based Login

Lastly, you might have spent a great deal of time and effort developing an advertisement, and you want to disseminate its message to as many people as possible. Using ad-based logins makes your customers sit through an advertisement before they connect to your WiFi.

This requires the Ads4WiFi system to be added to your GoZone Wifi system, but it’s a surefire way of getting your advertisement to reach its intended audience.

 

Are you interested in adding these smart features to your captive portal-powered WiFi network? Here at GoZone WiFi, our Marketing4WiFi platform comes fully equipped with all of the features listed above so your captive portal is fully decked out to run at the most optimized level possible.

If you’d like to learn more, reach out today or even schedule a demo with us so you can see why we put the ‘Smart’ in Smart WiFi.

Coupons

Unlock new revenue streams with Smart WiFi’s automated coupon campaigns—create unlimited, customized offers that are instantly delivered to your guests via email or SMS when they connect to your WiFi. Effortlessly boost engagement and drive repeat business, while tracking every redemption to see real results for your venue.

Splash Page Scheduler

Take control of your guest experience with our Splash Page Scheduler! Effortlessly plan and customize splash pages for any day or special event—whether it’s a weekly promotion or a one-time announcement. With flexible scheduling, you’ll always deliver the perfect message to your guests, exactly when it matters most.

How Does OpenRoaming Work?

OpenRoaming is a groundbreaking framework designed to provide seamless and secure Wi-Fi connectivity across multiple networks without the need for users to repeatedly log in or manage credentials. This simplifies user experiences while enhancing security and interoperability. Here’s how OpenRoaming operates:

  1. Automatic Device Authentication: OpenRoaming enables devices to automatically authenticate to participating networks using trusted identity providers, such as service providers, educational institutions, or enterprise systems.
  2. Federated Trust Framework: It leverages a global federation of identity providers and access networks. This ensures secure communication between the user’s device and the Wi-Fi network, allowing for trusted and seamless connections.
  3. Encryption and Security: OpenRoaming employs advanced encryption protocols to ensure secure data transmission and user privacy.
  4. Seamless Handover: When moving between participating networks, OpenRoaming allows for uninterrupted connectivity without requiring users to re-authenticate or reconnect manually.
  5. Standardized Deployment: Networks participating in OpenRoaming adopt a consistent framework, ensuring compatibility and ease of deployment across diverse environments.

Advantages of OpenRoaming

  • Effortless Connectivity: OpenRoaming eliminates the need for repeated logins or managing passwords, delivering a frictionless experience for users.
  • Improved Security: By using identity federation and encryption, OpenRoaming ensures user data is secure, reducing risks associated with public Wi-Fi networks.
  • Global Interoperability: OpenRoaming’s federated framework allows users to connect seamlessly across a vast ecosystem of participating networks, enhancing mobility and convenience.
  • Enhanced User Retention: Businesses benefit from providing an uninterrupted user experience, encouraging longer visits and repeat engagements.

Challenges with OpenRoaming

  • Initial Setup Requirements: Participating networks must implement the OpenRoaming framework, which may involve technical setup and coordination with identity providers.
  • Network Participation: OpenRoaming’s effectiveness depends on widespread adoption by networks and identity providers, limiting availability in areas where participation is low.
  • Compliance and Maintenance: Ensuring compliance with OpenRoaming standards and maintaining infrastructure can require ongoing effort and investment.

OpenRoaming for Businesses

 Businesses that adopt OpenRoaming, which allows guests to connect automatically, gain a competitive advantage by providing a secure and effortless Wi-Fi experience for customers. From improving customer satisfaction to creating opportunities for engagement and loyalty, OpenRoaming transforms Wi-Fi connectivity into a strategic asset. By joining the OpenRoaming ecosystem, businesses can become part of a global network that keeps users connected wherever they go.

How Does CAPPORT Work?

CAPPORT (Captive Portal API) streamlines the process of connecting users to Wi-Fi networks by creating a seamless and user-friendly experience. When a user accesses a CAPPORT-enabled network, they are guided through an efficient flow for authentication and internet access:

  1. Connection Initiation: The user’s device requests internet access when attempting to connect to the network.
  2. DHCP and CAPPORT State Interaction:
    • The device communicates with the DHCP server to obtain an IP address.
    • Along with the IP, the DHCP server provides a URL to the CAPPORT State endpoint.
    • The device queries the endpoint to determine whether it needs redirection to a captive portal.
  3. Captive Portal Engagement: If required, the user is redirected to the portal, where they can complete actions such as accepting terms, entering login credentials, or providing other validation.
  4. Authentication and Access: Upon successful validation, the network grants the user internet access, and redirection ceases for the duration of the session.
  5. Browsing and Session Extension: Users can browse without interruption. CAPPORT also supports seamless session extensions, allowing users to extend their session without re-authentication.

 

This standardized process ensures a smooth connection and consistent user experience across networks and devices..

Advantages of CAPPORT

  • Standardized Connectivity: CAPPORT ensures uniform communication protocols, delivering consistent network behavior and enhancing the user experience.
  • Improved Browsing Experience: Avoids common HTTPS redirection issues, reducing errors and streamlining the login process.
  • Seamless Session Management: Enables session extensions without re-login, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for users.

Challenges with CAPPORT

  • Implementation Complexity: Setting up CAPPORT requires a robust network infrastructure, which may challenge businesses lacking technical expertise.
  • Local DHCP Server Requirement: CAPPORT relies on a local DHCP server with an API, necessitating specific configurations and potential cost considerations.
  • Device Compatibility: As of 2023, CAPPORT support is not universal, limiting functionality on some devices.

By addressing these challenges, businesses can leverage CAPPORT to enhance connectivity, improve user experiences, and create opportunities for Wi-Fi monetization and marketing.

Talk to an Expert

 

Smart WiFi Suite Enterprise Feature Matrix

  • Enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure
    Scaleable platforms on the Amazon AWS cloud provides carrier-grade uptime.
  • Multi-Location Data Views
    An aggregated view of your data giving you visibility to all of your locations or drill-down to specific locations.
  • User Access Control
    Allows your administrator to control and limit access, features and data visibility among users.
  • Advanced Captive Portal Engine
    A complete toolset to design and build dynamic captive portals, guest flows and custom privacy controls. Includes our Touchless Menu features.
  • Guest Forms, Vouchers and Payments
    Collect guest data, surveys, on-line or offline payments and offer different access levels.
  • Customized login methods
    Choose how guests are able to access your network including social login, emails and SMS login, advertisements or a combination.
  • Data Export
    Full guest profile export to CSV allowing you to use collected data in third party systems.
  • Detailed Location Data Analytics
    Analyse detailed information about your locations like busy days, busy times and location comparisons.
  • Demographics and Device Information
    Make informed decisions based on detailed demographics and perform location comparisons.
  • Data Sync to other systems/API
    Save time populating other systems as guest profile data can be sent to external systems on timed intervals.
  • Triggered Campaigns
    Engage with your guests without the manual work by creating personalized email, SMS or Twitter campaigns.
  • Coupons and Loyalty
    Increase spend and promote repeat visits by creating incentives for guests or their friends to come back.
  • Import external data
    Bring in contact data from other systems to consolidate your marketing efforts into a single comprehensive platform.
  • Contact segmenting and lists
    Build contact groups to send personalized messages to your guests based on automatic segmentation and your own critera.
  • Scheduled Campaigns
    Communicate with your contacts to drive awareness through email, SMS or Twitter.
  • Traffic Counts and Statistics
    Monitor your venue and events with real-time and recorded traffic counts and patterning.
  • Heatmapping and Traffic Flows
    Visualize crowd density and how people flow in, out and through your venue to see where people congegrate.
  • Alerting and Reporting
    Create automated alerts to help control crowds or to monitor abnormal trends.
  • Intelligent Landing Page Builder
    Simple to create pages that support multiple campaign types and can easily be modified and re-purposed for other venues or events.
  • Campaign Management Tools
    Offer your advertisers options to suit their advertising needs such as A/B testing, ad weights, flexible scheduling and more.
  • Reporting and Attribution
    Analyse detailed information about the campaigns and creatives to get the best campaign targeting.

  • Access


  • Insights


  • Automation


  • Contacts


  • Presence


  • Advertising

You should receive a text shortly with a link to view a sample Guest Flow.

Take a look at the sample we just sent you, and feel free to reach out if you’d like to learn more.

Custom Splash Page Builder

A custom splash page helps give a captive portal the branded look it needs to stand out from the crowd and give guests the peace of mind they’re accessing the network associated with the venue they’re visiting.

WiFi Payments and Vouchers

Offer premium guest WiFi access and promote WiFi upgrades with comprehensive payment and voucher modules. Payments can be used to offer guests varying speeds of WiFi access, while vouchers are great for venues that want to utilize a captive portal that also requires a voucher code for WiFi access.
WiFi payments and vouchers

Guest Plans

Venues can now offer multiple levels of guest WiFi access with our Guest Plan feature. Guest Plans are defined by specific upload and download speeds and session time limits. Brick-and-mortar businesses can offer guest WiFi access and promote WiFi upgrades with our new payment and voucher modules.

Versatile Form Builder

Create and display custom guest surveys on any splash page of your guest flow. Collect feedback and gather additional data points to create smarter marketing.

Enhanced Guest Flow

Guest flow gives venues complete control over the guest WiFi experience. Guest flows help keep a visually pleasing captive portal experience by preventing clutter of multiple marketing assets. Keep it simple, or turn your WiFi into a digital billboard.
WiFi splash page with survey social login

Integrated Ad Spaces

Ad Space Integrations is a powerful feature for venues who want to promote products, deals and specials, online shopping, loyalty programs and other signups, or third-party advertisers all on a pre-authenticated Splash Page.

Increase impressions and clicks for advertising opportunities by showcasing AdSpaces before requiring a guest to connect to WiFi.

Have an app that needs more downloads? The URL redirect function will navigate guests to the app store specific to their device as soon as they click on the advertisement/call-to-action button.

No more will guests have to wait to connect to WiFi to reach interactive ads. Ad Space Integrations takes Ads4WiFi smart advertising tools and places it our smart marketing environment powered by Marketing4WiFi.

Hotspot Scheduler

Determine the specific days and times that WiFi is available to guests. Hotspot Scheduler offers smarter WiFi control by allowing venues to run their guest WiFi during business hours.