Making WiFi available to customers

Create a Post
Jeff Rodier

Jeff Rodier

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
Joined
Jul 28, 2005
Posts
19,217
Loc
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
I was wondering if someone could help me with this. I bought the restaurant next door a couple of months ago and want to offer WiFi.

Here's the question, can I open my wireless router to my customers but still protect my store computer. Should I set up a second router or can I employ security settings and open the one I use now. My store computer is hard wired to the router now and just use the wireless for playing on the laptops.
 
You'll want to isolate that activity to it's own router and IP, or random folks will probably infect/damage/take your data, use your printer(s), etc. see: http://www.thegrumble.com/showthread.php?t=6368

There are special routers for this purpose, where you can set up a custom welcome/login page to control access with a periodic or one day passcode, etc. This discourages the neighborhood (and potentially patrons of the park) from using your account for unlawful purposes. The signals can be picked up from a fairly good range, with the right equipment.

I suggest talking with your ISP about this first. Most likely you will need a new account installed for the restaurant. It may be a special (pricier) contract in the restaurant's corporate name, since the restaurant is becoming the service provider. They may or may not require some kind of legal verbiage (acceptable use policy) to be on the screen, when customer first connects to the router. They'll probably want assurance that you are controlling who is granted access, so they don't lose revenue to neighbors who may be stealing from your feed.

The ISP's all have different policies about this stuff, so it's good to check with them first.

Let us know how you make out!
Mike
 
Thanks Mike. ISP provider is my local phone company and they told me they don't care what I do with it on my end. Can I protect my data and use the router I have now. I would lock it down overnight.

Can this be safly accomplished? Can one internet connection be connected to more than one router?
 
It can, providing the ISP is able to assign you a couple IP addresses. Most likely, they will do this for free. Then you would run one wire to each, from the dslmodem (you may need a small $30 hub/switch if it doesn't already have 4 ports built in), and configure them individually. They won't be able to get into each other, but can both use the internet.

I have the same setup for one of my clients, who is sub selling his internet to a tenant. Each company has control of their own router.

To keep it free of unwanted guests, you could change the WPA password once in a while, and give it out to patrons.

There are several ways to meet your goal, from a technical standpoint.

I'm still not sure about the giving it out to a different business thing, though. But you can double check with them.

Mike
 
Mike Labbe @ GTP said:
There are several ways to meet your goal, from a technical standpoint.

I'm still not sure about the giving it out to a different business thing, though. But you can double check with them.

Mike
Click to expand...

The business issue isn't a problem since everything is under one LLC. Both businesses use the same merchant account and phone as well. It is all technically one address as well. These were all considerations when I bought the place.

Do I need to talk to the ISP or should I try plugging in another router to see if it automatically assigns another address.
 
A simple way to do this is to connect an additional router into one of the ports on your existing router (make sure and use the wan port on the additional router so that it sees the lan on the existing network as the internet. Open the existing router up to an unsecured setting, but lock down the security on the second router for your store use. The only thing to remember is that the internet activity of anyone using this service will be traced back to your internet account and id. With your setup, this is a fairly minor risk, but should be considered. Give me a call any evening if you want to talk. My cell is 678-787-8257
 
what are the liability issues involved when YOU provide the accessibility and THEY provide the illegal activity?????? that make you an accessory before/during the fact???
 
I don't think there is any liability here. When someone logs on not only is the address recorded but the machine using it is also. This is no different than someone using WiFi at the airport.
 
Hi Shaun,

I will definately give you a call when I have picked up another router.

Thanks
 
Create a Post
Back
Top