Configuring Wireless Guest Services for Hotspots

The Wireless Guest Services (WGS) feature in SonicOS enables one to offer guest users wireless access to the Internet while ensuring that they cannot access the protected local network. This chapter describes how to implement WGS as part of a secure wireless solution. WGS can be used in a corporate environment to provide Internet access to visitors while still providing secure access to local resources for WiFiSec authenticated users. WGS access can be controlled by implementing user authentication for guests and by governing access rights using firewall access rules. One can safely allow guest users to access a wireless network by managing guest accounts with SonicWALL Wireless Guest Services. The users can also control guests' Internet access, view their statuses, and log them out. In its purest and unprotected open form, free wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) does not require users to enter login credentials. One simply clicks to connect on an available, unsecured SSID, and he or she is ready to launch his or her browser or any application he or she chooses. While WGS is very useful in wireless hotspot scenarios, the technology is often implemented in tandem with other security mechanisms, allowing both guest access and secured user access. For wireless hotspots that require either backend authentication or more robust interfaces for adding and provisioning wireless guests, SonicWALL offers the Lightweight Hotspot Messaging (LHM) protocol. This powerful yet simple solution allows for completely custom interfaces and procedures when guests log onto the wireless network, including options for secure payment processing, user tracking, and integration with any backend database.