RedButton has custom developed one of the most advanced Wi-Fi hotspot systems that exists today. Our emphasis is on flexibility. Our Wi-Fi hotspot technology is broken down into four areas:

1. The Authentication/Authorisation System

   - This is the billing system component.

2. The Router Firmware

   - Software that sits on all our equipment that communicates with the billing system.

3. The Account Manager

   - Enables a user to open a free account and buy prepaid credit.

4. The Splash Page & User Statistics System

   - The screens that are presented users.
   

The Authentication/Authorisation System

RedButton has customised a Radius authentication and authorisation system. With our system the emphasis is on flexibility so that we are able to change anything to meet our customer's needs. 

Authentication and Authorisation can be explained as follows: 

• Authentication

  - A means whereby a user's identity is checked. This is normally done by a user communicating a password secret, although this is not the only authentication that we are able to perform.

• Authorisation

  -  The process whereby a user is allotted some sort of resource once they have been authenticated. An example of this can be Internet time or data, depending on how much credit they have in their account.

The power of our technology comes from its flexibilty. We have leveraged this flexibility to develop customisations to satisfy our cutsomer's needs. Some of these customisations include:

• Privileges - Where a user is provided with a yearly, monthly, weekly or daily privilege in terms of resources (data allowance or time allowance).
• Bulk Usage - A reward scheme for bulk usage.
• MAC Authentication - Authentication using the MAC address of an entity rather than a password (this allows for seemless interaction with the hotspot).

We have done many more customisations, and always willing to listen to our customer's needs.

The Router Firmware

Our router firmware and associated systems in particular gives us the edge over all our competitors. Other companies mostly use DD-WRT, an embedded firmware obtained for free under a GNU license. We found that it was buggy; most problematic was the issues of disconnecting users when a hotspot had many users logged in (i.e. when the hotspot was under heavy strain). Therefore we designed our own firmware. The highlights of our firmware is as follows:

• Stable - It never crashes! We make this claim with confidence as we are currently running 287 hotspots without incidence.
• User Friendly - The web interface of our firmware makes configuration, installation and maintenance of hotspots a breeze (see a screenshot below):
  
• Configuration is a 3 step process: (1) Set your password (2) Configure your Internet connection (3) Set up the hotspot features
• Advanced tasks such as the setup of additional repeater nodes, multiple SSID's, client mode etc. are possible with just a few clicks
• Extra Features To Aide In Administration - Unique and proprietary monitoring and management systems which include:
• Remote access at all times without requiring complex dynamic dns or other setups. Network troubleshooting and customer support is therefore greatly simplified.
  
• System logging which provides a full history of each and every potentially troublesome activity or hardware failure at all hotspots.
  
• Monitoring of all equipment resulting in an early warning system for outages which often kick in before customers call to complain about and report the problem.
• Complete Flexibility - Automatic uninterrupted firmware or security upgrades are remotely performed without requiring very costly and time intensive site visits to each and every hotspot location.

RedButton Firmware Web Interface

The Account Manager

End-users register with RedButton's Account Manager to purchase by credit card or top-up their account using vouchers. The Account Manager adheres to all accepted e-commerce best practices to ensure that users can transact in an environment where security is second to none. This includes web access to the Account Manager being secured by Thawte, sensitive user information being encypted, secure channels to our payment gateway, no credit card numbers being stored and much more. 

The Splash Page & User Statistics System

This system is divided into two parts:

1. The Splashpage - The first thing a user sees upon connecting to the RedButton service.
2. Usage Statistics - A screen which displays a user's usage statistics once the user has successfully authenticated .
   

Splash Page

The first thing a user sees once they have connected to the RedButton service is a splash screen. This screen is vital, as it allows users to authenticate themselves to the system. But it can also serve as a means to advertise an establishment and build brand loyalty. This makes the service orders of magnitude more professional and an asset to the venue. The venue's customers associate the service with the venue and not with a third party and this ultimately boosts venue brand awareness and loyalty.

Usage Statistics

Once a user successfully logs in, Internet access is allowed, but in many cases a limitation is placed on this access. The limitation can result from various reasons; it could be a time  or data restriction based upon the amount of Internet credit purchased, or it could be a restriction to ensure that people do not loiter at a venue. The usage statistics screen shows the user this restriction, and therefore warns them when they will be logged out of the service.