RedButton has recently begun making our hotspot solution available to selected affiliates via the RedButton Starter Kit - couriered to their doorstep and pre-configured for a rapid plug and play deployment.
Appart from the benefits of the kit contents, these affiliates benefit from RedButton's automated revenue share payouts that fire on the first business day after the end of a billing month. Automated is in bold since as far we know this is a first in the hotspot industry and we are proud of it. Similarly we are also proud of firing off revenue payments for a billing month on the first day of the next month.
So why is automation important? Well we believe it contributes to superior customer service. The more operationally efficient we are the more time we have to spend attending to the needs of our affiliates, end-users and other customers. It's all about service.
So lets go through the contents of the kit. Firstly to mention that the most important aspects are what you don't see, it's in the associated services we provide. We have been operating our own network of hotspots for what is fast approaching two years and this kit and our associated services represents the wealth of experience we have gained. The kit contains:
- A Linksys WRT54GL router flashed with RedButton's cutting edge firmware - firmware is the software that runs on the router and RedButton's firmware has been designed for stability and to set up a RedButton hotspot in a few clicks
- Two 9dBi antennas - optional but in the long run these are a sound investment, the stock antennas on the WRT54GL are not always sufficient
- A batch of seventy flyers and two Wi-Fi Zone stickers - essential marketing material
Finally, here is some feedback we got after we recently couriered a kit to Johannesburg:
Thank you for your help and assistance with the HotSpot.
I’m always very skeptical when implementing new stuff unless I’ve seen it working, but I have to admit, your product is really a breeze to setup and use.
I’m very relieved to see it works so well and are looking forward in setting up as many as possible.
2 comments:
Nice work with the automation.
You may want to rather sell something like a 5.5dbi omni in your kit. There is an ICASA EIRP limit of 100mW in 2.4Ghz ISM. Using 9dbi omni's at the usual radio power of that linksys far exceeds 100mW.
WAPA suggests a max gain of 6dbi for omni antennas.
I've also heard that di-pole antennas are better for indoor hotspots than omni antennas as they have a better vertical coverage.
..but I'm no antenna rocket scientist (-:
Wirelessly enabling a hotel or any sizeable venue is not a trivial task. At RedButton we conduct thorough site surveys to determine the number of access points required and their exact positioning in order to provide high quality of service to end-users. Deployments requiring tens of access points is not uncommon and the meticulous application of our skill and experience ensures a high quality user experience at RedButton's hotspots.
When shipping a Starter Kit to a remote affiliate we use our experience to gauge and recommend what types of antennas would be required and in what configuration. It is important to note that our Starter Kit is just that, a means of getting started, should additional nodes be required to cover a large establishments the supplied antennas would be a sound investment.
When it comes to adhering to ICASA regulations regarding the use of the unlicensed WiFi frequency bands, the need to adhere to them is a given and you are quite right in pointing that out. What is equally important is to consider the intent behind any regulation, as far as we are concerned one of the intended effect of the said regulation is to avoid interference between adjoining networks. Regulation is not enough to ensure this however, a hotspot provider code of conduct is required and no doubt it would also apply to WAPA members. Incidentally we contacted WAPA a few months ago to suggest opening membership up to hotspot providers and to suggest the formation of the mentioned code of conduct.
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