Sputnik’s WiFi management software and access points (APs) are unique - dozens of inexpensive Wireless access points can be controlled from a single server. Now their management software has been upgraded to Sputnik Central Control 2.2
I missed the news earlier this month but WiFi Netnews and LinuxDevices had good summarys of their management software and Access Point.
For example, Softmatrix, a software consulting firm, uses Sputnik APs and management software to provide splash pages for Chevy and Saturn car dealerships, managing the hot spots centrally.
Sputnik features customizeable splash page and lets the administrator manage multiple APs from a single console. David Sifry, the cofounder and CTO of Sputnik and creator and maintainer of Technorati, explains;
“These products make it easy for Wireless ISPs, Hotspot operators, and IT Services companies to roll out managed, authenticated wireless access. At $185 per AP, the Sputnik AP 120 is one half to one fifth the price of wireless Access Points with equivalent features. The Access Point is completely managable centrally - everything from initial provisioning to ongoing maintenance and firmware upgrades, can be done centrally”.“Sputnik Central Control acts as the centralized management console, and the $895 price includes a software license to manage up to 20 Access Points. Additional licensing packs are available as well. Add it all up, and the complete Sputnik system is at least one half to one tenth the price of similar solutions. Sputnik even offers completely free licensing for community wireless groups - making it easy to start and manage a community wireless network”.
LinuxDevices explains the nuts and bolts of their system. Sputnik Central Control enables administrators to track who is on the network, see how much bandwidth they consume, manage end-users, define policies, create captive portal pages, view and create pre-defined or custom reports.
The Sputnik Agent is the key to the manageability hooks that enable automatic configuration and centralized management. Sputnik’s own Access Point, the AP 120, is built around an 802.11b chip from Intersil, recently reorganized as Globalspan, and Sputnik is working on a “Duette” version with 802.11-b/g.
Some 100KB of portable code is incorporated into the firmware of their commodity Access Points. That provides the manageability hooks. It enables automatic configuration, dynamic firewalling, multiple captive portal redirects, policy routing, centralized management, and end-user tracking.
Central Control also includes hooks for functions like billing or an existing AAA security mechanism. For example, if a hotspot provider is also an ISP, it can use an existing billing or authentication platform. Operators that are new to the game can also link to any merchant billing site for credit card processing.
LinuxDevices says an AP Concentrator is being developed. It enables one or more unmodified third-party APs to be managed by Sputnik Central Control by adding the Sputnik Agent to the compact flash of a single board computer like a Soekris box (which supports two NICs).
The Sputnik solution may be ideal for campus or mall-like “clouds”. Dozens of access points can be managed from a single station without the high cost of enterprise-level solutions.
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