FAQs

1. Do I need to be aligned with a particular ISP to use the WHS960 Wireless Gateway?

No. The settings of the WHS960 allow you to choose any ISP and to update the settings as necessary. Return to top

2. Can I use the WHS960 to advertise to my customers?

Yes. The WHS960 allows you to define advertisements and have them appear as pop-ups on your customer’s screen; as long as they do not have pop-ups disabled on their web browser. Return to top

3. Can I measure and bill by bandwidth usage?

The WHS960 bills by time usage. However, you can control bandwidth for users logged on to the WHS960 via the Advanced Setup menu, ie you can ensure that every connection has the same up/downstream and limit each user to 256/256. Return to top

4. Can I use another printer instead of the thermal printer?

Although the WHS960 comes with a thermal printer, it can be connected to another network printer, either wirelessly or via the LAN port at the back of the unit.

You can also use the web interface to create the ticket and print to a network printer. Return to top

5. Can my logo be printed on the receipt produced by the WHS960 printer?

The WHS960 thermal printer is designed to print text only. If you wish to have your logo on the receipt, we recommend that you use your own network printer. Return to top

6. Can users still use the internet if the thermal printer runs out of paper?

Yes. Accounts can be generated using a web browser.

To replace the paper, the WHS960 takes the same paper as an EFTPOS or credit card machine and you can get these from any stationary store or newsagent. Return to top

7. What do I do if I am in the middle of printing a receipt when the paper runs out?

If you are in the middle of printing a receipt when the paper runs out, simply switch to generating accounts via your web browser.Return to top

8. Can I use the WHS960 with a dial-up connection?

The WHS960 can be used with a dial-up connection, however, we recommend using the WHS960 with a broadband account as the speeds your customers would have would be very slow when shared across multiple users. Return to top

9. Can I issue a user name and password that can be used for more than one WHS960 e.g. Hotspot Café A and Café B?

All user names and passwords are location specific and are not transferable. For a wider deployment of hotspots with multiple site access you would need to use the radius client aspect of the WHS960 which does not allow you to collect money at point of sale, you would need to have a database of customers and another way to bill them (ie a monthly account). Return to top

10. Can users VPN into their office network with the HS800?

Yes, users can VPN into their office networks with the WHS960 provided they already have VPN client (software) installed on their computer and their office network has a VPN server configured to allow remote users to access the network and that the modem connected behind the WHS960 supports VPN passthough. Return to top

11. Can I schedule free time for my customers with the device, e.g. 5 minutes free on Monday morning at 9 am?

The best way to achieve this is to set the pricing value for one button at X min/hours for zero dollars (where X is the number of minutes you wish to supply as free-time). In this way you would have one button that always issues free time and can be used at other times if necessary. Return to top

12. Can my users complete their download if their time runs out mid session?

Once the session has ended, the downloading session is disconnected. However, the user can replenish their session time using the replenish button in the information window (http://1.1.1.1/info.html). The WHS960 will warn the user before their time runs out and notify them when their time has expired. Return to top

13. Can I restrict bandwidth to users logged on to the WHS960?

You can only restrict the users' bandwidth (22Mbps, 11Mbps, 5Mbps, 2Mbp, 1Mbps). You cannot limit connection-specific bandwidth (e.g. User A can connect at 22Mbps and User B can connect at 5Mbps). All users will have the same bandwidth allowance. Return to top

14. Can I daisy chain a number of WHS960's together?

The WHS960 has not been designed to daisy chain, however, you can extend the range covered by the WHS960 by connecting a Wireless Access Point (such as NetComm's NB730) to the LAN port on the rear of the WHS960. Return to top

15. Can WHS960 usage information (i.e. account generation, system reboot, billing, accounting, etc) be sent directly to an email address?

The WHS960 usage information can be sent directly to a specified email address, provided your network either has an SMTP server (mail server) or ISP has an SMTP server to process the email sent to you.Return to top

16. Can I remotely log in and administer the WHS960, e.g. via the Internet from my home?

You can remotely log in and administer the WHS960, as long as your ADSL modem has been set up to allow pass through to the WHS960 (port forwarding) or you have registered a unique URL with a DNS service such as www.dyndns.org. Return to top

17. How far can the WHS960 be from the thermal printer?

The WHS960 can be up to 100 metres away from the thermal print when using an ethernet cable. 100 metres is the limit on Ethernet cables. Return to top

18. Can I have multiple printers with the WHS960?

Yes you can, you can have many printers, either the hotspots thermal printer or a network printer as long as they are all connected on the same LAN. Return to top

19. How do I administer the WHS960 from my office LAN via the WAN port?

Firstly, identify the WAN IP address of the WHS960 (via WHS960 System Quick View). Secondly, use your web browser to connect to this address. Thirdly, log in to the administrator's page with your username and password when the dialogue box pops up. Return to top

20. Can I extend the range of my WHS960?

Yes you can. The WHS960 is a wireless router and can be extended using antennas, repeaters and access points just like an wireless network. Return to top

21. Can I connect a fixed PC to the WHS960 and still need a user name and password?

Yes you can. The four ports on the back on the hotspot are a switch that will keep the billing requirement. You can connect a fixed PC to the back of the WHS960 and it will request a username and password before you can connect to the internet. Return to top

22. I connect more than 4 fixed PC's to the WHS960?

Yes you can. You would connect a switch into one of the 4 LAN ports on the back of the WHS960 and you can have either 24 or 48 PC's connected (depending on the size of the switch). Return to top

23. Can I have my local PC's and laptops on the network and not need a username and password?

Yes you can, there is a section in the WHS960 where you can add MAC addresses that should never be prompted for a username and password.Return to top

24. what can I do if I want a group of people to be able to use the WHS960 without a password?

There are three log in levels to the WHS960. The first username and password combination is admin/admin which allows you into the firmware and has full access. The second level is account/account this just lets you onto the internet without the need for a username or password. You can change this setting and give it to a group to use and all users can get on without being prompted for a username or password. (this is especially userful in hotel conference centres for delegate groups).

The third level is super/super and allows for billing details and logs to be viewed in the WHS960. Return to top

25. Can I connect a fixed PC to the WHS960 and still need a user name and password?

Yes, the WHS960 has a credit card gateway with an Australian company called securepay. www.securepay.com.au . You can have the WHS960 ask for credit card details for payment. The WHS960 uses the same billing amounts as the printer, however you do not need staff interaction for the transaction. Return to top

26. Do I need a license to run a hotspot?