Simple Wifi Authentication System for small non profit

Question

I am working (volunteering) with a small non profit that currently has 7 desktop computers and 4 laptops. I am facing a new problem and not sure how to proceed.

This non profit has a number of guest users/visitors, which would like to connect to the wifi network to be able to get internet access, but they dont want an "open" wifi access point. They want user level authentication.

Here are the basic requirements:

1. Each user would be given a user name (preferably there email) and password
2. The secretary of the organization can easily add or remove users to the list; this is to facilitate guest users as they arrive and level.
3. Employees dont have to login to the system, they are automatically logged in.

I know how to create a secure system that uses certificates to auto login the employees, but what system do people recommend to manage guest access to the wifi network? With the critical point being the user management has to be drop dead simple!

Solution 1

Pfsense will do that for you. The feature in pfsense is called Captive Portal for your guests. The user list is either managed via a Radius server or a local database (makes it really simple to setup). For employees, you just have to enter the MAC of their PC and they won't be prompted for username/password.

This indeed does require you to install a server but pfsense can really fit on any hardware.

Solution 2

try EasyHotspot , its support voucher system, user level, bandwidth limit, etc .. and its opensource

or if you want to try the hosted solution service, means that you dont have to install your own system, you can try easyhotspot-nano.com. its also free

Comments

[Nick Kavadias]

beware of weenies using TCP over DNS to get free wifi

[Everette Mills]

Thanks, didnt realize that pfsense had this ability with both the captive portal and the MAC authentication. Now just need to put together the database interface for the secretary to add/remove users.

[Antoine Benkemoun]

If I remember this correctly, the MAC auth is a setting of the Captive Portal so you don't have to use some strange method.

[osij2is]

+1 for mentioning pfSense.

[Spence]

Wait-- I'm a "weenie" for using a wide-open protocol on somebody's wide-open AP? >smile<