After associating with the wireless network, you try to connect to a Web site but are redirected to a wireless “landing” page hosted by the hotspot owner.įrom here, several things can happen. Many hotspots are known as “captive portals.” You’ve probably used a captive portal at your local coffee shop or while staying at a hotel. This tutorial is written for a router running DD-WRT V23 SP2. Hopefully this will be fixed when a stable V24 release is made available in the future. When it comes to hotspots, experience suggests that V23 SP2 is the most usable version, because some hotspot features do not work reliably in newer V24 releases. Unfortunately, one quirk of DD-WRT development is that new does not always mean better, at least not during development cycles. V24 development is well-along, and many beta and RC versions are already available.

Officially, the latest stable release is V23 SP2, released in 2006. Version alertĪlthough DD-WRT provides lots of advanced features for a consumer-grade router, it can be confusing to select a version.

One way to create a hotspot is by using the powerful, free, and open source DD-WRT firmware loaded onto a compatible router, such as the Linksys WRT54G. You can also use the opportunity to promote products or services to guests of your wireless system or, in some setups, even bill them for their usage.Īny wireless router will typically “share” your Internet connection with nearby wireless users, but if you want to regulate sharing, you need a hotspot. Whether you want to share with family, neighbors, co-workers, or customers, a wireless hotspot can give you say over how and when your wireless access is used. But sharing your wireless Internet access out-of-the-box can leave your network vulnerable and without any controls over user activity. Related Articlesįrom the department of “everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten,” it is good to share. Whether you’re looking to generate a new revenue stream, expand or control your existing network, or promote products or services to guests–or more–we show you how to do it with DD-WRT.

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