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| Comfort
Inn
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| SOHOware ISS2000 Subscriber Server Installation |
| Deploying Broadband services in public environments
requires the ability to accommodate a wide range of computer environments
instantaneously, without the involvement of the user to configure network
settings. This is particularly true
in hospitality applications where the constant turnover of hotel guests makes a
simple-to-use high speed service an imperative. |
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SOHOware
was recently selected to provide a Subscriber Management
solution for two Comfort Inn locations, one in
Alexandria, LA., and the other in Waco, TX.
The installer of the networks, AEN Broadband of
Scottsdale, Az, who selected the product was specific in
describing the need:
provide a device that would allow any guest to
connect to the Ethernet port in their room and
immediately obtain Internet access without restriction. |
Comfort Inn, Alexandria, LA
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| SOHOware recommended the ISS2000 Subscriber Server, a fully functional guest management solution that has built-in intelligence to recognize a new user who has logged on. The device accommodates any existing network settings on the guest’s computer, and redirects the user to the hotel’s Internet service, instantly, and with no configuration hassles. |
Comfort Inn, Waco, TX
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| How it works |
Without the Subscriber Server, a network’s IP router would require a new user’s computer to have compatible IP, DNS and Gateway network settings. For hotels that cater to business travelers, those most likely to utilize Internet services, this can be a particularly complex problem as many business travelers have computers configured for the specific static IP subnets of their company’s LAN. Unlike dialup services, high speed services that need an IP address would require these guests to reconfigure their PC’s network settings at every hotel they stayed in. A nuisance to some, and downright daunting to many.
SOHOware’s ISS2000 eliminates the need to change network settings. Through an intelligent IP redirection feature, the Subscriber Server automatically redirects the IP address, Gateway and DNS settings to a single WAN interface. The redirection process can be done transparently to the guest, or via login authentication as desired by the hotel to meet their business needs.
For Comfort Inn, unrestricted access was the key point. The ISS2000 delivered. Says AEN Broadband’s President, Gary Doty,
“I needed something affordable with the performance features that would meet corporate expectations for Comfort Inn. The SOHOware ISS2000 has the features I need.”
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| What about wireless? |
| Mr. Doty has future expansion plans for Broadband service deployment at these and other Comfort Inn locations. SOHOware’s wireless networking solutions will provide enhanced connectivity options for hotel guests, and will easily fit into the existing network architecture already in place. |
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Wireless Coverage for Meeting Rooms
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Initially, this will include the deployment of wireless access points to provide RF signal coverage of the lobby and meeting room facilities. Anyone connecting to the wireless network will have the same hassle free access to the Internet via the Subscriber Server device, regardless of their PC’s settings.
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| Holiday
Inn by the Bay: |
| Time Warner
division deploys SPAN at Holiday Inn |
| A
commercial division of Time Warner located on the
Eastern seaboard has won approval from a global hotel
chain to deploy SOHOware SPAN solutions. |
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| The
hotel, a Holiday Inn in Portland, Maine, is a major
vacationing and convention destination for the region.
Providing wireless roaming broadband access to
its clientele creates not only an attractive amenity but
a welcome revenue opportunity as well. |
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| How it works |
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Access Points
have been deployed on each floor of the multi-story
hotel to achieve total facility coverage.
Guests may access the network wirelessly using
802.11b enabled laptops or Wi-Fi compliant adapter
cards. For guests who need a wired connection, they receive a simple device, known as a Wireless Ethernet Client
(WEC), upon request at check-in. The WEC provides a single Ethernet port and automatically accommodates the existing network settings of their PC. No configuration is required. Whether wired or wireless, the guest experiences a no-hassle, simple log-in process to obtain broadband Internet access anywhere in the hotel’s facility.
A
subscriber server device automatically manages network
access authentication utilizing the hotel’s corporate
RADIUS. |
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