A Wireless Mesh Network-based System for Hotspots Deployment and Management

In recent years Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) or hotspots, as they are commonly known, have emerged as a promising networking platform to extend network connectivity in public venues, providing local coverage for Internet applications on the move in urban areas and rural environments. Wireless hotspots using 802.11-based technology have popped up in corporate offices, coffeehouses, airports, restaurants and bookstores worldwide. For all their utility and ease of use the 802.11 wireless protocol, known as WiFi, has become the mobile connectivity mechanism of choice for business people, travelers, villagers, and everyone else. Unfortunately, even with the protocol's ease of use and its accessibility, there are still technical challenges to be solved toward an ubiquitous connectivity using WiFi hotspots. In this paper we present an experimental wireless system which extends beyond the hotspot's capabilities to provides wireless connectivity at distant areas and at a low cost. The system, combines the promising paradigm of Wireless Mesh Networks with the Captive Portal technology to offer a wide range of Internet-based communication services and applications. We detail the system architecture overseeing its main components and implementation details. Finally, we present some experiments in term of context services and traffic modeling, and demonstrate that the developed system can be easily deployed in term of coverage, management, and offered services.