Edgecore Networks Unveils Its New Wi-Fi Hotspot and Access Control Solution for Flexible Wireless Deployment and Effective Centralized Management

Edgecore Networks today announced a major expansion of its Wi-Fi hotspot and access control solution, offering service providers and organizations additional deployment architecture flexibility, expanded multi-tenancy functionality and improved public Wi-Fi services. Businesses can utilize these features to further optimize wireless infrastructure costs, deliver new experiences for customers and obtain valuable insights from the Wi-Fi network.

Flexible Deployment for a Wide Variety of WLAN Requirements

The hybrid design of Edgecore’s EWS gateway-controller allows the system to be positioned as both an access control gateway as well as a WLAN controller for AP management. In addition, EWS gateway-controller allows network operators to independently configure tunneling between remote APs and central EWS gateway-controller to fulfill specific security and performance requirements. The flexibility of deployment methods and applications allow network administrators to easily meet various WLAN deployment needs.

Enhanced Multi-Tenancy with Virtual Service Zones

Building on top of Edgecore’s Service Zone multi-tenancy concept, network operators now have the option of assigning independent AP group management privileges for each system administrator. A single physical EWS controller-gateway can act as multiple independent virtual networks (Service Zones), each with their own access points, customized login pages, authentication databases, user roles and scheduling policies. Administrators can be authorized to manage one or multiple of these network entities in a tiered fashion, offering a flexible multi-tenancy architecture that caters to SMBs with limited IT resources or organizations needing managed services.

Social Wi-Fi Insights for Improved Customer Experience

For venue owners, Edgecore’s enhanced data collection features help facilitate the monetization of wireless infrastructure and provide increased security. Wi-Fi users can be authenticated directly via their Facebook, Google+, Line, Weibo, VKontakte or OpenID accounts and when these users login, profile information such as name, e-mail and etc., can be collected and used by hotspot owners to implement more effective marketing and advertising campaigns. Additionally, customizable login pages have the capability of collecting administrator-defined fields, such as citizen ID number or passport number for public safety purposes. Combined with Edgecore’s traffic monitoring features such as detailed user events and browsing histories, network operators can easily comply with governmental regulations and trace the source of any illegal activities.

Organizations today are constantly looking for ways to minimize IT infrastructure costs while deriving new applications and services. By decoupling wireless AAA functionality from on-premises equipment and enhancing multi-tenancy capabilities, organizations have much more flexibility to choose the deployment model with the best cost-performance. As for businesses offering public Wi-Fi access, social media insights offer an effective method for providing differentiated and targeted services to their customers.