Consumers are adopting wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies rapidly. A variety of WLAN technologies have emerged to provide high data rate wireless network links (also known as Wi-Fi) that can be used to provide data connectivity for mobile computing. Typical consumer uses for WLANs include connecting to the Internet for browsing websites, for sending and receiving electronic mail, and for telephony applications.
As consumer demand grows for “always-on” Internet connectivity for mobile devices, conventional service providers, such as cellular telephony providers, are increasingly deploying networks of hotspots or places where a consumer can go to access the service provider's network and thereby connect to the Internet or other networked resources. Typically hotspots are located in places where consumers or travelers spend time, such as retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and airports. The service providers supply their own wide area connectivity for their customer's use.
One problem with conventional hotspot networks, however, is that many such networks are deployed. These networks largely lack interoperability from the consumer perspective. Although the underlying technology is the same or similar, customers of a first hotspot network typically cannot access the Internet or other resources on a second hotspot network. The hotspot networks generally charge a subscription fee for network access and only provide network services to their own subscribers.
Owners of the businesses where hotspots are located typically allow the service providers to install one or more WLAN access points to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to their customers. Although the plurality of hotspot networks may cause some consumer confusion and dissatisfaction, merchants generally recognize that hotspots have the potential to bring in additional business, which increases revenues without additional expenses.
Some merchants, however, may prefer to purchase their own wireless access points in order to control how wireless access is provided to their customers. One drawback to this approach is that the merchant typically needs to obtain additional data communication services from an Internet service provider to transport the customer's Wi-Fi data to the Internet. Although the merchant may be able to charge a fee for access, high speed or broadband data communication services can be expensive.
What is needed is a system and method for providing wireless access over a wide area data connection that is preexisting in the merchant's place of business. What is further needed is a system and method for controlling access to and generating revenue from the wireless access provided.