ES2827048A1 - MANUFACTURER INDEPENDENT CAPTIVE PORTAL SYSTEM (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Manufacturer independent captive portal system. Captive portals either work in proxy or gateway mode or are closely tied to a specific manufacturer, have their own user management, do not independently manage internet access from local access and/or are not capable of converging network sessions with the user's sessions in third-party applications. The invention consists in the creation of a captive portal that does not work in gateway mode and that is capable of working with different manufacturers of network controllers (even several in the same environment) and that can be integrated with the customer's systems and other external ones. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Manufacturer Independent Captive Portal System

TECHNICAL SECTOR

The present invention refers to a captive portal system capable of integrating with different manufacturers of network equipment thanks to the implementation of the CoA (RFC-5176) and UAM (Universal Access Method) standards, without assuming an intermediate element (gateway mode or proxy) between the user and his output to the network. Similarly, to give access to users, it integrates with the customer's CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or with a third-party payment gateway.

User access is done by grouping them into profiles that provide different qualities of service on the network. They get access to both the Internet and the local network, keeping different usage accounts.

The captive portal also acts as an authorization server for third-party applications using the OAuth2 protocol and guarantees consistency between the user sessions of these applications and the network sessions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of practical application of the invention, that of captive portals, these have two modes of operation, in "proxy" mode as shown in figure 1, or in "Gateway" mode, as shown in figure 2 , configuration in which they are closely linked to a specific manufacturer, with their own user management, so that they do not independently manage internet access from a local access and / or are not able to converge network sessions with network sessions. user in third-party applications.

The proxy mode configuration is not a real alternative in scenarios where large volumes of users are handled. In more complex environments, where the user is not only being offered access to the internet but also access to other services, it is necessary to have the aforementioned characteristics for proper operation.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The advocated manufacturer-independent captive portal system solves in a fully satisfactory way the problem previously exposed, based on a simple but effective solution.

For this, the invention consists of a captive portal system capable of integrating with different manufacturers of network equipment thanks to the implementation of the CoA (RFC-5176) and UAM (Universal Access Method) standards, without assuming an intermediate element (mode gateway or proxy) between the user and his output to the network.

Thus, the system of the invention provides for a single captive portal capable of communicating with multiple controllers from different manufacturers based on the aforementioned technology.

The portal has the ability to integrate with the client's CRM or with a third-party payment gateway; and also, act as an authentication server for other platforms.

Consequently, it is a single portal, whose access is carried out through a login based on user and password, social networks, another customer login, or through an app for mobile devices.

The portal will provide various methods for the delivery of user credentials: email, SMS, ticket printing and will allow to configure the expiration time of guest accounts.

The portal will be designed to be compatible with travelers' mobile devices, tablets and PCs independently of their operating system, it will allow the management of advertising (push, coupons, etc.), it will have a user panel where the user can manage your profile and account for the impacts resulting from the display of advertising or other mechanisms that may be determined in the monetization strategy that customers determine. Access to the portal will be done through a secure connection.

The offer of the portal and the contents can be configured according to parameters such as the user's profile, their location or the destination and will include the possibility of conducting surveys of travelers.

From a conceptual point of view, the platform that is integrated into the captive portal is based on two large Functional Domains on which all services are built:

• Customers

• Products

Any service, content, direct sales, indirect sales, advertising, coupons, etc. will be considered products. A product is any service, content or sale that can potentially be consumed by a customer or user.

We will consider as clients any user who can connect to the platform through the driver that provides Internet access. Thanks to the characteristics of this project, user data will be available that will allow to know with enough precision the characteristics and segmentation of the different profiles, making it possible through behavioral analytics to improve the offer of products that are offered.

These two pillars are nourished by the information resulting from adding different functionalities.

The resulting system of the proposed platform will be the result of the crossing of both customer and product platforms applied to different communication channels.

The system allows interconnection with other functional blocks provided by third parties. This flexibility translates into a greater ability to adapt to business needs, both present and future, and decouples the services from the portal itself by making them independent from it.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is going to be made below and with the aim of helping a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of a practical embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description. where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a schematic diagram of the conventional configuration of a proxy-type captive portal system.

Figure 2.- Shows a schematic diagram of the conventional configuration of a Gateway-type captive portal system, linked to the manufacturer.

Figure 3.- Shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of a manufacturer-independent captive portal system made in accordance with the object of the present invention.

Figure 4.- Shows a block diagram of the system of the invention applied to a single network controller, with its corresponding client devices, and in which the means of authentication and authorization have been added, as well as the associated external systems. to the captive portal.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In Figure 1, as discussed in the background section of the invention, a schematic diagram of the conventional configuration of a proxy-type captive portal system is represented, in which client devices (1) access a WiFi network ( 2) directly associated with a captive portal (3) that manages the internet connection (4) in proxy mode.

According to figure 2, when it comes to certain volumes of information, in which different clients participate with their corresponding client devices (1,1 ', 1' '), and their WiFi networks (2,2', 2 ' '), and according to the conventional structuring in Gateway mode, each WiFi network (2,2', 2 '') has associated a network controller (5,5 ', 5' ') that can be from different manufacturers, This makes it necessary to have several captive portals (3 ', 3' ', 3' ''), linked to each manufacturer, to manage internet access (4).

This configuration implies bottlenecks in information management, as well as the need for captive portals linked to each manufacturer.

Well, in accordance with the invention, and as shown in Figure 3, the proposed new system is optimal in high-volume data environments that are also heterogeneous in terms of network infrastructure.

To do this, the client devices (1,1 ', 1'') connect to their corresponding WiFi network (2,2', 2 ''), which in the described environment can be controlled by a network controller (5, 5 ', 5'') from a different manufacturer than the one you are connected to another client device. More specifically, all the controllers (5.5 ', 5'') that participate in the system are connected to a single captive portal independent of the manufacturer (6), through which internet access is managed (4) .

In accordance with figure 4, and analyzing a particular client, the network controller (5) associated with the WiFi network of said client checks in Radius (7) (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) if the device is authorized to make use of the network (MAC cache) and with what profile or quality of service (QoS). The captive portal independent of the manufacturer (6) is in charge of showing users a website where they can modify their permissions on the network: access (typically via login) or profile change (typically upselling). The captive portal can be supported by external services (8) such as the customer management system to validate an access or a payment gateway to perform an upselling.

Within the external systems (8), other platforms that can use the captive portal as an authentication server are also considered, such as a content portal offered through Wi-Fi or a sales portal. In this way the access credentials are passed along with the corresponding profile without the user has to re-register in the system.

As for the client devices (1), these can be mobile devices such as smartphones or laptops, although they can be of other types such as network printers or any other with a WiFi wireless interface.

On the other hand, the external systems (8) can be very varied. Typically, customer management systems for user validation, payment gateways to charge for services, external platforms that consume the authentication service of the captive portal, etc.

Claims (1)

1a.- Captive portal system independent of the manufacturer, characterized in that it is constituted from a single captive portal independent of the manufacturer (6), which communicates with different network controllers (5.5 ', 5' ') associated with respective WiFi networks (2,2 ', 2' ') for accessing client devices (1,1', 1 '') to the internet (4), it being envisaged that the captive portal independent of the manufacturer (6) includes means of implementation of the CoA (RFC-5176) and UAM (Universal Access Method) standards, as well as integration with the customer's CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or with a third-party payment gateway; including functions as an authentication server for other platforms.