In brief
Looking like it works and actually working are different things. Ten checks on installation day take you from the record flow to the off-site copy, link by link.
"It works" is not enough
The installation is finished and guests are getting online. For most businesses, that is where it ends. But the box's real job is not getting guests online; it is keeping a verifiable record of those sessions for two years. The only way to know that job is being done is to test it.
The 10 items below are a list you work through with your installer in about an hour after a Hotspot-Box installation. Note the date and who did each one; this sheet is the first document you will reach for at your first inspection.
1. Is the record flow alive?
Connect a phone to the guest network, log in with an SMS code, browse for a few minutes and log out. Then open that day's records in the panel. You should see your own device's MAC address, the internal IP it received, and the session start and end.
If you cannot, the box is not seeing the traffic. The usual cause is that the AP's guest SSID is plugged straight into the modem instead of the VLAN behind the box. Do not move on until this is fixed.
2. Does an alarm arrive when recording stops?
You need to know when the record flow is interrupted. Set up alarm channels in the panel (e-mail, Telegram or webhook) and send a test notification. If it reaches your phone, the channel works.
Do not point alarms at a personal mailbox. When staff change, nobody reads it. Use a shared mailbox or several recipients.
3. Is the clock right?
A record is only as good as its timestamp. Check the NTP status in the panel: it should be synchronised with drift close to zero. The box also reports its own clock against the timestamp service; if the two disagree, you will see a warning in the panel.
During installation, also confirm that NTP traffic passes through your firewall. Some networks block outbound NTP, and nobody notices for the first few days.
4. Are timestamps being obtained?
As each day closes, the box sends that day's digest to the RFC 3161 timestamp service; only the digest travels, never the records. Check in the panel that yesterday's timestamp was received and that the "pending days" count is zero.
If no completed day exists yet on installation day, leave this item for the next morning and note it on the list.
5. Did the SFTP/FTPS copy land?
A second copy of the archive must leave the box. Define an SFTP or FTPS target in the panel and run the connection test. Then log into the target server and confirm the file is really there. A "connection successful" message and a file sitting on disk are not the same thing; permissions may be blocking the write.
6. Try every login method
Whichever methods you enabled, try each on a real device:
| Method | How to test | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| SMS code | Log in with your own number | Code arrived, record created |
| Coupon | Generate one coupon in the panel, redeem it | Coupon marked as used |
| Log in with your own address | Link or code delivered | |
| Registered user | Log in with a pre-defined account | Session started |
| Remembered device | Log out, reconnect | Opened without the portal |
Device memory relies on the MAC address. If MAC randomisation is on in your phone, the method will not work; that is a known limit, not a fault.
7. Bulk coupon generation and printing
If you will hand out coupons at reception or the till, generate a small batch (say 10) from the panel and print them. Is the code legible on paper, is the validity period right, does it carry your business name and a short instruction? Run this test from the computer the printer will actually be used with.
8. SMS credit alarm
When credits run out, guests cannot log in and you find out from complaints. The box warns when credit drops below 100. Confirm in the panel that this alarm is on and tied to the channel from item 2. If you use your own SMS provider account, turn on the provider's own balance alert as well.
9. Export and verify one day
Pick any completed day in the panel, run verification and export it as a ZIP. The ZIP should contain the record rows, the manifest, the timestamp file and the verification report. Confirm the report says the chain is intact and the timestamp is valid.
There is a second benefit to this test: when an official request arrives, that will not be the first day you look for the button.
10. Mark the last day of the trial together
Hotspot-Box comes with a 7-day trial. On installation day, write the trial end date in the calendar and book a short call with your installer for that day. On that call you look together at a week's worth of timestamps, SFTP copies and alarm history. A week of real data tells you more than every test on installation day.
After the acceptance test
When the list is done you hold a dated, signed sheet. Keep it with the installation documents. Repeat items 3, 4, 5 and 9 once a month; it takes five minutes.
You can see how the box fits into your network on the box page and the virtual machine option on the virtual appliance page. Contact us to arrange an installation call.