Retail

Shopping malls and retail

Hundreds of devices connect in the common areas at once. Hotspot-Box verifies them through one portal, keeps the record in the mall and leaves store networks apart.

Hundreds of devices at once
Common area / store split
Announcements and surveys
Remembered devices

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Hundreds of unknown devices, one line

On a weekend, hundreds of phones in a mall's food court want to connect at the same moment. On an open network nobody knows who is who, and if store tills run on the same line, the crowd slows down sales.

Stores are separate tenants. Some run their own Wi-Fi, others use the mall's. Who holds the record and who carries the obligation is rarely written in the lease.

Management also wants guest Wi-Fi to be a channel: promotion announcements, an event calendar, a satisfaction survey. A network opened with a password has no place for that.

What the law expects from a mall

A mall or store that opens internet access to visitors counts as a collective-use provider under Law 5651; internal IP allocation records are expected to be kept, protected with a time stamp and retained for 2 years.

Whether each store is a separate obligated party depends on the tenancy relationship and the network layout; seek legal advice on that point. The box works in both set-ups: one box for the common area, or a box per store. This page is not legal advice.

This page is not legal advice; confirm your obligations with your legal adviser.

Setting up in a mall

1
The box sits between the mall's internet uplink and the core switch carrying the guest network. One box handles 250 concurrent devices; large common areas use one box per floor or zone.
2
Guest traffic travels on its own VLAN. Store tills, the management office, cameras and parking systems never enter it.
3
A store running its own network can install its own box; a store using the mall network passes through the common-area portal. Both are monitored separately from the panel.
4
Client isolation is enabled on the access points. Information screens, digital signage and ATMs are separated by MAC exemption.
5
The portal carries the mall's branding; the post-login redirect goes to the promotion page and the survey module asks the satisfaction question.

Login method

Sign-in method

SMS code
Coupon
Remembered device

SMS code is the primary method; device remembering can be enabled for frequent visitors (MAC randomisation on phones may defeat it). Coupon groups are defined for store staff or event participants. Recommended plan template (standard): 10/5 Mbps, 2-hour session, 15-minute idle timeout, 2 devices, 1 GB/day.

Ready-made plan templates

Speed, session and device count are set per plan on the box, independent of the access point brand. The values below are our own lab recommendations and can be changed in the panel.

Recommended for this sector
Standard
Cafés, restaurants, shops, bakeries, salons, gyms
Speed (down / up)
10 / 5 Mbps
Session
2 hours
Idle timeout
15 min
Devices
2
Daily quota
1 GB
Remembered device
Off
Keeps tables turning; a guest who wants more gets a coupon from the till.
Conference
Events, fairs, waiting lounges, cinemas, bank branches
Speed (down / up)
5 / 2 Mbps
Session
4 hours
Idle timeout
10 min
Devices
1
Daily quota
500 MB
Remembered device
Off
Low speed and one device for many simultaneous users; capacity 250 concurrent devices.
Staff-guest
Offices, factories, office towers, logistics, tutoring centres
Speed (down / up)
20 / 10 Mbps
Session
10 hours
Idle timeout
30 min
Devices
3
Daily quota
None
Remembered device
30 days
Registered users or coupon groups; separate groups for suppliers and subcontractors.
Extended stay
Hotels, serviced apartments, dormitories, hospitals, residential complexes
Speed (down / up)
15 / 5 Mbps
Session
24 hours
Idle timeout
30 min
Devices
3
Daily quota
5 GB
Remembered device
7 days
No new code every day; in dormitories the remembered window can span the whole term.

What is recorded

Verified phone number (encrypted, masked in the panel) or coupon code
Device MAC address and internal IP
Session start and end time
NAT details where present
Daily hash chain and time stamp

What is not recorded

Websites and apps visited
Message content
Location and in-store movement
Shopping or payment details

Example scenario

Example scenario: a three-floor neighbourhood mall

Problem: A three-floor neighbourhood mall with a food court that fills up at weekends. The common-area Wi-Fi is an open network and some stores run their tills on it. Management wants to announce promotions but has no channel.
Solution: One box per floor on the common-area VLAN; store tills moved to a separate VLAN. A single SSID with an SMS-code portal. Plan: 10/5 Mbps, 2-hour session, 2 devices, 1 GB/day. Post-login redirect set to the weekly promotion page, the portal survey set to one question. Monthly coupon groups opened for store staff.
Outcome: Visitors verify with their number and land on the promotion page. Tills are separated from guest traffic. Each box holds its own signed daily record; management sees the hourly density report floor by floor in the panel.

An illustrative example; no real business is named.

Frequently asked

Is one box enough when hundreds of devices connect at once?

One box is designed for 250 concurrent devices. Busier common areas get a box per floor or zone; each box keeps its own record and all are monitored from the same panel. Access point count and placement need their own planning.

Does every store have to keep its own record?

That is a legal question that depends on the tenancy relationship and the network layout; we recommend seeking advice. Technically both set-ups work: stores on the mall network pass through the common-area box, and a store with its own line installs its own box.

Are store tills affected by the guest network?

Not when set up correctly. Tills, POS terminals and the management network stay on a separate VLAN; the box sits only in front of the guest VLAN. The speed and quota limits you put on guest traffic never touch the tills.

Can I run announcements or surveys from the portal?

Yes. The portal carries your mall's branding, the login screen takes an announcement and the post-login redirect goes to your promotion page. The survey module asks a short satisfaction question and the results download from the panel as CSV.

Does a frequent visitor enter a code every time?

With device remembering enabled, a recognised device passes without a code for the period you set. MAC randomisation on newer phones may defeat that recognition, in which case the visitor simply requests a new code. The record is complete either way.

A 20-minute demo for your own venue

Let's work out your device count and sign-in method together.