Those who have done the WiFi Billing System project know that the choice of authentication is not a technical decision, but a business decision. The wrong choice, however stable the backstage, will leave the front desk users with poor experience and complaints. In different contexts, acceptance of the same certification method varies widely and cannot be applied in one way or another.
Portal certification is the most common and easy to use.
The logic of Portal authentication is that users connect to WiFi, open the browser, are reoriented to a certified page, fill in account codes or sweeps before the authentication is properly connected. This process is smooth at the PC end but not on the mobile phone end——Especially iOS.——There are unexpected problems.
When the iOS system is connected to the new WiFi, it automatically pops up the CNA window to check if the network is not."Capture". If reoriented, the CNA automatically opens an internal browser window to display Portal pages. The problem is that this embedded window does not support many front-end properties, some authentication or micromail sweeps are disabled here and the user responds"I can't clean the varnish."The CNA limits are not a systemic problem.
The solution is usually two: to make Portal authentication pages as pure HTML as simple and simple as possible, avoiding reliance on complex JavaScript or framé; and to alert users to close the CNA window and switch them into a formal browser. The latter needs clear user guidance, otherwise the user simply abandons it without knowing how to operate.
Actual cost of text message authentication code authentication
SMS authentication codes are common in hotels, apartments, etc. Users enter cell phone numbers, receive the code and post-registration authentication passes. The advantage of this approach is that no pre-registered account is required and users operate with a high degree of intuition.
SMS unit costs between 0.05 and 0.08 dollars, and if 200 new users certify each day, a month is hundreds of text messages, thousands of dollars a year. This amount is nothing for big places, but the operating cost for small spaces like a few dozen beds or community shops will be felt by the boss."Not a good deal."。
More practical problems are the stability of SMS platforms. The occasional delay in the issuance of SMS platforms at peaks (e.g. holiday holidays) is more pronounced, and users will feel that the system is broken when they wait for dozens of seconds to receive their authentication codes.
The location limits of the Witwe Public Certification
The CVP is certified to be much more useful in the commercial complex, chain of doors."We can not open message", jump to public attention and authorization, the system completes certification when it gets an openaid and integrates users into the public number fan system, which can be followed up by news.
The program is based on the operator having a micro-public code and a public sign has been certified (service or business number). Uncertified subscriptions do not have web permission to run the process.
Also, the micromail sweep step has an implicit threshold on the user side: users need to open the micro-mail and switch to"Clean it up."The retailing scene is good, but the rate of completion of the certification is significantly lower if it is a community-based group of older users or a hospital-like group.
Management costs of account password authentication
The pre-allocated account password is certified in the enterprise’s dormitory and student housing.
The user forgets the password, the account is used by others, and the account is due.——These daily operations are handled by people. If all 200 beds on the site are available every month, and if there is no automated process for the creation and write-off of accounts, managers spend hours a week on this.
Whether the WiFi backstage supports bulk imports, batch expirys, and account numbers automatically tied to residential information is essential for high-flow locations (student dormitories, staff accommodation). If the system provides only a manual interface, it will not take long for administrators to complain.
The cost of a password-free one key authentication
Some sites choose a de-classification key to lower the user certification threshold: users open WiFi and click directly on windows after being connected"Agree and connect", complete the authentication without having to enter any information. Users experience best and complain least because there are few operating thresholds.
The cost of this approach is not real. There are local requirements for WiFi to authenticate public places, and a non-confidential one key is usually used to mark the identity with an MAC address, which is not enough if regulatory authorities require real user identification information.
There is also a point: the MAC address is counterfeit, and if it is MAC-based there are loopholes where users can reset the charge by modifying the MAC. For locations that require strict costing, declassification has a significant security gap.
Multi-certification concurrent transport dimensions complexity
To accommodate different user needs, some sites have two or even three types of authentication simultaneously: account passwords plus SMS certification codes plus micro-mail authorizations. The theoretical coverage is broader and actually creates problems for carriers: users are dispersed on different authentication portals and bill aggregation requires multisource consolidation; when a certain authentication method is problematic, more access screening is available; and how the user affiliation of different authentication methods is managed in an integrated manner requires additional identity integration logic at the system level.
It is recommended that most sites prioritize one of the main authentication methods, the other being a back-up rather than a side push. This reduces the complexity of the transport dimensions and makes users more aware and does not confuse the selection of certification portals.
The design details of authentication pages are often underestimated
The WiFi system authentication page is the first user to touch, but many systems have default authentication pages that are rarely designed by a true user experience. Common questions include: too small fonts (deliverable readability), too small button clicks on areas (the user thinks they are missing), and unclear bug tips (only display)."Authentication failed"No specific reason.
If the system supports custom authentication pages, it is strongly recommended that a serious mobile end fit test be performed and that each step be processed separately with the real iPhone and Android models to confirm that each step is smooth. This test will avoid following up on a large number of complaints less than an hour. If the system does not support customization, then the certification page experience should be included as a rating item in the selection rather than default neglect.
The authentication method is not absolutely optimal, but only the one that matches the scene best. Before making decisions, it is much more reliable to make a clear picture of the site ' s users, regulatory requirements, operating costs and human inputs, and then to choose between the advantages and disadvantages of each certification method than simply looking at technical parameters.