The CheckBox Difference


There are many hotspot hardware providers and hotspot service providers. What makes CheckBox different is the technology, our pricing and above all our service. CheckBox Hotspot Systems are designed from the ground up for the hospitality industry. Our programming and engineering team do not use off-the-shelf software intended for the corporate office environment and then try to make it work for your guests; they create software from scratch with all of the features – and only the features – that you need. This makes management easier for you and gaining access simpler for your guests. And since we design and maintain our own software it costs you less.

With CheckBox you own the system – there are no required monthly fees or long term contracts. While other Hotspot service providers may require three or five year contracts, with CheckBox you own it outright, and there are no hidden recurring fees.

The best technology and great pricing mean nothing unless there is something backing it all up. CheckBox provides dedicated U.S. based support for both property management and optional U.S based support for guests with fast response time and quick turn around on shipping. Our U.S. based manufacturing means that when you order a new system it will get to you in days, not weeks, and parts for emergency repairs are always in stock, often arriving within one or two business days.  

  

 Q. How do I plan my hotspot system? What questions do I even ask?

A.Providing Guest Internet Access is not difficult, but does require some planning. For help determining what factors that you need to consider before buying a system, you can download a free copy of the booklet,

"Guest Internet Access;  Getting Them On-Line".


Q. How large of an area will my hotspot cover?

A. Hotspot coverage, like a cordless phone can range from 40 or 50 feet up to over a thousand feet or more. Range can also be extended through the use of add-on mesh repeaters. For larger areas multiple mesh repeaters can be added.

Factors such as walls, construction materials and other wireless devices can all contribute to how far wireless access can reach. Also different wireless standards have differing ranges. (See comparison below)

Q. What kind of devices can access my hotspot?

A. Unlike some other systems CheckBox works with all wifi and most wired devices - Windows, Macintosh, Linux, even I-Pods, smartphones, game consoles and more.

Q. Do my customers have to load special software to access the hotspot?

A. Absolutely not. CheckBox works with your customer's web browser and does not use special proprietary software.

Q. How do I set up the system? I am not at all technical. Do I need to hire someone to do this?

A. The system was designed to be very simple to set up. All of the configuration will be done by us before we ship the unit to you, although you can make changes to all settings yourself if you wish. For most locations users will do the following to set up the system:
  • Unpack the unit.
  • Mount it in it's new location.
  • Plug into an electrical outlet.
  • Connect the Check Box to your internet connection.
  • Set up is done!
For most small to mid-sized properties you do not need to hire someone to set up your system. If you wish to have it done professionally, any computer service technician (or most neighborhood high school kids) should be able to have it up and running in just a few minutes.

Click to download the Instruction Manual


Q. What is the difference between wired and wireless clients? What is a client?

A. A client is any device that can connect to the internet, a PC (desktop, laptop or tablet), game console, I-Phone, PDA or any other device. Wireless clients connect using one of several wireless standards, sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi. Wired clients plug into a wired connection, called ethernet, with a connector that looks like a fat telephone plug.

Q. Can I have both wired and wireless clients? Why would I want to?

A. Yes, you can use a mix of wired and wireless clients. Most locations will have at least one wired client PC to create tickets, usually the existing office PC. In most cases this will not interfere with the PC's regular duties. You may also choose to have one or more wired PC's in a public area where guests who do not have laptops can access the internet and their email. And of course any guest with their own wireless devices can access the network. (If for some reason you do not wish to allow wireless access it can be easily turned off)

Q. How do I contol access?

A. After the system has been set up, you open your web browser and login to your manangement screen . In your management screens you can determine whether to use tickets, limited or unlimited free access, credit cards or Paypal, or permacodes. You can also use a combination, for example allowing everyone 30 minutes of free access each day, and then requiring them to get a ticket from the office or enter a credit card on the welcome screen.

Q. How do I use the included credit card software module?

A. You can allow your users to pay for their access with a credit card, in addition to tickets. The credit card access module is included with your master unit. It works in conjunction with the popular Paypal service and still allows you to determine the pricing and duration of the usage. Paypal charges a small per transaction fee, and you will need to establish a merchant account with Paypal. Your guest do not need to have a Paypal account to pay with a credit card.

Q. What is the difference between Cable/DSL, Satellite, Fiber and T1 vs. Dialup?

A. Cable, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), Satellite, Fiber and T1 are dedicated higher speed internet connections, offered through the telephone company, a cable TV provider or an independent internet service provider. In addition to being faster than a dial up connection (anywhere from 5 to 50 times faster) they are always on and do not tie up a telephone line.

Dialup connections are slower and tie up your telephone line, often resulting in the need for a dedicated phone line. Usually, when comparing the cost of dialup and DSL or cable, by the time you add in the cost of the phone line and monthly fee to the internet service provider the costs are almost the same.

However some areas just can not get Cable or DSL, and T1 (a dedicated digital circuit from the telephone company) is usually just too expensive. For most of these locations Satellite is the best route to go using a provider such as DirecWay.

Q. What are the different wireless standards?

A. Currently there are four wireless systems in use, all based on what is called the 802.11 standard.

802.11b is the oldest and most common standard.

802.11g is a the most common standard in use right now, providing faster connections and is backwards compatible with 802.11b. 802.11g can also yield slightly longer range under most circumstances. Many hotspots can also support 802.11g, and all 802.11g clients can use 802.11b.

802.11a is another standard. It operates on a different frequency than the other two standards, and has the shortest range of all. Almost all 802.11a clients can use the other two standards. 802.11a is used mostly in corporate environments, and does not penetrate walls very well.
802.11n is the newest standard that allows greater speed or greater range, but not both. And the increase in speed or range is determined by environmental conditions, you do not get to choose. 802.11n had been proposed for over three years before it was adopted, and there were three different, non-compatible "N" standards proposed. These proposed standards were referred to as "Pre N" or "Draft N". Many manufacturers released "Pre N" devices which may or may not be compatible with the final standard. When an N device encounters an N system that is not from the same standard they fall back to 802.11g mode and any "N" benefits are lost.
The speed benefits to "N" are mostly seen with internal file transfers - sending a file from one computer on your network to another computer aslo on your network. Unless you have very high speed interent access coming to your property, there is little benefit to using "N" to access the internet.

Q. What about software updates?

A. Your CheckBox system will automatically check with our support servers on a regular basis for software updates. When updates are available your CheckBox system will automatically download and install the updates with no action required from you.

Q. Why don't you charge large monthly support fees like other Hotspot providers?

A. In the majority of hotspot systems most of the monthly fees the vendors charge to the site owners or collect from the tickets sales goes towards end user support costs. To provide good support desk help can cost between $5 to $8 per call, or $1 to $2 if you use an off shore based service. However the vast majority of hotspot users do not need support, Checkbox just works for them. So with typical hotspot business models if you are selling service to the site owner they end up paying hundreds of dollars per month to support a small minority of their users. If the hotspot business model involves selling tickets to the owner for resale, then those support costs get passed on to all users, when only a few ever use the support.

Now when you begin to track the reasons users have problems with accessing the wireless services it almost always comes down to three issues:
  1. User equipment (laptops) that were not properly configured or user equipment purposely configured not to connect to public networks (corporate laptops belonging to companies that do not want them connected to public networks for security purposes)
  2. Users who are unfamiliar with how to use their own equipment.
  3. Other applications interfering with their connection or proprietary on-line systems that do not conform to published network standards.

For venues that do need end user support or where it is required by your franchise we offer user support packages.

 

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