Hotspots Host Requirements
Connection
The Hotspots host must have a Sonic.net DSL connection, with static IP addressing, a DSL bridge or modem, plus an Ethernet switch or hub, and a WiFi access point router which supports 802.11b/a/g, NAT and DHCP.
LAN Setup
The DSL bridge/modem should be connected to your switch or hub, and any locally connected computers (PCs, Macs, Xbox, etc) can be directly connected to this switch. DHCP is offered, so you can either set the addresses of these systems static, or use DHCP on all systems. You should not use static and DHCP - this will likely result in networking problems.
The WiFi access point router should be configured with it's WAN/Uplink side on the last IP in your range of provided IP addresses. It's this special last IP which causes the VPN handling of the WiFi connection. There should be no systems connected to any Ethernet connections on the LAN side of the WiFi router. The WAN side netmask should be 255.255.255.0, and the gateway should be xxx.xxx.xxx.1, where the class C of your IP range is used in place of the "xxx's". Nameservers should be set to 208.201.224.11 and 208.201.224.33.
The LAN/WiFi side of the router should be configured with a set of private IP addresses, which are generally of the form 192.168.1.x, and should be set as a DHCP server. For most access points, these are the default settings.
SSID
The SSID for the system should be set to "Sonic.net". You are granted a license to broadcast the Sonic.net name in the system SSID on the condition that the WiFi access point be configured to provide Hotspot access using the technical methods and under the terms described in this document. Any other use of the Sonic.net name is expressly prohibited.
WEP
WEP (wired equivalant protocol) security should be turned off. The VPN tunnel provides the security for the link, and is of a much higher grade than WEP.
Transition
For transition to WiFi hosting, your DSL connection will be given a new set of IP addresses.
After using the DSL IP Tool to enable your Hotspot IP, please set your PC or PCs to "obtain an IP automatically" in the TCP/IP settings. This allows us to make the migration to your new IPs without coordination, as your system will be able to obtain one of the new IPs as soon as we allocate them.
Thanks for your interest in Sonic.net WiFi Hotspot hosting! If you have any questions, please see the newsgroup at news://news.sonic.net/sonic.dsl
