Network equipment maker D-Link Systems Inc. on Tuesday introduced its Airspot DSA-3100 Public/Private Gateway. The new wireless networking gateway is aimed at small to medium-sized businesses, restaurants, hotels and other merchants who want to set up public Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) hot spots used by devices like AirPort-equipped PowerBooks and iBooks. The DSA-3100 is the first in D-Link’s new line of AirSpot gateways.
The DSA-3100 incorporates a firewall, DHCP server and router, and can support up to 50 logged-in users simultaneously and up to 10 guest accounts. The device provides audit trails and the ability to authenticate and authorize users, how long they can connect for, how much bandwidth each user can utilize, and where they visit on the Internet. Administrators can limit access by MAC address, direct users to custom-designed Web pages and more.
The built-in database can support up to 250 users, and the gateway can also use POP3, RADIUS and LDAP authentication available for larger-scale networks. The system can be configured with a “free surf area” and login page accessible to all users prior to logging in.
Administration and private use is managed behind the DSA-3100’s firewall, to make sure that public users can’t access confidential info. The gateway tracks and stores user traffic, and produces lists of IP addresses visited and login times. What’s more, the DSA-3100 features security against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, and supports stateful packet inspection (SPI) and network address translation (NAT).
The D-Link Airspot DSA-3100 Public/Private Gateway costs US$599.99.