© 2013 Ruckus Wireless, Inc. Open Secure Hotspot FAQ 1

Secure  Hotspot  Frequently  Asked  Questions  

• What is Secure Hotspot? • How does it work? • Is a special license required? • What Ruckus equipment supports this? • Is this functionality supported on Ruckus standalone APs? • What documentation is available? • Is HTML/web coding expertise required? • Is example code available? • Can I use the example code as-is for my deployment? • How do I get help?

What  is  Secure  Hotspot?  The Ruckus Wireless Secure Hotspot is designed to create simple-to-deploy public Wi-Fi

networks that can be used to self-provision into a more secure, encrypted network. It is

based on the patented Dynamic Pre-Shared Key (Dynamic PSK) encryption technology to

provide robust and secure wireless access while eliminating the arduous task of manual

configuration and management of encryption keys on end devices.

How  does  it  work?  From an end-user perspective, the initial connection is similar to a typical open hotspot; the

user connects to the open SSID and is redirected to a login page in the browser. At that

point, the user is prompted to enter some kind of identification (such as an email address)

before continuing. The captive portal server sends a request via XML to the ZoneDirector

requesting it create a D-PSK on the secure network for the user with a specific expiration

time and key length. The ZoneDirector returns the D-PSK that the captive portal can display

to the user. Optionally, the web server can offer a Zero-IT script that the user runs to

automatically configure their device.

Once the user device has been configured, it is automatically moved to the secure SSID. All

user data is now encrypted and secured with its individual, unique D-PSK.

© 2013 Ruckus Wireless, Inc. Open Secure Hotspot FAQ 2

Is  a  special  license  required?  The XML APIs used to implement Secure Hotspots does not require a special license. The

functionality is included in the base ZoneFlex software.

What  Ruckus  equipment  supports  this?  All Ruckus ZoneDirectors support this functionality. Any Ruckus AP may be used to host the

WLANs as long as a ZoneDirector manages them.

Is  this  functionality  supported  on  Ruckus  standalone  APs?  No, a ZoneDirector is required to issue the D-PSK.

What  is  required  to  implement  Secure  Hotspot?  Implementing and deploying Secure Hotspot requires the following:

• Ruckus ZoneDirector • Ruckus ZoneDirector-managed APs

© 2013 Ruckus Wireless, Inc. Open Secure Hotspot FAQ 3

• Web server (captive portal) • Web logic on the captive portal (XML/HTML code)

What  documentation  is  available?  A configuration guide is available here.

Is  HTML/web  coding  expertise  required?  Yes. Secure Hotspots are implementing via XML API calls to the ZoneDirector from a web

server. Web logic and coding expertise is necessary to write the actual implementation.

Is  example  code  available?  Yes. Example code to demonstrate the Secure Hotspot functionality is available here.

Can  I  use  the  example  code  as-­‐is  for  my  deployment?  This is not recommended. The example code does not represent a hardened or complete

implementation suitable for a production network. It is provided as-is, with no warranty for

demonstration purposes only. The developer is encouraged to use it as a reference and

example to write a production-ready server.

How  do  I  get  help?  The configuration guide and example code is an excellent place to begin. If more support

of the APIs is required, please contact Ruckus technical support.