Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Now don’t get me wrong, I actually think this wi-fi hotspot solution is a half-decent idea, particularly if you operate a small coffee shop or other venue and can’t afford to give away free wi-fi. But why is it solely reliant on coins? Even payphones these days have a slot for using a debit card or other coin alternative.

That aside, the Handlink Wi-Fi Kiosk just needs an internet connection from a local ISP and after that it seems to be pretty autonomous. Users wishing to purchase a few minutes of wireless internet just need to insert the necessary coinage into the slot and then hit the confirm button. A built-in thermal printer will then provide a ticket that includes the user’s account name and password, the purchase date and time, the expiry date and time, access duration and the wi-fi SSID. Once the time has elapsed the user’s internet access is automatically cutoff and the account is deleted, so there doesn’t seem to be a mechanism for adding just a few more minutes once you’re already online.

[ Handlink KS-800 Series Coined Hotspot Solution ] VIA [ Register Hardware ]