A Visitor-based network (VBN) is a

computer network A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are ...

intended for mobile users in need of temporary

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

access. A visitor-based network is most commonly established in hotels, airports, convention centers, universities, and business offices. It gives the on-the-go user a quick and painless way to temporarily connect a device to networks and broadband Internet connections. A visitor-based network usually includes hardware (such as VBN gateways, hubs, switches, and/or routers), telecommunications (an Internet connection), and service (subscriber support).Definition partially sourced from
Visitor Based Networking Definition
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What is a VBN Gateway?

Virtually any Internet-based Ethernet LAN can become a visitor-based network by adding a device generally termed a "VBN gateway". The function of a VBN Gateway is to provide a necessary layer of management between public users and the Internet router to enable a plug and play connection for visitors. Typical VBN Gateway provide services and support for billing and management application integrations, such as PMS systems (in hotels), credit-card billing interfaces, or Radius/LDAP servers for central authentication models. A common criteria for VBN gateways is they allow users to connect and access the available network services with little or no configuration on their local machines (specifically modification to their

IP address An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.. Updated by . An IP address serves two main functions: network interface ident ...

). In order to accomplish this a layer 2 (See: OSI model#Layer 2: Data link layer) connection is required between the user and the VBN gateway. Aside from the layer 2 (or bridged) network requirement, there are really no other restrictions for using a VBN gateway to enable a network. As such,

Ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...

802.11x IEEE 802.1X is an IEEE Standard for port-based Network Access Control (PNAC). It is part of the IEEE 802.1 group of networking protocols. It provides an authentication mechanism to devices wishing to attach to a LAN or WLAN. IEEE 802.1X defines t ...

, CMTS, and

xDSL Digital subscriber line (DSL; originally digital subscriber loop) is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean asymmetric di ...

are all acceptable mediums for distributing networks to use with VBN Gateways. In the simplest form a VBN gateway is a hardware device with a minimum of two network connections. One network connection is considered the subscriber network, and the other the uplink to the Internet. The majority of VBN gateways on the market today all use Ethernet interfaces for their connection, but as stated above, any layer 2 connection is acceptable for this.

Types of VBNs

Generally speaking there are three models of operation for a VBN: Transparent, Pay For Use, and Authenticate For Use. Transparent VBN A transparent VBN's purpose is to provide network services to users to reduce support and/or IT infrastructure costs. Generally these networks are not concerned with security but rather fast and easy access. Metro Wi-Fi networks, or free to use Hotspots are examples of this type of VBN. Billing VBN A billing-based VBN is one where users are required to pay to obtain network services. Traditionally these types of VBNs are found in hotel or Hotspot (Wi-Fi) networks. Payment services are provided in a variety of methods, most commonly with a credit card

Merchant account A merchant account is a type of bank account that allows businesses to accept payments in multiple ways, typically debit or credit cards. A merchant account is established under an agreement between an acceptor and a merchant acquiring bank for t ...

in hot spot environments or integration to a

property management system Property Management Systems (PMS) or Hotel Operating System (HOS), under business, terms may be used in real estate, manufacturing, logistics, intellectual property, government, or hospitality accommodation management. They are computerized syste ...

in hotel environments. Authentication VBN An authenticate for use VBN is most commonly found in business environments. In these cases the VBN gateway requires users to authenticate to the gateway in order to be allowed access to network services. Commonly this authentication is achieved via integration to

RADIUS In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

or LDAP servers or by implementing access-codes which a user would be required to enter.

How does a VBN work?

While manufacturers offer many different configurations for VBN gateways, a set of common features exist. Even the most basic VBN gateways provide DHCP and

Proxy ARP Proxy ARP is a technique by which a proxy server on a given network answers the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) queries for an IP address that is not on that network. The proxy is aware of the location of the traffic's destination and offers its ...

to allow users to connect to the network with no IP address configuration required. A captive portal is used for a variety of functions including, billing or authentication and acceptance of terms and conditions. Once the user successfully meets the criteria in the captive portal, the VBN gateway then allows the user's traffic to be routed through.

References

Networks