Working with Hotspot 2.0 Services

You must be aware of Hotspot 2.0 - a Wi-Fi Alliance specification that allows for automated roaming between service provider access points when both the client and access gateway support the newer protocol.

Hotspot 2.0 (also known as Passpoint™, the trademark name of the Wi-Fi Alliance certification) aims to improve the experience of mobile users when selecting and joining a Wi-Fi hotspot by providing information to the station prior to association.

This information can then be used by the client to automatically select an appropriate network based on the services provided and the conditions under which the user can access them. In this way, rather than being presented with a list of largely meaningless SSIDs to choose from, the Hotspot 2.0 client can automatically select and authenticate to an SSID based on the client's configuration and services offered, or allow the user to manually select an SSID for which the user has login credentials.

The controller's Hotspot 2.0 implementation complies with the IEEE 802.11u standard and the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 Technical Specification.

See the Hotspot 2.0 Reference Guide for SmartZone for information on configuring Hotspot 2.0 services, including:

• Working with Hotspot 2.0 operator profiles
• Working with Hotspot 2.0 identity providers
• Creating a Hotspot 2.0 online signup portal