Zyxel Unveils New 3-In-1 Hotspot Gateway

New All-In-One Solution Simplifies Wi-Fi Setup for Small Business Venues

ZyXEL Communications, a leading provider of secure broadband access, connected home and business networking products, recently announced its new 3-in-1 unified access gateway, the UAG50. The UAG50, which functions as an integrated hotspot gateway router, wireless access point, and point of sale thermal printer is designed to make authenticated internet access setup quick and easy for small business owners.

Nearly 341 million public Wi-Fi hotspots are forecasted to be available globally by 2018 – one hotspot for every 20 people in the world. The proliferation of Wi-Fi hotspots has led consumers to believe that all public business areas should have Wi-Fi. Consumers expect constant internet access from any device, whether at home, at work, or on the go. Businesses that cannot offer a Wi-Fi option are at a disadvantage and may lose out on customer retention and foot traffic as a result.

“The UAG50 was designed with ease of use in mind for businesses,” said Steven Joe, executive vice president for channel business for Americas at ZyXEL. “By embodying several different roles, the UAG50 facilitates the Wi-Fi deployment and setup process, allowing both businesses and consumers to benefit from having a secure wireless network.”

Ideal for coffee shops, restaurants, cafes or any public areas requiring hotspot wireless access for up to 50 devices, the all-in-one solution eliminates the need for multi-device deployment. Generating user accounts and passwords for internet access and authentication setup with the UAG50 is simple, only requiring the press of a button. Access control features allow network owners to service guest accounts as well as block unauthorized users. With advanced billing, businesses are given the flexibility to offer Wi-Fi either for free with a terms of service redirect page, when a purchase is made, or as a paid service. Different billing terms can also be set based on access time per minute, hour or day, offering business owners full control over their Wi-Fi networks.

The UAG50 features include:

• Built-in hotspot gateway router, wireless access point and point of sale thermal printer
• User bandwidth management
• Supports 50 concurrent log-ins and up to 10 billing profiles
• Integrated account generator, Web-based authentication portal and billing system
• Built-in syslog server facilitates compliance with data retention regulations
• Supports external RADIUS servers

In addition to the company’s new product announcement, ZyXEL is releasing new UAG security licenses for the UAG5100 in its latest free firmware, 4.10 (AAPN.0)C0. Found on the ZyXEL website download page or FTP site at no cost, users can enjoy a 30-day free trial of the application management & P2P blocking and web content filtering services by registering and activating the service and device through www.myzyxel.com’s licensing portal. Additional one or two-year licenses can be purchased separately to continue each service’s support:

• Application Management & P2P Blocking MSRP: 1 Year $135 / 2 Years $235
• Web Content Filtering MSRP: 1 Year $255 / 2 Years $425

The new firmware also supports "Free Time,” which enables users to grant complimentary Wi-Fi access for a duration of time ranging from five minutes to 30 days. After the specified time, owners can require a purchase or activation of a username and password for continued access. The option to reset this daily, weekly, or monthly is ideal for coffee shops wanting to grant free Wi-Fi initially, then later requiring paid access, or obtaining a printed username/password ticket from the barista. Additionally, the firmware update adds support for ZyXEL’s ZON Utility and Smart Connect, allowing for detection of other ZyXEL ZON enabled devices for increased network management visibility.

Availability
The UAG50 is priced at $349.99 MSRP and will be available in September for purchase through all ZyXEL authorized resellers and e-Commerce partners. For more information, visit www.zyxel.us/uag50