Welcome to the GoZone Reseller program! We’re glad to see that you’ve selected one of the most powerful AND easy-to-use Social WiFi platforms available today!
We’re glad you joined the family and we look forward to a long and rewarding relationship!
Below are some considerations that you need to think about and make decisions on as part of the setup process. This is a business, so it will take some work initially and can be live as quickly as you’d like based on YOUR business model.
Initial Considerations and Decisions:
- Will you be invoicing clients for the WiFi service? If so, do you have a recurring billing system in place?
- Do you have a merchant credit card processing account? If so, do you have a payment Gateway?
- How will you take orders from your customers? Do you need an electronic shopping cart?
- Will you be adding the service offering on your website? Will it link to a shopping cart?
- Have you decided what to charge for the service yet? Do you have value-added services to bundle?
- What types of venues will you PRIMARILY be marketing and installing in? What hardware will you need for this type of a venue? Do you have a technical person or integrator that you can work with on various venue-types? Do you have a source to order equipment?
- How will you support your customers? Do you have or will you have a call-center and/or ticketing system?
- Who will design your marketing literature/websites and other collateral? We do offer you SOME templates as part of the setup but you would still need to customize them specific to your business model.
- A compatible gateway controller (we can ship you one if needed)
- A technical resource that is knowledgeable with TCP/IP and WiFi
- Access to your domain name service (like GoDaddy)
- A Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Google+ developer account (White Label Resellers)
- A Constant Contact developer account (White Label Resellers)
- An SMTP server service (such as Mailgun) (White Label Resellers)
- A Mailgun E-mail verification API account (White Label Resellers)
- A Twilio account (to allow SMS connect method) (White Label Resellers)
If you have questions about any of these, or would like assistance, please speak to your GoZone White Label rep for recommendations. We offer additional training options and consulting to help you through some of these considerations.
Features and Updates:
We’re constantly adding new features to the Smart WiFi Dashboard, so keep an eye on the version number in the lower-right-hand side of the Dashboard and check the GoZone White Label Support site for the latest feature updates in our Release Notes section!
Dashboard Hierarchy:
Here is how the Dashboard is designed and laid out. This will be important to understand how all of these tie together.
This graphic shows you the relation of each component from within the dashboard which determines who has access to certain data in the dashboard. Operators are the highest level of the dashboard. You are the operator meaning, you and your staff have access at the highest level to all of the data within your dashboard instance. Clients are your customers or in some cases they may be your resellers or affiliates. Client users can access data associated with the Client they are assigned to. Hotspots are the geographic locations that offer guest WiFi powered by the Marketing4WiFi platform. The physical equipment or WiFi access points that are installed at the Hotspot and communicate with the Marketing4WiFi platform are gateways.
Hardware Selection:
Next to the Smart WiFi Platform, the hardware selection is the most important decision you’ll make as a Hotspot operator. Here are some important guidelines to follow:
- Be sure to choose hardware that is fully compatible with the Smart WiFi platform.
- Be sure to TEST all hardware and understand how to configure and support it. Do not assume that just because hardware is listed on this or 3rd party support websites that it’s supported. Hardware manufacturers frequently modify or discontinue hardware noted by hardware versions. Don’t assume… order and TEST.
- Be sure to FULLY TEST EVERY device before deployment at a venue. The last thing you want be be doing is going to all of your locations AFTER the hardware has been installed.
- Ask yourself if you can remotely manage the hardware. If not, find equipment that you CAN manage remotely.
- Price is NOT everything. Don’t skimp on hardware unless you want to be replacing it and supporting it frequently. Remember, the benefit a Smart WiFi solution for your clients is for marketing. They have paid over $100 for a standard WiFi router before, so why wouldn’t they do it again to give their guests the best WiFi experience possible.
- Put custom labels on each piece of Hotspot hardware that you deploy in the field. We recommend adding your company name, address and a support phone number. Venues often turn employees so it’s important to label the equipment so new employees can call you if there’s an issue.
- Put a label on the power adapter warning not to unplug the equipment. Often times, employees at a Hotspot venue will disconnect the power adapter for other things and forget to re-plug it back in.
- Know how many guest devices that your hardware can support simultaneously. You wouldn’t want to put a $40 device into a shopping mall as an example. In larger installations, be sure that you’re working with a certified integrator.
- Our support team does not handle hardware support other than the settings offered on this site. We cannot support every device or network type. Please be sure to have technical resources that are very-well versed in IP Networking and wireless architecture.
- We recommend ordering hardware from a reputable distributor or directly from GoZone that will be able to handle hardware support issues as well as to help you choose the best hardware for WiFi networks that are larger or more complicated.
Here are 2 distributors that we have used and have excellent support departments:
Winncom Technologies
Streakwave Wireless
Your Service Plans:
The Smart WiFi Dashboard is VERY versatile and through its Client permissions settings, you can create a number of different service plans. We encourage you to create yourself a test Client and a Test Client User so you can simulate logging into the Smart WiFi Dashboard as your Clients would.
We’ve put together some guidelines on service plans below:
- Keep it simple. The word “WiFi” alone can terrify some non-technical clients. Keep you plans simple and highlight the marketing benefits of offering social WiFi at their establishment.
- Price plans according to competition in your area… don’t worry too much about web-based competition when pricing.
- Think about including the hardware into your plans. You can also maintain ownership of the equipment and offer the management as part of your overall service offering.
Initial Marketing4WiFi Branding Setup:
Be sure to complete the basic steps in the Operator settings area. Upload your logos, add your operator information and be sure to setup an operator SMTP server so your Clients can utilize the Smart E-Mail functionality.
- Make some images that you will want/need
- Header Image (This will be the default header image that will be displayed on your Splash Pages) Preferred Size (640px X 58px)
- Your Logo Image (To be displayed on the dashboard when you and your Clients login) Preferred Size (68px x 31px)
- Create CNAME‘s for your domain name using the control panel with your Domain name hosting company.
- Enter your operator contact information in Operator Profile
- Add a new Client for your own internal use and demonstrations (We recommend calling it “<yourname>-client”)
- Create a Client User for your own internal use and demonstrations (The client to associate this user with is the client account you created in the previous step.)
- REVIEW THE CLIENT SUPPORT KNOWLEDGEBASE TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH SOME OF THE CLIENT-LEVEL FUNCTIONS (By default, the Client Support is available by clicking on the ‘Support” menu item on the dashboard. You can also visit it directly by visiting http://support.smartwifiplatform.com
- Add a Hotspot and associate it with your internal Client Account
When you reach the device information area – for now just move the slider to NO
In the NAS-ID section – add a unique code using a nominclature that will be easy to scale and easily find hotspots and equipment when they are searched… as an example, you could use <yourname>-<state>-<hotspot name>. So this could look like “myservice-oh-hotspot123” – EVERY Hotspot will need a unique code here so use something logical that’s easy for you and your business.
In the RADIUS Secret field, enter the same code you created for the NAS-ID.
- Setup your first gateway and associate it with the Hotspot you just created.
Marketing Materials:
You are able to use any of the marketing materials that are in our downloads area. Use them to create your own training guides, sales brochures or for your website content etc.
Take a look at this article to find out how to get to the download area.
GETTING YOUR FIRST CLIENT AND HOTSPOT SETUP:
Once you have your first client and you’re ready to add a Hotspot for them, please follow the on-boarding steps. Here is a quick-start video as well that you can use to help guide you.