Guest vs. PrePaid Authentication
How to determine when to use guest versus prepaid authentication systems.
Guest authentication is based on fixed dates and times.
Each guest authentication code has a fixed "start" and "stop" time.
Prepaid authentication is duration-based.
Each user authentication account has a set period of time for which it is valid. The time starts when the user first logs in, and ends when the time assigned to the account is used up. Also, accounts can be "continuous" (only valid for one session) or "discontinuous" (valid for multiple sessions until the time is used up.
Both enable codes that can be shared by multiple users (Guest example).
You can enable guest authentication codes to be shared by multiple users.
Both enable codes that can be shared by multiple users (Prepaid example).
While less commonly used, authentication systems can also allow duplicate logins. In this case, each session uses up the amount of time assigned to the account. So, if two users share an account with a total of 60 minutes, their aggregate sessions cannot exceed that time.
Both can be used for free, time-limited Wi-Fi, or paid Wi-Fi.
You can use guest or user authentication systems for free, time-limited Wi-Fi, or for paid Wi-Fi. We offer numerous examples in our online documentation. The main reason to choose one or the other is how you want to account for time.