Using PayPal Website Payments Pro
How to configure the PayPal authentication system to use PayPal Website Payments Pro to process user payments for network access.
Log into your PayPal Account.
In order to accept payments using PayPal you need to have a Premier or Business Account. Upgrade your PayPal Personal Account if necessary.
Apply for Website Payments Pro.
Apply for Website Payments Pro, or activate it if you already have an account.
Accept Billing Agreement.
Click Agree to accept PayPal charges.
Go to Custom Payment Page Styles (optional).
You can customize the look and feel of the payment pages your customers will see-- your customers need not know that PayPal is behind the scenes. To do this, click on "My Account", "Profile", and "Custom Payment Pages".
Go to API Access.
You need API credentials from PayPal in order to use Website Payments Pro. To do this, click on "My Account", "Profile", and "API Access".
Request API Credentials (or view existing Credentials).
Click on "Request API Credentials" if you need them, or "View or Remove Credentials" if you already have them. If the latter, you can skip the next few steps.
Request an API Signature.
Select "API Signature", review and agree to the Terms of Use, and click "Submit".
Wait for PayPal to email you with access to your API credentials.
You should receive an email from PayPal giving with a link to your API Credentials. Click on the provided link, or navigate manually to PayPal's site to retrieve your API Credentials.
Access your PayPal API Credentials.
Return to the PayPal API Set-up page, and click on "View or Remove Credentials".
Copy your API Username, Password, and Signature.
Copy your API Username, Password and Signature. You will need to enter this information into SputnikNet.
Navigate to the PayPal authentication system in SputnikNet.
Log into SputnikNet and select "PayPal" from the "Authentication" menu.
Add a new PayPal authentication system or select an existing one.
Click on "Add New Authentication System" to do just that. Or, select your existing PayPal authentication system from the list (if you have just one, you will skip this step.)
Name your PayPal Authentication System and apply basic settings.
- Select a module: select "PayPal Module" (authentication system).
- Name or description: provide a name for the authentication system that will be displayed in SputnikNet.
- Visible name: provide a descriptive name that users will understand. This name will be displayed in the captive portal window if users have to select from more than one authentication systems.
- Allow duplicate logins?: check this box if a subscriber can log in multiple simultaneous sessions (usually disallowed).
- Display warning about popup?: warns users not to close the session monitor window (which they can use to log out, rather than have the system timeout after they leave). Because PayPal authentication only supports continuous account time limits, it isn't necessary to check this box.
Click "Add" or "Save Changes" when done.
Select Website Payments Pro.
Select "Edit Settings" from the Authentication System menu and choose "Website Payments Pro" as the PayPal API Method. Then click "Update Configuration".
Apply PayPal Merchant Settings.
Paste or carefully type your API Username, API Password and Signature into the corresponding fields in your PayPal authentication method in Sputnik Control Center or SputnikNet. Click "Update Configuration".
Note that if you do not select the Direct Payments checkbox (for example, if you are a non-U.S.-based service provider), then the Express Checkout path will be used to process customer purchases and the user will either need a PayPal account or to pay by credit card while signing up for an account.
Click "Update Configuration" to apply your settings.
Add a new network access product.
Click on "Add New Product" to define your first Wi-Fi service offering, or select an existing one.
Name your product, set price and expiration.
- New Name: enter the name of the product that your customers will see. It's a good idea to mention the allowed time in the name.
- Price Amount: enter amount you want to charge for the product.
- PayPal Currency Code: select the desired currency from the pop-up list (see next step).
- Hard Expiration Interval: set the amount of time that the account will be valid for, following creation, in the format hh:mm:ss.
NOTE: The PayPal and WorldPay authentication systems only support continuous usage plans that are valid only during the hard expiration interval. Users often neglect to use the session monitor window to terminate their sessions manually, which means that the session length tracked by SputnikNet can be greater than the amount of time the user believes they spent online. It is therefore simpler to offer continuous hourly/daily/weekly plans that have unambiguous expirations (from the user's perspective). This approach causes less of a support burden for the service provider and avoids disputes.
Select desired currency.
Choose the appropriate currency for your product from the pop-up list.
Add and apply additional network access products.
You can create as many products as you like.
Click the checkbox under "Use?" to make the network access product available to customers who log in using the authentication system.
Apply the authentication system to one or more captive portals.
Click on "Captive Portals" from the CONFIG menu. Then click on "Walled Garden and Authentication". Click the checkbox next to the authentication system that uses the rate plan you set up previously. Click "Update" to save your settings.
Apply the captive portals to one or more Sputnik-powered devices.
Click on "Routers" from the CONFIG menu. Then click on the name of any Sputnik-powered device ("router"). From the pop-up "Portal" menu, select the captive portal that uses the authentication system you set up previously. Click "Save Settings" to do just that.
To see what users experience when logging in, see the online documentation chapter titled "User Experience: Paying for Access using the PayPal Authentication System".