Netopia Upgrades Turnkey Wi-Fi Hot Spot Solution

Netopia, Inc. (www.netopia.com), a provider in broadband gateways and service delivery software, today announced version 2.0 of its turnkey hot spot solution, which allows venues to quickly, easily and inexpensively deploy Wi-Fi services that generate additional revenue and improve customer loyalty.

The Netopia Hot Spot 2.0 service is packaged specifically for resellers and managed service providers to market to small retail stores, franchises and chains, quick serve restaurants, cafes, doctor offices, laundromats, automotive service centers, health and country clubs and much more.

Netopia Hot Spots offer a variety of differentiators from other hot spot solutions, giving resellers a competitive edge and the ability to promote their own branding, their customers' branding or both.

Netopia's New Hot Spot 2.0 version adds 802.11g Wi-Fi support to the 3-D Reach Wi-Fi gateway and Web site hosting and customization options to the turnkey Netopia Hot Spot service.

These customized merchandising options let the venue tie their Netopia Hot Spot to a complete online eCommerce solution, from a simple customized splash page with limited walled garden pages to a full-featured online store with secure shopping cart capabilities.

Also unique to Netopia's Hot Spot offering are flexible billing options that give the venue owner the ability to charge for Wi-Fi Internet access, offer the service free as a purchase award or promotional tool or a combination of the two. Venue owners could, for example, charge for access during peak usage periods, but allow free access during slow times to encourage patrons to remain at the venue.

"When it comes to Wi-Fi service, no two businesses are alike," said Jeff Porter, vice president of product marketing at Netopia.

"The new features we've included with Hot Spot 2.0, combined with the Netopia's Family Friendly Surfing, offer VARs even more flexibility and opportunity to add value and customize wireless services, while leveraging Netopia's powerful Hot Spot Solution to meet the unique needs of each venue."

For a limited time, Netopia will offer resellers who join the "Powered by Netopia" program a Not for Resale (NFR) Hot Spot 2.0 Starter Kit and 90 days of hosted Netopia Hot Spot Service for a special introductory price.

Netopia, Inc. is a market leader in broadband products and services that enable service providers to improve their profitability. Its portfolio of wired and wireless gateways, software, and value-added services enhance revenue generation while reducing costs for carriers and broadband service providers.