How To Setup a Wi-Fi Hotspot

A How To for DD-WRT, FreeRadius and Chillispot.

Creating a Wi-Fi Internet hotspot service from scratch can seem like a daunting task. I had many sleepless
nights trying to get to grips with FreeRadius, DD-WRT, Chillispot etc. I hope that this How To helps you
to avoid some of the problems I encountered along the way.

Regards Sean Bracken

********Warning ********

Following these instructions may invalidate your Linksys warranty. You do so at your own
risk. These instructions assume that you have an understanding of Linux, PHP MySQL and
Apache. If you brick your AP you might get it back by holding down the reset pin for 20
seconds, unplug the power while still holding down the reset button for another 20 seconds
and then plugging the power back in while still keeping the reset button held in for a further
20 seconds. This should bring it back to the defaults of whatever firmware you have installed.
You should be able to login to 192.168.1.1

*******End of Warning********

Feel free to copy or use this information in any way you like.

What you will need:

a. DD-WRT
Download the latest version here http://brainslayer.braincontrol.org/dd-wrt.v22.zip
b. FreeRadius
Download the latest version here ftp://ftp.freeradius.org/pub/radius/old/freeradius.1.0.3.tar.gz
c. phpMyPrepaid
Download the latest version here http://jabali.net/~carl/phpMyPrepaid.0.1.3RC2.tar
also download the radiusd.conf file from http://jabali.net/~carl/
d. Linsys WRT54G AP
e. You will also need PHP, Apache, MySQL amd MySql Delopment Modules,(These need to
be setup first.) some patience, plenty of coffee and cigarettes.

Step 1 DD-WRT/Chillispot Configuration

Configure the WRT-54G with the standard Linksys software and the use the upgrade firmware module to
install the dd-wrt package on the AP.

Use your cable connection to do the upgrade. NOT the wireless connection.
 Reboot the AP and login to your new firmare.
Set Dynamic configuration DHCP
Disable DHCP (Chillispot will manage DHCP for your clients.)
Change the Local IP of the AP to 192.168.10.1.
Set your gateway and DNS addresses.
Update changes and log back in to the new IP address.

Step 2 FreeRadius Configuration.

Untar the FreeRadius tar file and enter its directory.

Type ./configure –with-experimental-modules
make
login as root and type make install
When this is finished copy the radiusd.conf file that you downloaded earlier to /usr/local/etc/raddb/
You should not need to edit radiusd.conf
Edit /usr/local/etc/raddb/sql.conf and in the SQL section make these changes.

# Database type
# Current supported are: rlm_sql_mysql, rlm_sql_postgresql,
# rlm_sql_iodbc, rlm_sql_oracle, rlm_sql_unixodbc, rlm_sql_freetds
driver = “rlm_sql_mysql”

# Connect info server = “localhost” login = “yourlogin” password = “your password”

# Database table configuration radius_db = “radius”

Edit the /usr/local/etc/raddb/clients.conf file and enter the details of your NAS (AP)

client xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx { (This is the address of your NAS or WRT54G )

secret = xxxxxxx (The secret you entered in the Chilli Config)
shortname = private-network-9 (This can be any name)
nastype = other
( If you want to set up several AP’s with one secret the IP address above should be
0.0.0.0/0)
}
Step 3 hotspotlogin.cgi

Copy hotspotlogin.cgi from http://chillispot.org to /var/www/cgi-bin

Edit the file and change the secret to the UAM secret that you entered in the Chillispot
configuration on the WRT54G.

You can also use a php script. It is not as secure as the cgi script but easier to personalise. If you
want a copy email me at sean@swarmhotspots.com

Step 4 phpMyPrepaid and MySQL

Extract the phpMyPrepaid file to a directory on your webserver eg /var/www/html/myprepaid

Create a MySQL database called radius and create a user and password for it. Use a script called
db_mysql.db that you will find in the phpMyPrepaid download to create the database tables.
Edit the dbconnect.php file in the phpMyPrepaid directory and enter the username and password
for your MySQL radius database. IMPORTANT Save this file behind your web directory or your
passwords will be easy to hack.

Edit config.inc.php and change the line that points to dbconnect to wherever you have saved
dbconnect.php
In your web browser got to http://yoursite.com/whereveryouputphpmyprepaid/ and create some
tickets. Check your database to see if the users have been setup in radcheck. Launch FreeRadius
as root with this command radiusd -xxyx -l stdout. Pick a user and password from your database
and try to login from a wireless client. If you can then it is time for step 5. If not go back to step
1 and check everything.

Step 5 Have a cup of coffee and unwind. If all is well you have finished. I’ll keep an eye on this
post and do my best to help anyone with problems.

I have setup a free Radius test area for people that have no access to a Radius server.You can use
this service to test your Chillispot configuration.The address is http://swarmhotspots.com/Chilli-
Test-Area