Networks and Policies

Open Mobile serves as a Wi-Fi connection manager that can be used to connect to various types of Wi-Fi networks.

Use the client to connect to home and other personal Wi-Fi networks.

Private and public Wi-Fi: if the proper credentials are used, the client can be used to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots in hotels, cafes and other venues.

Home/ personal Wi-Fi: home or personal Wi-Fi networks can be added to the user’s network directory in the Open Mobile Portal, enabling quick and easy connections at home.

The following security types are supported:

• Open (None)
• WEP-Open (key index 1-4)
• WEP-Shared (key index 1-4)
• WPA-PSK/TKIP
• WPA-PSK/AES
• WPA2-PSK/TKIP
• WPA2-PSK/AES

Network keys can be entered and edited by the user. To edit a network key, hold down a finger on a network name, then enter and save the key in the Edit Network dialog.

To help control connection costs, you can impose limits for the duration of Wi-Fi and Dial connection sessions. Currently, Time-Based Session limits may only be imposed on GIS access points.

For information on configuring time-based session limits on the Open Mobile Portal, please click here.

Add networks by SSID and Mac Address that the user will have to log into manually. This will prevent iPass from automatically logging into these networks with the user's iPass credentials. Please see our Configure Manual Login page for additional help.

The Hotspot Finder feature allows you to configure the app searches for hotspots.

On Open Mobile for Android versions 2.8.0 and later, there are two options:

• In-App Hotspot Finder: The In-App Hotspot Finder provides the user with detailed venue information, a map, directions to hotspot locations, and other features described in detail here. This option also gives your users access to the Hotspot Finder in offline mode.
• Web Based Hotspot Finder: Choose this option to direct your users to a website with a Hotspot Finder. You can leave the default address in the Hotspot Finder URL field or enter a custom URL to direct users to your own Hotspot Finder website. If you choose this option your users will not have access to the Hotspot Finder in offline mode.

On Open Mobile for Android versions 2.7.x and earlier, you can choose the default or a custom Web Based Hotspot Finder.

The app can be used to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots that are part of the iPass network. Connecting at these locations with an accompanying iPass account enables the user to bypass the normal login and billing associated with that location.

The app can also be used to assist with login at hotspots that are not part of the iPass network service. 

If a hotspot login procedure is needed, a small browser window is launched that enables the user to complete the log in to that hotspot. If a login attempt to an iPass Hotspot fails, the user is given the option either to retry logging in, or to log in to the hotspot through the non-iPass Hotspot browser login window.

Open Mobile will detect Wi-Fi connections made with other connection managers and can inherit such connections, becoming the connection manager of choice.

Non-broadcast Wi-Fi networks (which do not broadcast their SSIDs) can be inherited from the Android native Wi-Fi client. However, once inherited, the client will be able to detect and connect to the network.

802.1X connections are currently not enabled. However, if an 802.1x connection is made using the Android native Wi-Fi client, Open Mobile can inherit this connection, and if the 802.1x network is added as a personal network using the Android native Wi-Fi client, Open Mobile can connect to it.

An inherited connection will be charged like any connection initiated by the app.

Connection data is collected from inherited connections and will be used and displayed in Open Mobile Insight reports.

The Subscription Management feature allows you to restrict a profile to a group or groups of users (set up in your LDAP server). Please see our Subscription Management page for help.

You can make the free OpenAccess Wi-Fi access points available to your users in the iPass Portal. Use of an OpenAccess hotspot will not incur the user any cost to connect and are marked with this icon:

For some free networks, Open Mobile may display both the free, OpenAccess version and the iPass (pay) version of the network.

If a user attempts to connect to a free OpenAccess network and the connection fails, then if there is an alternate iPass network available, the user will be connected to the iPass network instead. However, depending on your access plan, there may be an additional charge incurred for connection to the iPass access point. This capability is currently not configurable.

To enable Wi-Fi, check the Enable Wi-Fi box. 

To assign directories to this profile, select each one from the Available Lists (on the left), and click the right arrow (>) button to add them to the Assigned Lists (on the right). You can add iPass and custom directories. When you are finished, click Save.

If the network to which a user is connected (such as a local walled garden) is not able to access the iPass sniff servers used for Internet detection, the user will be warned that Open Mobile is not online, but will remain connected to the network.

After network lists have been assigned, Authentication Format overrides can be applied by clicking Set Authentication Format above the Assigned Lists. Accounts are generally assigned to an entire profile, and connections made using the account will use the authorization format defined for the account. However, accounts can be assigned for directories. Any authorization formats assigned to such accounts will override the more general one.

Special rules for network display can be set for individual networks in your Wi-Fi directories, controlling how these networks will be displayed to users. These rules supersede any Network Ranking settings. To prefer and prohibit networks, select Configure next to Preferred and Prohibited Networks.

Preferred networks: A network defined as preferred will always be used for connections (if possible), and shown at the top of the Available Networks list.

Prohibited networks: A network defined as prohibited will never be used for connections. A prohibited network can be shown as disabled or even hidden entirely from the user.

Test the speed and quality of your connection with the Connection Profiler feature.

Go to: Open Mobile for Android