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FAQ

henkk78 — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:28:01 CDT

End-User FAQ

1. So what's a Megabyte?

Skyrove charges for the data (measured in Megabytes) you download and upload, NOT for how much time you spend online. This means that someone who just wants to read emails will spend much less money than someone watching videos on YouTube! Here are some estimates of how many megabytes people use on average:*

1 hour emailing/chatting	5 - 10 MB
1 hour surfing static webpages	10 - 20 MB
1 hour phoning with Skype	20 - 30 MB
10 minutes Video Conferencing	20 - 30 MB
Downloading a song from iTunes	5 MB

* Note: Usage varies widely from person to person and program to program. Remember you always see exactly how much YOU are using on the Skyrove Status screen once you're logged in.

2. Where can I find more Skyrove hotspots?

See our Skyrove Maps!

3. I don't see the Skyrove Portal!

If your computer tells you that it it has connected to the 'Skyrove Internet' Wireless network, but you can't see the Skyrove Portal (aka Splash Page or Landing Page), you might be connecting through a Proxy Server. Proxy servers are typically used by computers on company or academic networks. Please remove all Proxy Server settings and try again. In Firefox: Tools -> Options -> Network -> Settings -> Select Direct connection to the Internet. In Internet Explorer: Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings -> Uncheck 'Use a proxy server for your LAN'.

Provider FAQ

1. So how much does it cost to setup a Skyrove hotspot?

Skyrove doesn't charge any setup or 'connection' fees. But of course there are costs involved to get started. First off, you'll need a Skyrove-compatible router. We recommend the Linksys WRT54GL router. (Available from Amazon.com for 59.99 USD). You then still need to flash your router with the Skyrove Firmware. Pre-flashed units are available in South Africa from Linksys SA for 795 ZAR.

2. How much will Skyrove charge me monthly?

Skyrove charges no monthly fee. Skyrove allows Skyrovers (i.e. Skyrove end-users) to use your hotspot. Skyrovers buy their credits directly from us and then use these credits at your hotspot. We pay out 70% of the value of credits used at your hotspot.

3. When will Skyrove pay me?

Skyrove processes payouts 25 days after month-end. For example, if usage at your hotspot in January was $1000 (US), Skyrove will pay you $700 at the end of February. Please note that Skyrove will only make a payout if your account balance is more than $100.

4. How will Skyrove pay me?

If you have a PayPal account that you can receive monies to, we will pay you directly from our PayPal account. If you cannot receive money to your PayPal account, we will pay directly into your bank account. Please note that payment will be made at the same exchange rate that our bank provides to us.

5. How do I log on to the router?

The default IP address for the router is 192.168.1.1. To access the router via its web interface, simply open your browser and type in http://192.168.1.1 in the address bar. Note that the PC you are using needs to have an IP address in the range of 192.168.1.xxx, e.g. 192.168.1.55.

6. My client is a restaurant owner who wants to offer 15 minutes free access to patrons. How do I do this?

Just like the restaurant, Skyrove charges for WHAT you eat, not how LONG you take to eat it. The best solution is for the restaurant owner to give Skyrove Credit vouchers for free or with a purchase. For example, he can provide his patrons with 5MB free usage (30 - 60 min for chatting/emailing). This is better than 15 minutes, because it encourages the patron to come back to use the rest of his credits!

Advanced Technical FAQ

1. Does Skyrove work with iBurst?

Yes, using the Skyrove provided firmware (www.skyrove.com/firmware.html)

2. Can I log in using more than one computer at the same time?

No, you can only log in at one hotspot at a time, using only one computer.

3. What will happen if I forget to log off?

Skyrove charges per MB, not for time. Some people stay logged on to Skyrove hotspots for days. If your computer is downloading updates during this time, you will be charged for this, so turn off non-critical Automatic Updates if you don't wish to pay for these.

4. How do I expand the range of the router?

Increasing range is a dark art more than a science...

You can always increase the power output (Wireless -> Advanced -> Xmit
Power) and use more powerful antennae. (www.miro.co.za)

A power boost and better antenna ONLY
gives you more transmit power. For a link to be established, there
needs to be 2 way communications. So even though your setup might
theoretically have a 2 km radius, most laptops simply can't send back
packets that far. Meaning specialised antennas are needed on both
sides.

The best way to expand the range of your hotspot is by having
repeaters (aka Range Expanders). Linksys makes one, but it's pretty
pricey. You can set up your own Range Expanders using more WRT54GL
routers using WDS. See this article for how to do it:
http://skyrove.wetpaint.com/page/WDS

5. How do I isolate users from seeing each others' computers?

AP Isolation is turned on by default by the Skyrove firmware. However, this will only isolate users on the Wireless LAN.

Users plugged into the Ethernet ports will still be able to share files and folders or play games without restrictions.

There are complex ways (e.g. VLANs, thanks to Johann Botha of Frogfoot for pointing this out) to also isolate these users from each other, but these are beyond the scope of what Skyrove can support.

Troubleshooting Guide

henkk78 — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 12:24:37 CST

Basic working of Skyrove:

When connecting to a Skyrove hotspot, the end-user will get an IP address in the range of 192.168.182.xxx.

If no IP address is given, it indicates a problem.

Keep in mind that in order for the router to work, an internet connection MUST first be established.

NB: No proxy must be set in any browser on the PC. Macs have general proxy settings, rather than in the browser, so beware of these.

Common Problems

1. I've set up the Skyrove router, but when I connect to the Skyrove Internet wireless network, my PC doesn't receive any IP address. (A message says: "Limited or no internet connectivity")

This can be due to a number of causes. Check the following:

a) Your Skyrove router has an active internet connection. If the Skyrove router doesn't have an active Internet connection, it will not give any IP addresses to your PC
b) Your Skyrove router might be conflicting with your broadband modem/router. Ideally your Skyrove router should be on a separate IP address range altogether. The default Skyrove router IP address is 192.168.1.1. If your modem/router's IP address is similar, change it to something like 10.0.0.2.
c) You plugged the cable from your modem/router into one of the Skyrove router's LAN ports. You need to connect it to the WAN port.

You can check whether the Skyrove router has an internet connection by looking at the status screen on http://192.168.1.1. If it does have an active internet connection but you're still getting a "Limited or no internet connectivity" message, the cause is likely to be b) above.

WDS

henkk78 — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:54:56 CST

WDS with Skyrove and DD-WRT

This guide is based on the WDS article from the DD-WRT Wiki: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/WDS

Only the sections relevant to a Skyrove specific WDS installation are shown here.

Two or more WRT54G / WRT54GS / WRT54GLboxes

Installation

Standard terminology for a two router setup:

The client router is the router which does not have an internet connection.
The host router is the router which does have the internet connection and is going to share it with other routers.

Setup

Reset both routers to factory default settings so other settings will not have a possible conflict: Administration -> Factory Default - select yes - click "Save Settings" button.
Give both the routers a different IP address, i.e. 192.168.1.1 (host/internet gateway) and 192.168.1.2 ("client router") on the same subnet. Setup -> Basic Setup
Change the Internet Connection Type to Disable on the client router. Setup -> Basic Setup -> Internet Setup -> Internet Connection Type -> Disable
Set the Gateway IP address of the client router to the LAN IP address of the host router, typically 192.168.1.1. Setup -> Basic Setup -> Network Setup -> Router IP -> Gateway
Disable the DHCP server on the client router(s) uter, under Setup -> Basic Setup -- Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)
Disable Chillispot. Administration -> Hotspot (If you installed the original DD-WRT firmware, Chillispot is disabled by default)
Turn off the firewall on the client router. Security -> Firewall -> Firewall Protection -> Disable
Ensure both routers are in AP mode and on the same channel. Wireless -> Basic Settings
Under Wireless -> Basic Settings, set the SSID to your Skyrove Internet. While setting up, having different SSIDs might help. E.g. "Skyrove Mothership" and "Skyrove Drone"
Open WDS configuration on both routers. Wireless -> WDS
On each router, you will see its wireless MAC address at the top of the Wireless -> WDS page. Put each router's MAC into the table of the other router, and select LAN for the type. Note that this MAC address is different from the one that may be printed on your case!
There is no need to enable Lazy WDS or WDS subnet on either router.
Test that you can ping the gateway from the client. Note that it may take a short amount of time for the WDS to be established, and you may need to reboot both the gateway and the client.

[edit]

Notes

On the main Status page and the Wireless Status you can see the signal strength for any other routers in the WDS. If they are showing 0 then you're not connecting to them for some reason (wrong MAC address or, for WPA links, wrong SSID).
In some cases it may help to put the IP of the client router as a DMZ'd machine in the host router. Of course, this only works with a WDS between 2 routers.
- http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=669&highlight=dmz
If you have G-only enabled, you must use channels 1, 6, or 11.
- http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=628&highlight=wds
The source material for this list comes primarily from the following DD-WRT forum posts:
- Guide to Setting up WDS(http://www.linksysinfo.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=7).
- http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=124

Home

henkk78 — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:10:03 CST

Skyrove Community Documentation Project

FAQ
Troubleshooting Guide
WDS