Introducing CoovaSX

[img_assist nid=201 title= desc= link=none align=right width=125 height=223]I recently acquired a Nokia N95 8GB smartphone and started using the WiFi features before making my first voice call. I immediately was annoyed with my own captive portal and having to key in my username and password each time I wanted online - not to mention having to navigate a webpage not made for small displays. The picture on the right shows the embedded browser on my Facebook landing page.

The embedded browser would remember my username (until the cache gets cleared), but never my password. There is now an easier way to login your Java-capable smartphone to your captive portal hotspot - using CoovaSX 1.0! Similar to the firefox extension CoovaFX, but for your phone, CoovaSX will log you into your hotspot without going through the captive portal. Configure your username and password once, then use CoovaSX to login before using the Internet - all without using your browser.

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To use the application, your phone must support Java MIDlets (MIDP-2.0). CoovaSX works at hotspots with a captive portal supporting the WISPr XML method of authentication. Visit us in the forum with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

CoovaChilli Update

Now in subversion are some updates to CoovaChilli - which include:

  • New options dhcpgateway and dhcpgatewayport to specify a DHCP gateway (relay) host IP address and port,
  • New option dhcpradius for mapping some DHCP options into RADIUS attributes and visa versa during MAC authentication, as described here,
  • New internal state called splash in which clients are given Internet access, but enforcing the port 80 http redirect,
  • New option macauthdeny which will result in the black-listing of devices given an Access-Reject during MAC address authentication, and
  • Code cleanups, reorganization, and bug fixes.

Binaries will become available through the forum, where you can also report problems or offer suggestions. For more information on changes in Chilli, see the ChangeLog.

Funding

Just like FON, with their recent $9.5 million round of funding (commentary here), Coova too needed to raise some money. Though, not on such a scale. We had to plop down an extra $550 for a 2 year code signing certificate from Thawte :) …