A Full Introduction to VBN (Visitor-Based Networking)

What Is VBN?

What is VBN? VBN is the abbreviation of the visitor-based network. It is a type of computer network that prompts Internet access for temporary mobile users. Visitor-based networks are usually established in universities, hotels, airports, business offices, and conference centers. A successful visitor-based network often has other services, such as printing and customer support. Now, you can continue to read this post from MiniTool to learn more information bout VBN.

Visitor-based networks usually include hardware (eg VBN gateways, hubs, switches and/or routers), telecommunications (Internet connection), and services (subscriber support). It provides a quick and easy way for people who go out to temporarily connect the device to the network and broadband Internet connection.

What is the VBN Gateway?

What is the VBN gateway? In fact, any Internet-based Ethernet LAN can become a visitor-based network by adding devices commonly referred to as “VBN gateways”. The function of the VBN gateway is to provide the necessary management layer between the public user and the Internet router to realize the plug-and-play connection of the visitors.

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Typical VBN gateways provide services and support for billing and management application integration, such as PMS systems (hotels), credit card billing interfaces, or Radius/LDAP servers for central authentication models. A common standard for VBN gateways is that they allow you to connect or access available network services without any configuration on your local computer.

In its simplest form, a VBN gateway is a hardware device with at least two network connections. One network connection is considered as the user network, and the other is considered as an uplink of the Internet. Most VBN gateways on the market today use an Ethernet interface to connect.

Types of VBN

Now, let’s see the types of VBN. It has three types – transparent VBN, billing VBN, authentication VBN. The following are the detailed information respectively.

Transparent VBN

The purpose of transparent VBN is to provide you with network services to reduce support and IT infrastructure costs. Usually, these networks are not about security, but about fast and convenient access. Wi-Fi networks or free hotspots are examples of such VBNs.

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Billing VBN

Billing-based VBN is a VBN that requires you to pay to obtain network services. In general, this type of VBN is found in hotels or hotspot (Wi-Fi) networks. Payment services are provided in a variety of ways. The most common is the use of credit card merchant accounts in hotspot environments or integration into property management systems in hotel environments.

Authentication VBN

The use of certified VBN is most common in business environments. In these cases, the VBN gateway requires you to authenticate with the gateway to be allowed to access network services. Typically, this authentication is achieved by integrating into a RADIUS or LDAP server or implementing an access code that requires user input.

How Does VBN Work?

Just now, you have known the definition and types of VBN. Now, you can know how VBN works from this part. Although manufacturers provide many different configurations for VBN gateways, there is a common set of functions. Even the most basic VBN gateway provides DHCP and proxy ARP to allow you to connect to the network without configuring an IP address.

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A compulsory portal is used for multiple functions, including, billing or authentication and acceptance of terms and conditions. Once you successfully meet the conditions in the mandatory portal, the VBN gateway will allow routing of user traffic.

Technology vendors have developed ways to package their network products with billing and management applications. These methods make provisioning temporary Internet access not only a convenience but also a viable business.

Final Words

Read here, you may have an overall understanding of VBN. You can know the definition, types, and work principle of network infrastructure. Here comes the end of this post. I hope that the post will help you a lot.