Vouchers: advanced use and scenarios
Ready-made batch settings for hotels, cafes and events; how use and device limits work together, attempt lockouts, multi-hotspot quotas and what revoking does.
For the basic setup (creating a batch, printing cards, enabling the method) read the Voucher codes guide first. This page helps you choose the right settings and understand the limits.
Ready-made scenarios
| Scenario | Duration (min) | Devices at once | Uses per code | Data quota | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe, 1-hour receipt | 60 | 1 | 1 | empty | Single-use code printed on the receipt |
| Hotel room, 3 nights | 4320 | 2 | 3 | empty | Phone, tablet, laptop registered; two online |
| Pool / beach day pass | 1440 | 1 | 1 | 1024 | Use a quota to limit heavy downloads |
| Conference, one code for everyone | 600 | 20 | 500 | empty | Show the code on the hall screen; uses = number of attendees |
| Event on a given day | 720 | 1 | 1 | empty | Set the first use window to the event day |
Devices at once is at most 20 and uses per code at most 1000; a batch holds at most 1000 codes.
Identity with a shared code
Devices using the same code share the same guest account on the hotspot. The 5651 record still stores each device's MAC and IP, but the identity shown is the code, not a person. If you need per-person records, give every guest their own code or use a verifying method such as SMS.
How the limits work together
- Duration starts at the code's first use. The guest account opened with the code expires with the code, and the router session closes within that time.
- Uses per code is the number of different devices (MACs). The same phone signing in again does not count as a new use.
- Devices at once is the number of open sessions. While the limit is reached a new device cannot connect; it can once another one leaves.
- The first use window (start / end) only limits when a code can be activated for the first time. A code activated inside the window keeps working until its own duration ends.
- The data quota is the combined total of all devices using the code.
Quotas across several hotspots
If a batch is valid on several hotspots, the data quota is counted separately per hotspot. If the quota must be a single total, limit the batch to one hotspot.
Errors the guest sees
| Situation | Reason |
|---|---|
| Code not recognised | Mistyped, a code for another hotspot, or the batch was revoked |
| Expired | The code's time ran out or the first use window closed |
| Not yet valid | The first use window has not started |
| Uses exhausted | The number of different devices reached the limit |
| Device limit | Too many devices are connected at once |
| Too many attempts | An attempt lockout is active (below) |
Attempt lockouts
To prevent code guessing, wrong attempts are counted for 15 minutes:
- 10 wrong codes from the same device (MAC);
- 30 wrong codes from the venue's shared public IP;
- 300 wrong codes in total across all hotspots of the customer account.
When a limit is reached, voucher login is refused for 15 minutes. The last rule affects all your hotspots together; if you see many wrong attempts (for example misprinted cards), check the cards. A successful login with a valid code does not reset the counters.
What revoking does
When a batch is revoked, its codes are rejected, accounts opened with them expire "now" and open sessions are dropped. On a router without Disconnect support a session may continue until its own time ends. See Sessions.
Security and KVKK
- Codes are stored encrypted with a blind index; they are never written to logs.
- Card and CSV exports, creation and revocation are written to the audit log.
- MAC addresses of devices using a code are not stored in plain text; a 5651 record is written for every login.
- Paid voucher sales and sending codes by SMS are coming soon; they do not exist today.