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Using PayPal Website Payments Standard

Using PayPal Website Payments Standard

How to configure the PayPal authentication system to use PayPal Website Payments Standard to process user payments for network access.

Log into your PayPal Account.

In order to accept payments using PayPal you need to have a Premier or Business Account. Upgrade your PayPal Personal Account if necessary.

Go to Payment Data Transfer (PDT) setup.

Log into PayPal, and click on My Account, Profile, and Website Payment Preferences to access the Payment Data Transfer page.

Turn on Auto Return.

Click "On" next to "Auto Return".

The Return URL is supplied automatically by SputnikNet at the time of purchase. However, PayPal's system requires that you enter a valid web address. So, just type in your favorite URL--it won't be used.

Turn on Payment Data Transfer.

Despite the "(optional)" on PayPal's page, this step is required. Click "On" next to "Payment Data Transfer".

In the next two sections we recommend that you set both "Block Non-encrypted Website Payment" and "PayPal Account Optional" to "Off" to reduce the probability of error.

Finally, click "Save" at the bottom of the page.

After confirming, you should have a long Identity Token. Copy your PDT Identity Token.

Go to Custom Payment Page Styles (optional).

You can customize the look and feel of the payment pages your customers will see-- your customers need not know that PayPal is behind the scenes. To do this, click on "My Account", "Profile", and "Custom Payment Pages".

Set up Custom Payment Page Styles (optional).

Follow instructions on the PayPal website to set up your custom payment pages.

Navigate to the PayPal authentication system in SputnikNet.

Log into SputnikNet and select "PayPal" from the "Authentication" menu.

Add a new PayPal authentication system or select an existing one.

Click on "Add New Authentication System" to do just that. Or, select your existing PayPal authentication system from the list (if you have just one, you will skip this step.)

Name your PayPal Authentication System and apply basic settings.

- Select a module: select "PayPal Module" (authentication system).
- Name or description: provide a name for the authentication system that will be displayed in SputnikNet.
- Visible name: provide a descriptive name that users will understand. This name will be displayed in the captive portal window if users have to select from more than one authentication systems.
- Allow duplicate logins?: check this box if a subscriber can log in multiple simultaneous sessions (usually disallowed).
- Display warning about popup?: warns users not to close the session monitor window (which they can use to log out, rather than have the system timeout after they leave). Because PayPal authentication only supports continuous account time limits, it isn't necessary to check this box.

Click "Add" or "Save Changes" when done.

Apply PayPal Merchant settings.

- PayPal API Method: select Website Payments Standard (see "PayPal Website Payments Pro" for more information about PayPal's alternative payment method).
- Use Sandbox?: only check the box if you are using PayPal's developer sandbox to process transactions in test mode.
- PayPal Account: enter your PayPal Account Name (usually an email address).
- PDT Authentication (Identity) Token: paste in your Payment Data Transfer token, which you copied earlier. Click "Find It" to open a PayPal browser window.
- Page Style: enter the name of the PayPal page style you want to use for completing payments or leave blank to use the default.
- Sign-up Prompt: enter the text the user will see on the Captive Portal next to the sign-up button.
- Sign-up Button Text: enter the text you want to display on the sign-up button.
- Disable MAC authentication: if left unchecked, users with current accounts will be able to simply click through to log in-- authentication is performed using the client device's MAC (hardware) address. Check the box if you want to force users to log in every time.

Add a new network access product.

Click on "Add New Product" to define your first Wi-Fi service offering, or select an existing one.

Name your product, set price and expiration.

- New Name: enter the name of the product that your customers will see. It's a good idea to mention the allowed time in the name.
- Price Amount: enter amount you want to charge for the product.
- PayPal Currency Code: select the desired currency from the pop-up list (see next step).
- Hard Expiration Interval: set the amount of time that the account will be valid for, following creation, in the format hh:mm:ss.

NOTE: The PayPal and WorldPay authentication systems only support continuous usage plans that are valid only during the hard expiration interval. Users often neglect to use the session monitor window to terminate their sessions manually, which means that the session length tracked by SputnikNet can be greater than the amount of time the user believes they spent online. It is therefore simpler to offer continuous hourly/daily/weekly plans that have unambiguous expirations (from the user's perspective). This approach causes less of a support burden for the service provider and avoids disputes.

Select desired currency.

Choose the appropriate currency for your product from the pop-up list.

Add more network access products.

You can create as many products as you like.

Click the checkbox under "Use?" to make the network access product available to customers who log in using the authentication system.

Apply the authentication system to one or more captive portals.

Click on "Captive Portals" from the CONFIG menu. Then click on "Walled Garden and Authentication". Click the checkbox next to the authentication system that uses the rate plan you set up previously. Click "Update" to save your settings.

Apply the captive portals to one or more Sputnik-powered devices.

Click on "Routers" from the CONFIG menu. Then click on the name of any Sputnik-powered device ("router"). From the pop-up "Portal" menu, select the captive portal that uses the authentication system you set up previously. Click "Save Settings" to do just that.

To see what users experience when logging in, see the online documentation chapter titled "User Experience: Paying for Access using the PayPal Authentication System".

 

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