WISPr
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WISPr or Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming[1] - Pronounced "whisper," WISPr is a protocol from the Wi-Fi Alliance that allows users to roam between wireless internet service providers, in a fashion similar to that used to allow cellphone users to roam between carriers. A RADIUS server is used to authenticate the subscriber's credentials.[2]
The original WISPr (Wireless ISP Roaming) 1.0 specification, released in February 2003, can be found on the web, but not always easily. The document is copyrighted property of the Wi-Fi Alliance and their website no longer has the file for download. Written by B. Anton of Gemtek (now Browan), B. Bullock of iPass, and J. Short of Nomadix, the specification defines how wireless ISPs interoperate - with captive portal or 802.1x networks.
The WISPr specification covers best practices for authenticating users via 802.1X or the Universal Access Method (UAM), the latter being another name for browser based login at a captive portal hotspot. It requires that RADIUS be used for AAA and defines the required RADIUS attributes. For authentication by smart-clients, Appendix D defines the Smart Client to Access Gateway Interface Protocol, which is an XML based protocol for authentication. Smart-client software (and devices that use it) use this so-called WISPr XML to seamlessly login to HotSpots without the need for the user to interact with a captive portal.
WISPr was the first step toward standardizing HotSpot authentication. It provides some best practices and some guidance, but the specification is subject to interpretation in parts. Later, Intel and others started IRAP[3], which has now been rolled into ETSI Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TISPAN); TS 183 019[4] and TS 183 020[5].
