WiFi Voucher Codes and POS Integration for Venues

Why venues switch it on

Before, and with CaptiFi

Before

Open guest WiFi does not stop at your front door. People sit outside on your bandwidth, buy nothing, and never appear in your guest data, while the customers who did buy something compete with them for the connection.

With CaptiFi

Vouchers put a code between the guest and the network. Your till generates one through the CaptiFi voucher API as the receipt prints, or staff hand out pre-generated codes on table cards. Each code is unique, lasts as long as you set, and can be revoked while it is still active. Switching back to free access is one setting.

What you get

Free or voucher access switched from one setting per venue, and reversible at any time (a third mode, paid passes, is its own feature)

Unique eight-character codes, generated up to 100 at a time, with a copy-all button for printing

Access duration set per batch, so a coffee-shop code and an all-day hotel code can live side by side

Revoke any unused code without touching the rest of the batch

A voucher API and per-venue key so your till creates codes automatically, printed on the receipt

Regenerate or disconnect the API key yourself: the old key stops working immediately

Screenshots

See it in your dashboard

CaptiFi Voucher and POS Setup page showing the free and voucher access modes and the POS API key and endpoint for a till integration — Access mode and the till integration, on one page per venue.

Hand the till everything it needs

One page per venue holds the access mode and the POS integration. Your till provider gets the endpoint and a key, and prints a fresh code on the receipt. The key is shown once and stored hashed, so only you ever hold it, and you can regenerate or revoke it here.

Switch between free and voucher access in one setting
Keys stored hashed, regenerated or revoked on demand

What are CaptiFi WiFi vouchers?

A WiFi voucher is an access code a guest types on your splash page before they can get online. On the Voucher and POS Setup page a venue runs in one of two modes: free, where anyone can connect through the splash page, or voucher, where a valid code is required. Selling timed passes instead is a third mode, set up on the Paid WiFi page. Codes are unique eight-character combinations of letters and numbers, generated in batches of up to 100 from the dashboard, or created by your till through the CaptiFi voucher API, up to 50 a request.

Why gate WiFi behind a code?

Open guest WiFi reaches further than your customers do. People sitting outside, in the car park or in the flat upstairs use the same bandwidth as the table that just ordered. A code ties access to a transaction: the guest who bought something gets the code on their receipt, and everyone else sees a login screen they cannot pass.

Can I change my mind?

Voucher mode is one setting on the Voucher and POS Setup page, and switching back to free access is the same setting. Codes you have already generated stay in the table either way, so a venue can run voucher mode for a festival weekend and open up again on Monday.

How it works

How to set up WiFi voucher codes with CaptiFi

1

Switch vouchers on

In the dashboard, open Integrations and switch on WiFi Vouchers and POS under Dashboard features. Two items appear under My Venues: WiFi Vouchers and Voucher and POS Setup.

2

Generate your first batch

Open My Venues, then WiFi Vouchers, and click Generate vouchers. Pick the venue, a quantity between 1 and 100, and the access duration each code should give. Click Generate and copy the whole batch in one click.

3

Turn voucher mode on

Once you have codes and a way to hand them out, open Voucher and POS Setup, set the access mode to Voucher and save. From that point only guests with a valid code can connect. Do this before you test a till integration: the voucher API answers 422 while the venue is still on free access.

4

Connect your till (optional)

On Voucher and POS Setup, generate your API key and note the endpoint shown beside it. Give both to your till provider so the POS can create a code per receipt, up to 50 codes a request. With the venue already in voucher mode, ask them to send a test request and check the code appears in your voucher table.

5

Manage codes as you go

Revoke an active code from its row in the voucher table if you hear it is being shared, generate a new batch when you run low, and switch the venue back to free access from the same settings page whenever you want.

The numbers

What you can actually set

Codes per batch

1 to 100

Generated in one click, with a copy-all button for printing or emailing to staff.

Code format

8 characters

Unique letters and numbers, long enough not to be guessed and short enough to read off a receipt.

Codes per POS request

Up to 50

Your till calls the generate endpoint with its bearer token and gets codes back to print.

Access modes on this page

2

Free or voucher, one at a time, changed from a single setting and reversible. Paid passes are a third mode, set up on the Paid WiFi page.

Access duration

Set per batch

How long each code keeps a guest online, chosen when the batch is generated.

Till key storage

Hashed

Shown once when generated. Afterwards only a short hint identifies it, and you can regenerate or revoke it.

Who uses it

Venues where WiFi is worth something

Cafes with a queue for seats

A one-hour code printed on the receipt turns a table into a purchase. Laptop campers either buy another coffee or give the seat up, and neither outcome needs a member of staff to have the conversation.

Hotels and guest houses

Reception hands a code out at check-in with a duration that matches the stay, so the network belongs to guests rather than to the street outside. No shared password to change every time somebody leaves.

Pubs and bars on busy nights

Switch to voucher mode for a match day or a festival weekend and back to free access on Monday. Codes already generated stay valid, so the change is a setting rather than a project.

Venues with a till that prints

Your POS calls the voucher endpoint as the receipt prints and puts a fresh code on the bottom of it. Nobody has to remember to hand anything out, and every code is tied to a sale.

FAQs

Voucher questions answered

How do WiFi voucher codes work?

You switch a venue into voucher mode, and from then on the splash page asks for a code before letting anyone online. Codes are unique eight-character combinations of letters and numbers, generated in the dashboard up to 100 at a time or by your till through the CaptiFi voucher API. Each code carries the access duration you chose when it was created.

Can my till print a WiFi code on the receipt?

Yes. The Voucher and POS Setup page gives you an API endpoint and a key for the venue. Your till or receipt printer calls the endpoint with the key as a bearer token and gets back a fresh code to print, up to 50 per request. Hand the endpoint and key to your POS provider, switch the venue into voucher mode, then ask them to send a test request: the endpoint answers 422 while the venue is still on free access.

What happens to guests already online when I turn voucher mode on?

Voucher mode applies to new connections, so generate your codes and agree how staff will hand them out before you switch it on. Once it is on, only guests with a valid code can get online. You can switch the venue back to free access from the same page at any time.

Can I cancel a voucher code that is being shared around?

Yes, while the code is still active. Every active code has a revoke action on its row in the voucher table, and revoking one stops it working immediately without touching the rest of the batch. A code that has already been used is spent anyway: with the default of one use per code, it cannot be redeemed again.

Is the POS API key safe to give to my till provider?

The key is shown once when you generate it and stored hashed afterwards, so only a short hint of it is ever displayed again. Anyone holding the key can create WiFi codes for that venue, so treat it as a credential. If you think it has been exposed, regenerate it from the setup page and the old key stops working straight away.

Do vouchers and paid WiFi work together?

They are separate answers to the same question. Vouchers gate access behind a code you hand out, usually to customers who have bought something. Paid WiFi sells timed passes through your own Stripe account. Each venue runs one access mode at a time, and you can change it whenever you like.

Included in your plan

WiFi vouchers and the till API on every plan, Essentials included

WiFi vouchers and the till API are an opt-in on every CaptiFi plan, Essentials included: a switch on the venue, with no separate RADIUS product to buy.

WiFi Vouchers and POS is included from Essentials at $69/month or $59/month billed annually

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What Our Customers Say

CaptiFi completely changed my business. Before, every guest was a one-time booki...

CaptiFi completely changed my business. Before, every guest was a one-time booking. Now I have a direct line to thousands of people who've stayed in the plane. I can offer them return deals, send updates about new features, and keep them engaged. My repeat booking rate went from almost zero to 35%. It's been incredible.

J

Johnny Palmer

Owner, PytchAir Boeing 727 Airbnb

Keep Your WiFi for Paying Customers