User and Traffic Characteristics of a Commercial Nationwide Wi-Fi Hotspot Network

This paper presents the first analysis of user and traffic characteristics in a commercial nationwide Wi-Fi hotspot network. We examine a five month long log of user activity and traffic collected by a wireless network service provider operating hotspots in cafes, restaurants, serviced apartments, hotels and airports all over Australia. We analyze traffic, user activity, user sessions and account usage. Several differences from previously studied Wi-Fi networks are observed and can be attributed to the user diversity and the commercial nature of the network. Key traffic and user statistics from the network are presented for reference.