Straight answers to real questions.

For a single-site venue with an existing fibre line, installation is usually a half-day. We handle the portal configuration, the captive portal DNS, and any WiFi access point setup. You can be live by the end of the day.

Usually no. If the access points already in the building are decent, we can put the login page on top of what you have. Once we manage them, those access points count as WiFi devices on your package, just like one we supply. If the equipment is tired or unreliable, we can supply replacements: a router, set up and branded, is from R1,549 once-off, ex VAT, and bigger venues with access points and cabling are quoted per site. A site survey, on request, tells us which of the two you are looking at.

We'll do a quick feasibility check first. If your line is underperforming, we can recommend an upgrade path before we deploy anything. No point putting lipstick on a broken uplink.

You need us ongoing for the software subscription — the captive portal, the guest sign-up and the reporting all run on our cloud. Day-to-day operation, though, is on your side: your staff manage vouchers, read the reports and export the guest list.

There are three packages, priced per location per month excluding VAT. Basic is R399 — your branded splash page and one-tap access. Basic + Data Collection is R599 — guests sign in with name, email and cell number, and the list is yours. Basic + Data + Guest Insights is R799 — the same, plus visitor counts, new versus returning guests, busy times and how long guests stay connected. 1 WiFi device managed; each extra router or access point +R50 a month on Basic, +R100 on Basic + Data Collection and +R150 on Basic + Data + Guest Insights. Hardware is bought once, separately. A WiFi device is a router or access point we supply or manage. Bigger venues need more of them to reach every guest. Add-ons are priced on top of the package. Advertising and vouchers can be added to the Basic + Data + Guest Insights package only: the advertising module is R199 per location per month, vouchers are R6.50 each in batches of at least 100, and paid sessions: guests pay prices the venue sets; our set-up for paid access is quoted per venue. WiFi in Motion puts every vehicle on a package — R399, R599 or R799 per vehicle per month — plus R100 per vehicle per month, with fleet discounts for larger fleets (SIM card and data not included). Each vehicle is its own package; the extra-device fee applies at fixed venues. Hardware is bought once, separately: a router, set up and branded, is from R1,549 once-off at a fixed venue (bigger venues quoted per site), and a vehicle kit is from R4,300 once-off per vehicle. Site surveys are on request and quoted, and community projects are quoted separately. See our packages page for details.

No. We run on your internet connection: all we need is a free network port, a power socket and a spot with good signal to guests. ISP charges are not included. The line stays on your own ISP account — fibre, LTE, whatever you run. We supply the managed router, the branded login page, the access rules, consent capture, the reporting and the support, and we will happily advise on what the line needs to carry for the number of guests you expect.

No 24-month lock-ins. Most customers start on a month-to-month and pay only for the hardware and installation up front. You can cancel the software subscription with one calendar month's written notice.

We do not publish a volume rate card. If you are rolling out several locations, speak to us and we will quote the group as a whole — pricing, hardware and installation together.

We collect as little as the package needs, and we capture explicit consent on the login page at the moment a guest gives their details. On Basic we ask for nothing. On Data Collection the guest enters name, email and cell number. Under POPIA your venue is the Responsible Party for your guests' information and Hotwireless is the Operator — we process it only on your instruction. Our Privacy Notice sets out the detail, including where data is processed and how long we keep it.

Not necessarily, and we would rather say so plainly. Our platform runs on international cloud and communications services, so guest information may be processed outside South Africa. Where that happens we rely on POPIA's conditions for cross-border transfer: the processor is bound by a written agreement giving protection substantially similar to POPIA, and may not use the data for its own purposes or pass it on. Ask us and we will tell you which categories of processor are involved and where they sit.

You do. The guest list from your venue — name, email and cell number where the package captures them — is yours and is exportable. If you ever leave us, the data goes with you.

We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected for. Guest sign-up details are kept while you remain a customer and consent stays valid, and marketing contact data for as long as consent is active. Connection logs are kept while they are needed to run and troubleshoot the service. Guests can ask for deletion at any time and we act on it. The full detail is in our Privacy Notice.

No. We're based in Cape Town and operate nationally across South Africa, Namibia and Kenya. We have venues in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and beyond. For remote installs we partner with local installers.

Support is included on all three packages, Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00 SAST, on +27 76 540 1099 or admin@hotwireless.co.za. We run automated checks on the link between our systems and your router, and we act on what those pick up during business hours. They do not cover every part of the service, so please tell us when something is wrong rather than assume we have already seen it. Outside business hours we help on a best-effort basis. We do not promise a response time, and we do not offer a guaranteed uptime percentage or service credits.