Hot Box It's a snap to set up a hot spot with these package solutions.

Many businesses now offer Wi-Fi hot spots as a convenience andlure for customers. Restaurants, cafes and coffee shops are at theforefront, with most providing free or cheap wireless access. Butentrepreneurs have had to sort through a heap of hardware, thendeal with installation. Now, many package solutions are availableto ease the pain.

One is the SMCEliteConnect 2.4GHz 802.11g wireless Hotspot Gateway Kit. Thecombined access point and bridge comes with security features likea firewall, and a mini POS ticket printer makes charging for accesseasier. The kit costs just under $900 (all prices street).

At about $500 is the D-Link DSA-3100 gateway kit. It makes iteasy to keep your business network secure while allowing customersto log on for net access. The drawback is that it doesn'tinclude an access point. But SMC and D-Link aren't the onlyplayers in the market. As ease of installation and use improve, youshould be able to install your own hot spot with minimalheadaches.