Some retail businesses such as coffee shops provide free WiFi Internet access for their customers. For this type of application, the FortiOS guest management feature is not required; the WiFi access point is open and customers do not need logon credentials. However, the business might want to contact its customers later with promotional offers to encourage further patronage. Using FortiOS device-based security policies, it is possible to collect customer email addresses for this purpose.

The first time a customer’s device attempts to use the WiFi connection, FortiOS requests an email address, which it validates. The customer’s subsequent connections go directly to the Internet without interruption.