OpenRoaming and Passpoint are two wireless connectivity standards that aim to make accessing Wi-Fi hotspots seamless and secure. As public Wi-Fi becomes increasingly prevalent, the ability to easily roam between networks without having to log in or authenticate at each one is valuable for both businesses and consumers. OpenRoaming vs Passpoint

Both OpenRoaming and Passpoint enable devices to automatically connect to supported hotspots without the need for usernames or passwords. This allows users to move seamlessly between locations while maintaining network connectivity. The standards also incorporate encryption and other security mechanisms to protect user data.

This article compares OpenRoaming and Passpoint to determine their key differences and similarities. Understanding the capabilities of each standard can help businesses choose the right one for their needs and help consumers know what to expect from supported public networks. The two standards take different approaches but share the common goal of streamlining secure roaming between Wi-Fi hotspots.

What is OpenRoaming? OpenRoaming vs Passpoint

OpenRoaming is a technology developed by the Wireless Broadband Alliance that enables secure, automatic connections between venues and devices.

With OpenRoaming, users can seamlessly connect to Wi-Fi hotspots without needing to go through a login portal. This allows users to move between different venues while maintaining their Wi-Fi connection.

Here’s how it works: participating venues and hotspot operators use a cloud-based federated network to authenticate users. Devices with OpenRoaming enabled automatically connect to the network when in range of a hotspot. The device uses pre-configured credentials to authenticate with the federated network in the cloud.

This eliminates the need for users to manually enter credentials, go through splash screens, or register at each location. Connections switch automatically between hotspots and venues.

Overall, OpenRoaming aims to provide an easy, secure roaming experience similar to what cellular users enjoy with national roaming. This gives users one seamless Wi-Fi network spanning multiple locations, operators, and countries.

What is Passpoint?

Passpoint is an authentication standard for public WiFi hotspots developed by the WiFi Alliance. It was launched in 2012 to make connecting to public WiFi networks easier and more secure.

With Passpoint, users don’t have to find and connect to a specific network or sign in through a portal page. Instead, the network automatically recognizes Passpoint-certified devices and allows them to connect once authenticated. This is enabled through the use of two key technologies:

• 802.1X – An IEEE standard for port-based network access control. It provides authenticated access to networking resources by establishing an authenticated session between a user’s device and the network.

• EAP – Extensible Authentication Protocol is used to securely deliver credentials from the device to the network. There are several EAP methods supported by Passpoint, including EAP-TLS and EAP-SIM.

Once a device has been authenticated by the Passpoint network, it will automatically connect when in range without the user having to re-enter credentials. This allows for seamless connectivity across Passpoint hotspots.

The standard was developed to address the cumbersome process of connecting to and authenticating on public WiFi networks. Passpoint aims to make this process fast, secure, and automatic for users.

How They Work

OpenRoaming connects devices to WiFi networks automatically using a cloud identity service maintained by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA). When a device attempts to connect to an OpenRoaming-enabled WiFi network, it will communicate with the OpenRoaming cloud identity service to authenticate the device.

Once authenticated, the device can automatically connect to the WiFi network without needing to go through the process of accepting terms, signing in, or entering passwords on a web portal. Everything is handled seamlessly via the cloud service. This allows devices to connect more securely and easily when roaming between OpenRoaming-enabled hotspots.

Passpoint, on the other hand, uses the WPA2-Enterprise security protocol and 802.1X authentication to secure and connect devices. The user’s device communicates with a Passpoint enabled WiFi router using the 802.1X standard, which initiates an authentication handshake. During this process, the user’s credentials are checked against authentication servers via the Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) protocol.

Once the authentication servers validate the user’s credentials, the connection is secured using WPA2-Enterprise encryption protocols like AES or CCMP. This allows the device to connect to the Passpoint hotspot securely without needing to re-enter credentials or agree to terms on a web portal. Everything is handled in the background once the initial credentials are provisioned on the device.

Interoperability OpenRoaming vs Passpoint

OpenRoaming and Passpoint both facilitate seamless connectivity to Wi-Fi hotspots. However, they take different approaches that are not always compatible.

OpenRoaming relies on a centralized provider federation to enable roaming between networks. Passpoint is based on the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED standard and allows devices to automatically connect to supported hotspots.

In theory, the two can work together to provide even greater roaming capabilities. A device with Passpoint could connect to OpenRoaming federated networks. Likewise, an OpenRoaming user could access individual Passpoint hotspots.

However, in practice, interoperability is limited. Not all Passpoint-enabled devices recognize OpenRoaming networks or credentials. Similarly, OpenRoaming does not universally include all Passpoint networks.

Much depends on implementation by device manufacturers and network operators. Support for both standards is still incomplete and inconsistent across the industry. As a result, seamless roaming between the two systems is not yet ubiquitous.

Progress is being made toward better interoperability, but challenges remain. Users cannot always rely on a consistent experience when transitioning between OpenRoaming and Passpoint networks. Universal compatibility remains an aspiration rather than a reality.

Availability OpenRoaming vs Passpoint

OpenRoaming and Passpoint have different levels of availability currently.

OpenRoaming’s network of participating hotspots is still quite limited. The OpenRoaming consortium of companies like Cisco, Microsoft, and others has been working to expand coverage, but so far, OpenRoaming public WiFi hotspots number only in the thousands globally. Most are concentrated in the United States and Europe.

In comparison, Passpoint hotspots are far more widely available around the world. Major WiFi equipment manufacturers have implemented Passpoint in their hardware, and many public WiFi operators have deployed Passpoint networks. Mobile carriers promoting cellular offloading have helped drive Passpoint adoption as well. While estimates vary, Passpoint hotspots likely number in the millions globally.

So in terms of current availability, Passpoint enjoys much broader coverage than OpenRoaming. However, as the OpenRoaming consortium continues to add new participating companies and locations, the coverage gaps may narrow over time.

Security

Both OpenRoaming and Passpoint aim to provide secure WiFi connections for users. They utilize advanced encryption protocols to help protect user data and prevent snooping or hacking.

Specifically, Passpoint uses the WPA2-Enterprise security protocol with 128-bit encryption keys to secure the connection between the user device and the access point. This is the same level of encryption used in many corporate networks and helps prevent unauthorized access.

OpenRoaming takes security a step further by adding an identity federation layer on top of the wireless encryption. This allows users to authenticate once and then seamlessly and securely connect to any participating hotspot. Their identity is federated across providers, meaning they don’t need to re-enter passwords when roaming between networks.

This identity federation provides an extra level of security and convenience compared to Passpoint alone. Users don’t need to transmit passwords over the air, and their data remains protected when moving between hotspots. Overall, both solutions aim to keep WiFi users’ data safe, with OpenRoaming adding robust identity management through federation.

Costs

OpenRoaming and Passpoint have different cost structures for implementation.

With OpenRoaming, there are service fees involved for providers. The OpenRoaming Federation charges network operators and identity providers a monthly fee to be part of the federated network. The exact pricing model depends on the size of the organization and the number of locations, but fees can range from a few thousand euros per month for a small operator to over €50,000 per month for a global enterprise deployment.

Passpoint, on the other hand, does not have any recurring service fees. The WiFi Alliance does not charge any membership fees related specifically to Passpoint certification. The only cost consideration is that the hardware infrastructure needs to be Passpoint-certified to support it. However, once certified access points and devices are deployed, there are no additional Passpoint service charges.

So in summary, OpenRoaming requires ongoing fees to enable federated roaming, while Passpoint relies on upfront hardware investments to be supported. This cost-structure difference may factor into which solution providers decide to implement.

The Future

As OpenRoaming continues to gain support from major industry players, we can expect it to see increased adoption and expand globally in the years ahead. The OpenRoaming standard has backing from the Wireless Broadband Alliance and major companies like Cisco, Boingo, and Comcast, so it has strong momentum behind it.

However, Passpoint still remains the dominant wide-scale WiFi authentication system. Passpoint is already widely deployed by mobile carriers and WiFi providers globally. While OpenRoaming aims to connect these disparate Passpoint networks together into one massive roaming consortium, full integration will take time.

In the short term, Passpoint will likely continue leading public WiFi roaming while OpenRoaming gains traction. But OpenRoaming has the potential to simplify WiFi roaming long-term. If it achieves its goals, users can seamlessly roam to any OpenRoaming-enabled hotspot using their existing credentials. This would provide a more unified global WiFi roaming experience compared to the current fragmented Passpoint landscape.

The coming years will determine if OpenRoaming can gain enough scale to rival Passpoint’s position. But OpenRoaming’s mission to stitch together Passpoint and non-Passpoint networks hints at an intriguing possible future for worldwide WiFi roaming.

Conclusion

OpenRoaming and Passpoint take different approaches to providing secure WiFi access, but both aim to create a seamless roaming experience for users. OpenRoaming vs Passpoint

The main differences come down to how they handle identity, authentication, and interoperability between networks. OpenRoaming uses a cloud-based clearinghouse to enable roaming between participating service providers, while Passpoint uses SIM-based authentication tied to a specific provider.

For individual users who want easy roaming on their mobile devices without managing multiple accounts, Passpoint may provide a better experience if you primarily use one mobile carrier. But for organizations with users across different networks, OpenRoaming would enable broader roaming capabilities.

Overall, Passpoint has wider deployment currently, but OpenRoaming is gaining traction for its flexible cloud-based approach. As more providers join the OpenRoaming Federation, it may become the standard for seamless WiFi roaming across networks. However, Passpoint will continue to meet the needs of individual carriers looking to provide a consistent experience for their own customers.

The growth of both of these standards shows the increasing importance of secure, seamless roaming to meet user expectations around public WiFi access. While their approaches differ, OpenRoaming and Passpoint are both steps toward making roaming as easy as possible for WiFi users. OpenRoaming vs Passpoint