TollGate is a set of tools that enables WiFi routers to accept Bitcoin payments for internet access. This allows anyone with suitable hardware and an internet gateway to operate as an internet service provider.
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TollGate is a set of tools that enables WiFi routers to accept Bitcoin payments for internet access. This allows anyone with suitable hardware and an internet gateway to operate as an internet service provider.
This is one of the most exciting projects in the freedom tech space
Do you have an internet connection? You can sell it for sats on a time or packet driven basis
The buyer (who is offline) simply pastes a cashu (ecash) token into the captive portal. The portal claims the bitcoin, then provides the (vpn protected) access.
In a future where internet connections are KYC'd or otherwise difficult to get (ie, require a sim card to dox your location) it's great to see tools that allow end users to easily get online.
How does an offline user generate an ecash token when internet is required to communicate with the mint?
You need to have your ecash tokens before hand, which can be transferred offline.
Does one know the cost beforehand?
yes, it would display a price in sats
Of course the user would know the price of the TollGate they are communicating with. But at that point, they are offline and unable to generate another ecash token if there is a price mismatch.
I'm asking about when the user is online and preparing to go offline. How does the user know what size ecash token to make beforehand? Are all TollGates the same price? Is that price fixed?
you can generate an offline token, offline, for any amount using most cashu wallets (eg minibits)
an early version of tollgate did require old style tokens (amount is a factor of 2), pretty sure that's resolved now
operator sets the price. amount you pay is the amount you get
Did not know this. TIL, thanks.
I just tried this with the latest release of minibits. I was able to generate an ecash token offline, but still only in powers of 2. Pretty cool feature with a weird limitation. Is it possible to get trustless change?
You carry enough money (Ecash) for a few expenses: a couple of meals, a few coffees, a couple of hours of TolGate connection... The usual. :-)
Update and demo video
view on primal.netI am not convinced this has a place these days.
In 2006, Fon started the whole Internet sharing thing by establishing community wifi using their customers. Then in 2019, The Helium project launched a shitcoin to do this. There have been many open source projects that let you run a captive portal and resell access. Ive rarely seen it done properly.
In 2025, Wifi internet is so ubiquitous that it is not worthwhile to meter it. We have starlink and fast cellular internet most places.
I personally would never pay for wifi, least of all with precious sats.
Both starlink and subscription cellular require that you reveal your legal identity and meatspace location, as well as to purchase fiat to pay their monthly bills
Tollgate is a promise of free (as in freedom) internet, without fiat subscription shackles
Would you be prepared to earn some precious sats for sharing your connection?
No, because I do not wish to assume liability for my users access. Any traffic from them is attributable to the gateway selling access, eg: connection owner.
This just moves the problem up the stack, its not freedom internet, its reselling a non-freedom internet and accepting your users liability.
this is why a vpn is an integral part of tollgate
it's not for everyone, though, admittedly.
Can you explain the VPN part more?
It's site-to-site where the origin is the user and the destination is ____? i.e. Someone somewhere has to be the exit node, so they would be accepting the users liability, right?