Billing plan is a dedicated storage system object. It can be managed only through the administration site.

Before managing the service, it is strongly recommended to acquaint with basic notions because you need to built a model of system objects with complicated dependences between them. Correctly built objects system is needed for your service to operate successfully.

Wialon uses embedded billing subsystem which basic purpose is to control and limit user's activity. A billing plan is assigned to a resource (account) and defines allowed activity of users who use this resource. Billing plan is a system object defined by its name and the set of possibilities included in it.

With billing system enabled, storage system kernel performs a check for different operations (like creating objects) to be allowed. In case there is no billing plan assigned or the limit of objects is reached or the balance is not enough, the kernel will prohibit operation.

Billing plan defines the set of available services and some basic properties such as minimum balance to block an account, minimum balance to deny services, balance output format (unit of money), etc.

A billing plan also allows:

• to limit modems available to users and units;
• to limit hardware types available to users;
• to set an e-mail address from which various background operations (like notifications delivery and reports mailing, etc.) are performed;
• to adjust an individual design for reports (color, fonts, logos, signature, etc.)
• to limit any provided services.

A billing plan can operate in two basic modes:

• allow unknown services (that is services which are not prescribed in it) with zero cost and put limitations on defined services;
• allow only those services which are prescribed in it and prohibit all other services.

The second way is more reliable.

Recursive (propagated) billing plans are accessible and in many cases handful. In case of recursion, if the information about a service is not found in the current billing plan, it will be inquired recursively. The level of recursion is not limited. It is convenient to describe all used services in a basic billing plan, and make other billing plans derivative of it.

Go to Billing Plan page to create and manage billing plans. Here you see the list of all plans created:

To create a new billing plan, press Create Billing Plan button. Billing plan properties are presented on several tabs.

Here you can enter e-mail address from which various system messages (notifications, reports, etc.) will be sent.

To apply your custom style to report files read Custom Configuration for Reports.

Name
Enter a name for a billing plan.

Parent plan
Choose a parent plan if needed. If a parent plan is selected, the billing plan beeing created at the moment will recursively inherit its settings.

Block balance
Enter balance reaching which the account will be blocked.

Deny balance
Enter balance reaching which services will be denied.

Minimum days counter
Days left before the account is blocked.

Allow unknown services
If this option is activated, all services will be available on this resource if they are not blocked in service table. If this option is disabled, only services listed in service table will be available.

Currency format
Enter currency sign before or after '%.02f'.

Unit history period, in days
The time period to store unit history. Of the value is '0', the history is never deleted. If, for example, '100', messages older than 100 days are automatically deleted.

Retranslator mask
Retranslator server is set in the form 'host:port'. Here you enter comma separated list of allowed retranslators. Wildcard symbols like '*' and '?' can be used.

Sender's number (for notifications)
Sender's name or number from which behalf SMS notifications will be sent. Works with SMPP modems only.

Sender's number (for commands)
Sender's name or number from which behalf commands to units will be sent. Works with SMPP modems only.

Description is optional.

On this tab you activate services and define costs for them. To add a service, fill in a small form:

Enter a valid service Name (see services table below to check how the names are correctly given).

Select Service type: periodical or on demand.

• Periodic services have a counter that changes automatically (by the kernel, when objects are created or deleted) or with a software-based method. If an interval is preset (like hourly, daily, weekly, monthly), then when the time comes, account's balance is reduced by counter value multiplied by fee for this service. In price table you can enter maximum allowed value for a counter, for example, to limit geofences allowed to create.

• Services on demand are transactions which can be performed by a user as the need arises, like sending an SMS or a command to a unit. Time interval for such a service (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly) defines how often the counter of a service should be reset. In this way you can limit the number of allowed SMS messages for the indicated period, for example, no more than three SMSes per day.

Select Interval to reset counter (none, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly). If time interval is not set, services used are not calculated, and you just define the charge for a unit of service. Enter Cost table that is the charge for a service (or a unit of service) and limitation on amount of units. Description is optional. At the end push Create button.

To quickly create billing plans, use import/export option. You can import/export separate services and whole service tables from one billing plan to another.

To import services, press Import services button. The table of all billing plans already created and their services will be displayed. Tick needed services or whole billing plans to be imported and press the Import button. If a service with the same name already exists, it is not replaced. To clear all existing services and replace them with selected services, mark Delete all existing services check box. To return to the previous window, press Back.

To export services from the current billing plan to another one, mark necessary services and press Export services. In the next window choose billing plans to export to and press the Export button. You can indicate additionally to replace services with the same names by new services or synchronize services (replace all with new).

Services are imported and exported with their type, cost table, description, etc.

By default, no restrictions are applied to device types. But you may need to limit access to some equipment. Then choose Limit device types by assigned or Limit device types by any except assigned and select needed hardware.

Here access to modems is set. On the left there is a list of modem which have limitations. On the right there is a list of modems available for the given billing plan.

A modem is displayed on this tab only if it has the flag Limit modem activity by selected billing plans. If not, such modem is available to all billing plans without exception.

Access to modems can be also controlled through modem properties.

Follow the rules to built a cost table:

• The format for a table: COUNTER1:VALUE1;COUNTER2:VALUE2;VALUE3.
• A counter is always positive and integer, a value can be fractional (like 2.5).
• Each next counter must be greater than the previous one.
• If a counter is not set, the system will consider it equal to the previous counter +1.
• To block the service, set a negative value (like -1). Negative value is convenient at the end of the line to indicate a limitation. If their is no negative value at the end, the last cost will be applied to all newly created objects exceeding the last counter.
• To make the service free and unlimited, leave a cost table empty.

Cost table example:

The full list of services which can form a billing plan. Note that when setting a billing plan, services names must be entered as in the table below.