How Does the Hotel Full-Optical Network Comply with Public Security Decree No. 151? Practical Implementation of Real-Name Authentication + 6-Month Log Retention

“Our hotel Wi-Fi had no real-name authentication and no log storage — we only found out it was illegal after being inspected.”

In October 2025, a hotel in Bayannur received an on-site warning and rectification order from public security authorities for failing to implement internet access real-name authentication. During a follow-up inspection more than a month later, the hotel still failed to make corrections, resulting in fines imposed on both the hotel and its supervisors.

In July 2026, an e-sports hotel in Deyang was issued a warning, a rectification deadline and a fine of 10,000 yuan due to inadequate technical protection measures and failure to record cybersecurity incident logs as required. In the same month, a hotel in Yijun, Shaanxi Province, was legally penalized with a warning for omitting real-name registration on its wireless network.

The Public Security Bureau of Yijun County clearly stated in the penalty decision: Real-name registration for wireless networks in public venues is a statutory obligation that business operators must fulfill.

These hotels were penalized not because they suffered cyberattacks or data leaks, but for neglecting the two most fundamental cybersecurity obligations: real-name authentication and log retention. Decree No. 151 of the Ministry of Public Security has been in force for years, yet numerous hotels still stumble over these two mandatory compliance items.

I. What Exactly Does Public Security Decree No. 151 Require of Hotels?

The Provisions on the Supervision and Inspection of Internet Security by Public Security Organs (Decree No. 151 of the Ministry of Public Security) took effect on November 1, 2018. Article 10 specifies the core inspection focus for public security authorities:

Item 3: Whether technical measures are legally adopted to record and retain user registration information and internet access logs;

Item 4: Whether technical safeguards are deployed to defend against computer viruses, cyberattacks and network intrusions;

Item 6: Whether technical support and assistance are provided to public security organs in accordance with legal requirements for safeguarding national security, preventing and investigating terrorist activities, and investigating criminal cases.

In short, as a venue providing public Wi-Fi services, a hotel must meet two rigid requirements:

First, all internet users shall complete real-name authentication before accessing the network;

Second, internet access logs shall be retained for a minimum of 6 months.

These mandates are also explicitly stipulated in Article 21 of the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China: Network operators shall “adopt technical measures to monitor and record network operation status and cybersecurity incidents, and retain relevant network logs for no less than six months in accordance with regulations.”

The legal provisions are unambiguous, yet countless hotels either fail to implement them fully or mistakenly believe they have achieved compliance in actual operation.

II. Four Common Misconceptions Held by Hotels

Misconception 1: A Wi-Fi password counts as authentication

Many hoteliers assume setting a Wi-Fi password equals adequate security protection. However, the real-name authentication required by Decree No.151 mandates binding each internet session to a verifiable personal identity (mobile phone number, ID card number or other traceable identifiers). A shared universal Wi-Fi password cannot pinpoint specific users, leaving no traceability in the event of security breaches.

Misconception 2: Router log storage is sufficient

Most consumer-grade hotel routers only have storage capacity ranging from several hundred megabytes to a few gigabytes. Logs are overwritten automatically within a few days. Both Classified Protection of Cybersecurity Level 2.0 and Decree No.151 enforce a minimum 6-month retention period. Legally, retaining logs for 7 days is equivalent to retaining no logs at all.

Misconception 3: Recording IP addresses and timestamps constitutes valid logging

Compliant complete logs must include the 5-tuple set (source IP, destination IP, source port, destination port, timestamp), user identity (phone number/ID number) and detailed access behavior (e.g., visited URLs). Most basic devices only record which devices connected to Wi-Fi without tracking browsing records. Incomplete log fields are deemed non-compliant in the eyes of regulators.

Misconception 4: Local-only log storage meets the standard

Logs must be tamper-proof, undeletable and exportable. Administrators can arbitrarily modify or erase logs stored on ordinary routers. Regulators demand one-click export of standardized log reports during inspections, a function traditional hardware cannot support.

A leading officer from the Cybersecurity Brigade of Deyang Public Security Bureau made a vivid comment after a law enforcement operation: “Weak passwords, unencrypted transmission and missing logs all fall under the category of ‘completely exposed network operation’.”

III. AINOPOL Full-Optical Network: Solve Both Compliance Requirements in One Go

The AINOPOL full-optical converged solution embeds real-name authentication and log retention natively within the full-optical network infrastructure. No additional third-party hardware purchase is needed, and the system out of the box fully satisfies Decree No.151 and Cybersecurity Classified Protection 2.0 standards.

Real-Name Authentication: Multiple Flexible Verification Methods

The system supports diverse authentication channels: mobile SMS verification, WeChat mini-program authentication, ID card scanning verification and room number binding verification. Guests are blocked from internet access until identity verification is finished, eliminating anonymous unauthorized network usage entirely.

Gateways come pre-approved with official SMS service qualifications; hotels do not need to apply for SMS signatures independently. The real-name SMS function can be activated in 10 seconds for immediate use.

All gateway devices hold Special Product Certification for Cybersecurity Products issued by the Ministry of Public Security, complying with public security filing rules.

Authentication landing pages support full hotel brand customization, enabling display of hotel logos, promotional campaigns and membership registration portals to boost guest membership sign-ups.

Log Retention: Auto Collection, Local Encrypted Storage & Tamper Resistance

The platform automatically aggregates four categories of logs: end-user internet access logs, device operation logs, security event logs and administrator operation logs.

Complete log content covers the full 5-tuple parameters (source IP, destination IP, source port, destination port, access time), together with user MAC address, verified mobile phone/ID number, room number and other identity & location tags.

Key log security features:

Logs are encrypted and stored locally on the hotel’s private server with multi-replica protection, locked against tampering and manual deletion;

Default retention cycle is 180 days, with scalable extended storage upon demand;

All log data remains within the hotel’s internal LAN to eliminate data leakage risks caused by cloud uploads;

Multi-dimensional log query filters are available (time range, source/destination IP, user ID, application type, room number) with query response under 1 second for rapid incident tracing;

One-click bulk export of regulator-standard log reports by daily, weekly or monthly cycles, allowing hotels to produce fully compliant documentation within seconds during official inspections.

The Bayannur hotel was penalized solely for missing real-name authentication, not for being hacked. The Deyang e-sports hotel faced fines purely due to missing archived logs, not data leakage.

Decree No.151 lays down non-negotiable rules: mandatory real-name authentication and 180-day log retention. These are not recommendations, but legal obligations.

The AINOPOL full-optical converged solution delivers perfected compliance: flexible, instantly deployable multi-channel real-name authentication, plus automatic log gathering, local encrypted storage and one-click regulatory report export. Achieve out-of-the-box compliance and zero stress during public security audits.

If your hotel still relies on outdated logic such as “a Wi-Fi password is enough” or “7 days of log storage suffices”, you may be the next recipient of a regulatory fine.

FAQ

Q: What is the legally required minimum log retention period for hotels?

A: No less than 180 days (6 months), the statutory lower limit specified by law. Level 3 Cybersecurity Classified Protection raises the bar to a minimum 12-month retention period.

Q: Does setting a Wi-Fi password count as real-name authentication?

A: No. Real-name authentication requires binding each online activity to a verifiable real identity (mobile number, ID number, etc.). A shared universal Wi-Fi password cannot trace individual users and fails to meet Decree No.151 requirements.

Q: What consequences arise from incomplete log fields?

A: Incomplete log entries are legally equivalent to having no logs at all. Compliant records must contain the full 5-tuple set, user identity information and detailed access behavior. Hotels will bear full legal liability if security incidents cannot be traced back due to flawed logging.