Why doesn't captive portal open the web page once you choose the network?

PeterITG · Aug 30, 2016, 2:10 PM

I use Antlabs Inngate, Nomadix, ValuePoint, and Unifi Ubiquiti. Their captive portal when you connect always launches the browser. With Pfsense the user has to connect then browse to a Http:// Site to get redirected.

Anyway to make this work like other captive portal gateways?

Gertjan · Aug 30, 2016, 8:07 PM

@PeterITG:

…..
With Pfsense the user has to connect then browse to a Http:// Site to get redirected.

When launching a https://…. you will NOT get redirected.
That's what https is all about.

Modern OS's (Windows, iOS, MacOS, etc) launch a hidden http://portal.microsoft.com or http://portal.apple.com or ...) when a Wifi connection is established. When the reply is redirected, a browser will open that shows you the "reply" : the portal login page.

I'm using pfSense in a hotel (read : NON-initiad clients end users). No one come down to the reception asking me why they can't acces sthe Internet. They will see the pfSense login page, they will hunt down the access password in mentioned on the papers present in their room, and they connect.

I never used "Antlabs Inngate, Nomadix, ValuePoint, and Unifi Ubiquiti". These are also "free-ware" solution ?

Derelict · Aug 31, 2016, 4:19 AM

Have you ensured that the DNS servers given to your clients are usable before going through the portal?

PeterITG · Aug 31, 2016, 8:25 PM

@Derelict:

Have you ensured that the DNS servers given to your clients are usable before going through the portal?

Yeah i had "Disable DNS Forwarder" Checked
Also other DNS was added to DHCP server overriding settings
And those addresses were being pass-through the captive portal so people getting them were resolving hostnames and the browser wasnt starting its captive portal automatically.

Thanks should of assumed it was a DNS issue

PeterITG · Aug 31, 2016, 8:30 PM

@Gertjan:

@PeterITG:

…..
With Pfsense the user has to connect then browse to a Http:// Site to get redirected.

When launching a https://…. you will NOT get redirected.
That's what https is all about.

Modern OS's (Windows, iOS, MacOS, etc) launch a hidden http://portal.microsoft.com or http://portal.apple.com or ...) when a Wifi connection is established. When the reply is redirected, a browser will open that shows you the "reply" : the portal login page.

I'm using pfSense in a hotel (read : NON-initiad clients end users). No one come down to the reception asking me why they can't acces sthe Internet. They will see the pfSense login page, they will hunt down the access password in mentioned on the papers present in their room, and they connect.

I never used "Antlabs Inngate, Nomadix, ValuePoint, and Unifi Ubiquiti". These are also "free-ware" solution ?

Yes I had allowed my DNS servers through the captive portal. So it was resolving the hidden OS checks so the captive portals weren't starting. So they weren't really being redirected till they tried a http site and most sites are https now. Our support know to have them try a http site but i knew something was wrong when it wasn't opening automatically.

Also those other devices are hospitality gateways that have the splash page, Integrate with a PMS system. Charged Tiered Bandwidth.