Configuration of captive portal and Router for use

[Fidelinho88]

Difficult for me to set the router for loading the captive portal of pfsense.
Everything seem to be well configured but Captive portal not loading for use of internet ...
My router is TPLink model Archer C50

[Gertjan]

@Fidelinho88

Start testing the easy way : connect you pfSEnse captive portal interface to a switch. Connect your test device using a cable, so no Wifi, just cables.
Now test. Works ?

If you've got a solid 'yes' then you can continue : add other devices, like Access Points. If your Access point is also a router, keep in mind that you should de activate the router specific functionalities, like a "DNS cache/forwarder/etc", the DHCP server, firewall. If the router AP has a WAN interface : don't use it.

Or : apply the KIS : use a real AP, not a "router with Wifi".

Network example : my captive portal has the IP 192.168.2.1/24
My first AP uses 192.168.2.2/24 - the gateway is set yo 192.168.2.1 DNS is set to 192.168.2.1
My second AP uses 192.168.2.3/24 - the gateway is set yo 192.168.2.1 DNS is set to 192.168.2.1
My third AP uses 192.168.2.4/24 - the gateway is set yo 192.168.2.1 DNS is set to 192.168.2.1
etc.

[Fidelinho88]

@Gertjan Do I deactivate the DHCP on the AP ?

[Gertjan]

@Fidelinho88

You've pfSense doing the DHCP on your captive portal network.
You've set it up, right ?
On a LAN, their should be only one DHCP server active.

On a captive portal you should have switches and AP. No 'router' type devices. It can be done, of course, but that's for experts - and the won't do that 'for reasons'.

Most SoHO router/wifi devices can be set up so they behave as a 'dumb' AP.

[Fidelinho88]

@Gertjan Yeah DHCP from PFSense was activated and on DHCP Server active on LAN. Later I will send you a screenshot

[Gertjan]

@Fidelinho88

It probably looks likes this :

192.68.2.1 is the IP of my network called "PORTAL", it's not my LAN, as LAN is (imho) for trusted devices, and PORTAL is for "non trusted" devices, the ones that connect ti my portal.

As shown above, IP 192.138.2,3,4 etc are the static IPs of my APs.
From 10 to 254 are for my portal clients.When client connect to the portal, I can clearly see that happening in the DHCP server logs :

Example of a portal client connecting to the (wifi) portal :

This client could also use a wired connection, as I have some plugs here and there, or use the Wifi, handled by one of the APs. I can't tell.

Edit : for the portal to work well, it needs to see the clients IP (192.168.2.29) and the clients MAC addresses : here 04:56:e5:a0:xx:yy)

[Fidelinho88]

@Gertjan ![alt text]

It has been shown as offline ... It happened before I reinstall and still the same...

[Gertjan]

@Fidelinho88

?

The first IP of a network is 'normally' the IP of the pfSense LAN = 192.168.0.1
The next IP could be 192.168.0.2 and that will be your "AP" (look again previous posts).
Btw : my opinion, but have the AP use a static IP setup, not DHCP.

@Fidelinho88 said in Configuration of captive portal and Router for use:

It has been shown as offline ...

Offline means here : not in the pfSEnse arp cache.
See here : Diagnostics > ARP Table

You can - should be able - to ping the 192.168.0.1, your AP, so it is online.
And as soon as you ping it from pfSense, pfSnse will have it in it's arp cache for several seconds, and by magic now it shows online. To be offline again afterwards .... or, the AP is still there, up and running.