connect a wifi access point on a network that requires password and CAPTCHA login

[ETatBKK]

hi there

in my work room only an Ethernet cable to my desktop computer, but no WiFi. connect to internet then username, password and CAPTCHA are needed in the landing page. I bring-my-own an Apple Airport Express and a Linksys WiFi router, both no luck to connect to the network since it cannot login by itself. error is obvious - no IP.

just for connecting my mobile devices, any work-around on this ?

( IT hesitate to connect my WiFi access point in my own room )

thanks . . .

[Guest]

Generally that is the best possible situation on networks which require landing page authentication.

- Enable DHCP server on your Linksys router (NAT)

- Setup the wifi network, if not done before

- Connect your Linksys router's WAN port to the ethernet cable

If the Wifi router does not have any ethernet LAN ports, then purchase an USB wlan adapter for your desktop, otherwise simply connect the desktop's LAN port to the wifi router.

Open a browser and do the authentication. At this point your mobile devices should be able to access the internet as the connection is already authenticated by the desktop login (using the IP address from the Linksys router).

Then again, it might be that the walled gardens has become smarter and are able to block the traffic by sniffing the traffic.

If this is your workplace, it might be a good idea to consult the company's IT department, as there might be some real reasons why they don't support mobile devices..

[RichCor]

[...] only an Ethernet cable to my desktop computer [...]

connect to internet then username, password and CAPTCHA are needed in the landing page. [...]

just for connecting my mobile devices, any work-around on this ?

( IT hesitate to connect my WiFi access point in my own room )

thanks . . .

When you wrote, "connect to internet then username, password and CAPTCHA

do you mean that you need to click a PC app or utility to initiate the connection?

Could you tell us the name of that program?

--

Another option would be to leave your Internet/Ethernet connection as is (connected to your PC) and add a USB WiFi stick with WiFi Access Point software so that the PC connection can be shared. Most are Windows7/8 compatible.

[...]

Then again, it might be that the walled gardens has become smarter and are able to block the traffic by sniffing the traffic.

If this is your workplace, it might be a good idea to consult the company's IT department, as there might be some real reasons why they don't support mobile devices..

Yes. I find it interesting that they go to all this trouble to authenticate each client, does the company/building have a reason for this? Is something posted or did you agree to specific rules? Why do they "hesitate" to connect a WiFi Access Point device for you?

What ever the reasons, the USB/WiFi Shared Internet Access added to your PC wouldn't be a break of their security too badly as you'll still need to log in on the PC to use it. Just make sure it's WPA/WPA2 encrypted or set to only allow the MAC address of your WiFi device -- and don't share it.

[Dork]

I have noticed that some hotels (esp in China) that force you to authenticate through a web page have started to include captcha's on the logon page. I think it is designed to make it more difficult to use a travel router that enables a guest to connect multiple devices through a single logon.

Devices like the following that have a special "hotspot function" sometimes called "wifi account sharing".

http://www.asus.com/Networking/WL330NUL/

I use one of these and it still works even with the captcha. However if you don't use the internet connection for a while it times and forces you to log on again.

[koo]

If you set up the router to only be in "Access Point Mode", then the signal is just converted from wired to wireless in the router. Thus, you land on the authentication page with your wireless device, and are properly prompted for the username, password and captcha.

If you set up the router in "Wireless Router Mode", then the router will try to independently acquire the access (which fails because of the captcha) and then try to pass the connexction on to you. Of course it is possible to login to the router itself and go through the landing page, but whenever the line is cut because of a timeout period or technical glitch, you need to log in to the router again and go to the landing page.

The firstmentioned (AP Mode) is nearly always simpler to use, since the timeout or glitch can be rendered from your wireless device faster, without hassle with the router settings.

[jcisco]

A few questions, is the Captive portal page http or https

-do you actually get assigned an ip address

-is that ip address the same once you login, same for the default gateway and subnet etc.

All that aside, the advice above is perfectly reasonable. you said you have a linkysys Router. so simply plug the LAN cable from the wall socket, into the WAN socket on the back of the router.

Configure the linksys to receive configuration via DHCP on the WAN port.

Confirm that your router is being issued an address in its WAN settings. If it is not, something is wrong with your setup or some other annoying hiccup.

Configure your wifi network however you want. Ideally you should simply be able to connect via wifi or LAN and on access to the internet get redirected to the captive portal.

Then enter your login details and you are off.

As for the captive portal, does it have a time out feature that causes it to be redisplayed. I usually just use cURL or powershell to generate web traffic in the background to avoid idle time outs. CAPTCHA are annoying and usually can avoid them, you'd be surprised how often you can reply old ones if you use the correct HTTP headers, or other nifty tricks.

[ETatBKK]

thanks guys . . .

in university all staff and students need to login with username password and a captcha on a https landing page. it is exactly like the hotel-style login, with timeout and quota per day. very old-fashioned IT policy, any BYO device is not welcome.

I used to have an Apple Airport Express for travelling purpose, but it doesn’t work in this particular case, even with DHCP. wonder if they register the mac address per LAN point. then USB WiFi access point is a good idea, but let me exhaust the possibilities with the existing devices first.

never experiment the ‘access point’ mode, yet functionally this is exactly what I need. the Apple Airport Express does has this particular feature, and will check that on the Linksys too. will try it on site next week.

[RichCor]

thanks guys . . .

in university all staff and students need to login with username password and a captcha on a https landing page. it is exactly like the hotel-style login, with timeout and quota per day. very old-fashioned IT policy, any BYO device is not welcome.

OK, so it sounds like the system issues IP/Gateway/DNS via DHCP, then redirects all traffic to the https landing page. Once authenticated the MAC address of the device is recorded and only that MAC traffic is allowed to traverse through the gateway.

In this scenario a WiFi "Access Point" might work as it would be operating in Bridge Mode, passing the traffic along quietly. Your WiFi device has to be able to disable NAT Router Mode and work in Bridge Mode.

I used to have an Apple Airport Express for travelling purpose, but it doesn’t work in this particular case, even with DHCP. wonder if they register the mac address per LAN point. then USB WiFi access point is a good idea, but let me exhaust the possibilities with the existing devices first.

never experiment the ‘access point’ mode, yet functionally this is exactly what I need. the Apple Airport Express does has this particular feature, and will check that on the Linksys too. will try it on site next week.