How to Configure a Captive Portal on Grandstream GWN Access Points

A captive portal is a web page that users must access before they can gain access to your Wi-Fi network. This is often used for:

• Authentication: Requiring users to enter credentials (username/password) before granting network access.
• Guest Access: Providing limited internet access to guests while keeping your main network secure.
• Marketing: Displaying advertisements, promotions, or important information to users before they connect.

This guide will walk you through the basic steps of setting up a captive portal on your Grandstream GWN Series access points.

1. Prepare Your Captive Portal Server

• Choose a Server: Select a server to host your captive portal. This could be a dedicated server, a virtual machine, or even a computer on your network.
• Configure Web Server: Install and configure a web server on your chosen server. Popular options include Apache, Nginx, and Microsoft IIS.
• Create Captive Portal Pages: Design your captive portal pages.
  • Login Page: This page should include a login form for users to enter their credentials.
  • Success Page: This page will be displayed to users after successful authentication.
  • Failure Page: This page will be displayed if authentication fails.

2. Configure the GWN Access Points

• Access the GWN Management Portal: Log in to the web-based management interface of your GWN access points.
• Navigate to Captive Portal Settings: Find the captive portal settings within the access point's configuration. The exact location may vary slightly depending on the specific GWN model.
• Enable Captive Portal: Enable the captive portal feature.
• Configure Authentication:
  • Authentication Method:
    • Open System: Allows all devices to connect without authentication.
    • WPA2-Enterprise: Requires user credentials for network access.
    • MAC Filtering: Allows access only to devices with specific MAC addresses.
  • RADIUS Server: If using RADIUS authentication, configure the address of your RADIUS server.
• Redirect Settings:
  • Redirect URL: Specify the URL of your login page.
  • Success Redirect URL: (Optional) Specify a URL to redirect users to after successful authentication.
• Advanced Settings: Customize advanced settings such as:
  • Client Isolation: Isolate client devices from each other.
  • VLAN Assignment: Assign clients to different VLANs based on authentication.
  • Blacklist/Whitelist: Create lists of allowed or blocked MAC addresses or IP addresses.

3. Test Your Captive Portal

• Connect a device to your Wi-Fi network.
• You should be automatically redirected to your captive portal login page.
• Attempt to authenticate using the correct credentials.
• Verify that you can access the internet after successful authentication.

Important Notes:

• Browser Compatibility: Ensure your captive portal pages are compatible with a wide range of web browsers.
• Security: Implement strong security measures to protect your captive portal server from attacks.
• Refer to the GWN Documentation: For detailed instructions and the latest features, always refer to the official Grandstream GWN documentation.

This guide provides a basic overview of setting up a captive portal for the GWN Series. You may need to adjust the configuration based on your specific requirements and network environment.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general guidance only and may not be suitable for all situations. Always consult the official Grandstream documentation and seek professional assistance if you have any doubts or require advanced configurations.

I hope this blog post is helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions.