Most captive portals work by answering the DNS requests with the captive portal ip. This works only if the correct dns servers are configured and a lot of security features like dnssec, DOH, … are disabled.
If you connect to the network and open firefox, it will display a toast to open the corresponding captive portals page. You can then login through that. Given that your VPN isn’t blocking unencrypted connections etc.
Extrapolation of partial knowledge warning
I assume the network advertises a captive portals url and identifies your based on you MAC address.
I do construction work and travel every week. I’ve had this problem pop up in the last month when I connect to the hotel wifi. I just open Firefox and type in the default gateway IP and then it takes me to the login page. For whatever reason it stopped opening the page for me.
I still cannot connect to captive portals for public WiFis, eg on train or hotel and I have no idea where the config comes from.
DNS? Resolve.conf? Systemd network manager? WTF?
(Probably for the best though, so I use my phone 5G and not these suss open networks )
I use this project (https://github.com/FiloSottile/captive-browser) which works most of the time.
Most captive portals work by answering the DNS requests with the captive portal ip. This works only if the correct dns servers are configured and a lot of security features like dnssec, DOH, … are disabled.
More info from the project author: https://words.filippo.io/captive-browser/
So you run this to sign into the portal, is that right? Thanks
Edit: OK had a read, I will look into this. I don’t have chrome on my machine but will see if it works with chromium swapped in instead. :)
If you connect to the network and open firefox, it will display a toast to open the corresponding captive portals page. You can then login through that. Given that your VPN isn’t blocking unencrypted connections etc.
Extrapolation of partial knowledge warning
I assume the network advertises a captive portals url and identifies your based on you MAC address.
The config is server-side (router).
I get “limited connection” I think when I try connect or “no internet”.
I don’t make it to load the portal page…
so maybe I’m not recieving at IP from the network?
I do construction work and travel every week. I’ve had this problem pop up in the last month when I connect to the hotel wifi. I just open Firefox and type in the default gateway IP and then it takes me to the login page. For whatever reason it stopped opening the page for me.