CODEWITHSUNDEEP
authenticationwifi
countunique
countunique

Reputation: 4296

Accessing WiFi internet that has additional authentication

My university runs their wifi authentication in a 2-step process. First you connect to the wifi network and then when you open a web browser, you have to type in some additional information about yourself to access the internet.

1) The university system has some way of detecting whether a device has been previously authenticated (so it doesn't ask you everytime for credentials), how is this done? Is it by MAC address?

2) Suppose I'm trying to run a home server that doesn't have a web browser. How can I get to the internet? Do I need to install a web browser to go through the 2nd step of authentication?

Upvotes: 4

Views: 14269

Answers (2)

paulsm4
paulsm4

Reputation: 121799

The "two step" process you're talking about is called a "Captive Portal":

The captive portal technique forces an HTTP client on a network to see a special web page (usually for authentication purposes) before using the Internet normally. A captive portal turns a Web browser into an authentication device.[1] This is done by intercepting all packets, regardless of address or port, until the user opens a browser and tries to access the Internet. At that time the browser is redirected to a web page which may require authentication and/or payment, or simply display an acceptable use policy and require the user to agree. Captive portals are used at many Wi-Fi hotspots, and can be used to control wired access (e.g. apartment houses, hotel rooms, business centers, "open" Ethernet jacks) as well.

Upvotes: 6

ATaylor
ATaylor

Reputation: 2598

First: Yes, that's very likely. After all, the MAC address is the only 'reliable' authentication method available in the networking world. However it is also just as likely, that they are using a cookie of some sort, which saves the authentication information.

Second: A home server from within the university network, yes? The way I understand it, this server can never be accessed from the outside, no matter what you try, for a simple reason: The clients from the outside are already turned away at the gateway of the university. There is 'no route to host'. You'd have to ask the administrator of the university network to forward the port of your home server to the computer the home server is running on. On the upside, you will not need to authenticate yourself at all, since that only applies, if it's your application making the connection. A server waits for incoming connections, so it's all good.

Upvotes: 1

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