UniFi Guest Network
The UniFi guest network is a highly customizable network that offers multiple way of configuration. Options include guest captive portals, radius, or simple terms and conditions acceptance. Setting up the Ubiquiti Guest Network is easy with the UniFi Network Application
UniFi Guest Network
Setup your Ubiquiti UniFi Guest Network in any configuration that meets your needs
Secure Guest Network
Activate available security features to provide a safe and secure network environment for guests
UniFi Guest Policy
Apply guest policies to your UniFi guest network to suit your needs
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Table of Contents
UniFi Guest Network Components
Ubiquiti UniFi is a really great product line with lots of features and benefits. For this topic we will take a close look at the UniFi guest portal, also known as a captive portal. The UniFi controller has a significant part to play when it comes to managing the guest portal/captive portal. The UniFi network application is the part the manages the network equipment and most of the configuration is managed by the network application
For the external portal server to work correctly there are a number of requirements.
- SSID must be a guest network and have guest policy applied
- The ports must be open as required on firewall and controller host
- The external portal service must be available via a FQDN, or controller hostname
The network application is where you can monitor the network devices and see the authentication status each one has for example. You can put all your guest traffic on a separate subnet and VLAN so that the security of the network is correctly setup. The controller is also where you can setup your guest portal/captive portal
The Basics of UniFi Guest Network
Here, every device in the guest network is treated as an individual component. They can work independently. In this section, you’ll learn more about it particularly the Ubiquiti UniFi Guest Network. It became a trend on the internet and a lot of articles are written on this subject matter.
Network Application Controller
To control the devices in this individual guest network, you’ll need software. It is considered the brain of the system. The advantage? You’ll only manage a single interface on the whole setup process. This makes the job easier for guest network administrators to handle. The UniFi controller host can be renamed but it is reserved for advanced users. The administrator can even do guest isolation option when transferring data which is a good thing.
Access Points
It is where the power passes by without the need for a different power supply. It is also applicable for Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices. It boasts the most up-to-date WiFi 902.11AC MIMO technology. The portal of this AC is user-friendly which can help for easy modification of its settings. Wireless networks are great to modify regardless of specs. This makes the access point a very crucial component.
UniFi Gateway
Although you don’t need the UniFi gateway, the Unifi security gateway 3p for for example, it is an important part of the setup. You can manage the DNS server from here among other things. The UniFi Security gateway 3p (or any router) will issue IP addresses for the guest network. You can also modify the IP range from here and fix most network issues. The router or firewall is also where you can open ports for the guest network
The UniFi gateway is different entirely to the UniFi network controller which does not issue IP addresses. Usually, you connect your router to a port dumb switch that is located on this device as well as your internal network on the other portion. This makes them two individual devices running yet sync.
UniFi Controller
You can expect that UniFi devices are paired with the UniFi Control devices. Just imagine an ISP-issued modem paired with a port dumb switch, without the other device, you’ll lack equipment. Also, you’ll be able to guest control the UniFi network with the use of the usual browser that you is installed on your computer. You can see a user-friendly portal that has a menu. All of the content of the Ubiquiti UniFi network are there which you can tweak according to your needs.
Just the same with the traditional, you are given access points as an admin user to modify the network. settings. Guest control is perfect for this as it became easier to modify because of the interface that is made simpler. Users will be able to find what they are looking for also in the client side. This what separates the traditional Wi-Fi from the UniFi network.
Guest Policies
After getting access, you can encounter the following terms in the interface. We’ll discuss it so that you’ll be aware of what they can do once you decide to use them.
This is the first page that you’ll see in the user interface. Here, you are allowed to choose between two options, namely: go to the original or promotional URL.
This is where guests who have their authorization access denied will go. It is also called the HTTPS Ubiquiti UniFi guest portal. However, to see the page correctly, you’ll need an updated certificate on your Ubiquiti UniFi Network Controller.
There will be pre-authorization access required before you can enter if you use a simple password as you will also need to put a guests’ password as well. You can also put a Terms of Service (ToS) before the guests can completely enter the system. This makes its guest policy so secure compared to traditional Wi-Fi.
Failed guest authentication will be transferred to the Ubiquiti UniFi guest portal. Also, a certificate error is expected if surfing prior to authentication in an HTTPS mode. Just think of it as pre-authorization access to make every browsing session secured.
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UniFi Network Requirements
To set up a guest network on UniFi you will need access to the UniFi Network Application. The UniFi network application is one of four apps on the UniFi ecosystem. The UniFi Network application can be used to set up the UniFi guest portal in 4 several ways
- Self hosted UniFi network application
- UniFi OS Console with UniFi Dream Machine or Cloud Key
- UniFi Cloud Console
The UniFi Cloud
The UniFi cloud key or account is the one you can use for the UniFi Cloud. The UniFi Cloud Key comes with already installed UniFi controller software. You should have Google Chrome on your client to run the Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud. Also, a DHCP-enabled guest network is required to run this. This small but amazing 2-in-1 technology is a computer and at the same time software controller without the need to be enormous. This is made for better UniFi guest control and other types.
Benefits
In this part of the article, we will give you an idea of what it is capable of, let us now enumerate its benefits.
It has the ability to manage and set up multiple computers and gadgets upon deployment. It can be a great substitute for a dedicated server with great UniFi access control.
Since the Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Key is easily accessible by various web browsers. You can configure, check out, manage, and put more gadgets using one cohesive splash page. Ubiquiti has done a great job in splash pages’ preparation. They are so user-friendly which makes the thing less intimidating for newbies in the networking industry.
So many companies have commended Ubiquiti for their splash pages’ preparation and many will try to mimic it. Many are amazed and will always be with its settings. Guest control is superb as well, making things happen without any data breach. This allows you to capture email on UniFi
All your info both personal and within the UniFi controller network are secured because of its security features such as WPA enterprise. SSID can be set to on or off depending on your needs. However, it is still recommended to enable it for extra security.
The Portals
In ICT, you’ll commonly hear about portals. The same with the UniFi network, portals are also a vital part. There is the UniFi help center on the Ubiquiti website to help you in familiarizing their UniFi portal.
Let us try to enumerate the portals that you’ll encounter in the Ubiquiti UniFi guest network.
Guest Portal
The captive portal is like an authentication page that UniFi guests who have just connected to a cabled or wireless network. This is the requirement before they will be given more access to the UniFi network.
Captive portal filters out unusual activities which can prevent a data breach. This is why a lot of enterprises are using the C
UniFi Guest Portal
For hassle-free internet access, utilizing the UniFi Guest Portal would be great. You have the power to do client isolation which gives limited access points to a user group. You can set the allowable run time with client isolation on the UniFi guest portal menu.
UniFi Guest Portal Customization
You might have seen a lot of articles that are a great guide about portal customization. So, some people are able to customize the UniFi guest portal without proper training just by reading articles. It acts as their guide for better UniFi control and tweaking. Having said so, there are elements (mostly colors) that you can change in the UniFi portal.
Access Control
Regarding the access point settings of the UniFi guest wireless network, you can probably encounter two configuration scenarios. It is a guide on what is accessible or not in your UniFi guest networks. They are crucial in the ability of the UniFi guest or other user groups to have access control over something.
In these configuration scenarios, it is common to put the hostnames or subnets that the guests will have an access point to. They do not need guest authentication though. You need to utilize the most out of the guest control section to ensure that all modifications will be set. A WPA enterprise is also integrated for additional security that is harder to penetrate.
You just need to input the hostname or subnets that must not be accessible by the UniFi guest user group. Checking on UniFi guest policies carefully will be a good move. It is like a guest isolation option that limits a user from doing something. You are given the chance to set the UniFi guest policies to your preference. These post-authorization settings are important to avoid security breaches and errors. So, the pre and post-authorization requirements will give better UniFi guest control and assurance that every data is safe.
UniFi Guest Network
The UniFi guest network is very well catered for within the UniFi Network Application. The guest profile setup in the new Network Application console allows for many options including radius, vouchers and facebook authentication. As the Unifi system evolves the guest network functionality will continue to evolve. If you want to capture emails on Unifi then you can implement the external portal server option within the Guest policy.
