Troubleshooting: Unable to Join a Public WiFi Network

Problem Statement

When joining a public WiFi network that is not locked with a password, a pop-up window will sometimes appear requiring you to accept certain terms and conditions prior to logging onto that network.  On macOS, this pop-up is called "Captive Portal" and it is sometimes incompatible with the WiFi network being joined.  The symptoms you will experience include:

• A blank popup window
• No pop-up at all
• An inability to visit any page in your web browser

Caveats

Different networks are configured differently, and your computer may not be able to join some of them despite all that follows in this article, and despite the heroics your IT department may perform trying to get you to join them.  The simple fact is that some networks operate versions of firmware, and versions of security, that will be incompatible with your own computer's setup.  There is no way to ensure 100% compatibility, short of eliminating all security protocols (not only those imposed by Smart Sourced IT, but also those imposed by the OS developer.... Apple, Windows, Linux, etc).  Therefore, one should always have a "Plan B" for connecting when away from the home/office.

Troubleshooting Steps

With the above caveat in mind, there are some troubleshooting steps you can take to ensure all possibilities are exhausted before seeking help:

1. Reboot your computer.  ~40% of all IT issues disappear following a restart.
2. Take particular note of the name of the WiFi network you are trying to join.  This step, while obvious, is often overlooked.  Some facilities will have multiple WiFi networks with similar names, and in some cases neighboring wifi networks (outside the facility) may have a similar or identical WiFi network name as the one you're trying to join.
3. If you still cannot connect to the public WiFi and gain access to the internet, quit any VPN tools in use (example: ProtonVPN).
4. Disconnect from, then rejoin, the public WiFi network you wish to use.  If you get a login/welcome pop-up window that you're able to interact with, proceed as normal.  If you've then able to get on the network and access web pages, skip forward to step 12.
5. After joining the public WiFi network, if a pop-up doesn't appear, or appears blank, hold down the Option key and click the Airport icon once.  You will see the WiFi network you are connected to, along with some statistics (see screenshot below)
   • Note the Router address
   • Note the "RSSI" value, a measure of WiFi signal strength.  This is a negative number, so values above -70dbm (ie. -60, -50, -40) are good, and ones below -70dbm (ie. -80, -90) are bad.  Good connections will load pages quickly, bad connections will take a long time to load, or fail to load altogether.  Move yourself and your laptop to a location where the number is better than -70dbm.
   • 
6. Disconnect from the public WiFi network and reconnect to it.
7. If you don't get a login pop-up, or if the pop-up window appears blank or otherwise non-functional, disconnect from the DNSFilter application in your top menu bar (SSI clients only).
8. Disconnect from the public WiFi network and reconnect to it.
9. In your web browser address bar, type 1.1.1.1 (this is Cloudflare's Public DNS server).  This action sometimes forces your browser to go to the public wifi's login page.  If successful, you'll be able to join the network (proceed to step 12).
10. If none of the above works, contact the facility's IT team and ask whether they have imposed any restrictions on their public wifi network. We have seen instances where devices need to be specifically authorized to join a guest network and this task can only be performed by the facility's IT team.  If you are at this stage, feel free to connect the facility's IT team with the Smart Sourced IT support team.
11. If unable to perform #10, and if #9 was unsuccessful, connect your computer to your mobile hotspot and use that internet service instead of the public WiFi network.
12. Reconnect to your VPN.

Digital Hygiene Best Practices on an Unsecured Wi-Fi Network

Always practice the following on any WiFi network for which you do not have administrative control (ex. Public WiFi networks):

• Don’t enter any sensitive data into any website whose URL address does not begin with HTTPS
• Refrain from performing sensitive online tasks (examples include banking/finance and HR tasks or anything transacting in Personally Identifiable Information -PII) if your VPN connection is not active.