Portal-Based WLANs
Portal-based WLANs
| WLAN Type | User Credential | Portal on Which WLAN is Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | Guest passes on the controller | AP |
| Hotspot (WISPr) | RADIUS server; LDAP/Active Directory from SmartZone 3.2 and later | External portal server or internal portal on the controller |
| WebAuth | RADIUS/LDAP/Active Directory | AP |
Guest and WebAuth WLAN portals are hosted on the controller AP with limited customization.
WISPr WLANs are usually hosted on external portal servers providing the flexibility to customize. WISPr WLANs allow for sophisticated customization such as providing a customized login page which could include locale information, advertisements and so on.
WISPr WLANs can also be configured to bypass the authentication portal so that if the MAC address of an end user device (used as a credential) is stored on a RADIUS server, there is no need to redirect the end user to the portal server for authentication.
Portal-Based WLANs Characteristics
Portal-based WLANs have the following characteristics:WebAuth WLANs have the following characteristics:
- Does not provide an option to modify the portal (WYSIWYG)
- Handles user authentication by the RADIUS server, LDAP, and Active Directory
- Allows redirecting of user web pages
- Provides an option to modify the portal elements such as the logo, Terms and Conditions, title, and so on
- Handles user authentication by using guest passphrases (or selecting the Always Acceptedoption)
- Allows redirecting of user web pages
- Does not possess a local database, LDAP, Active Directory, or RADIUS server
- Internal Portal
- Provides an option to modify the portal elements such as the logo, Terms and Conditions, title, and so on
Handles user authentication by the local database, LDAP, Active Directory, RADIUS server (or selecting the Always Accepted option)
- Allows redirecting user web pages
- Supports the Walled Garden approach to allow user access to specific areas within the network
- Hotspot (WISPr) WLANs (External Portal)
have the following characteristics:
- Allows customization of the portal pages through external services
- Supports Northbound Portal Interface for authentication
Handles user authentication by the local database, LDAP, Active Directory, RADIUS server (or selecting the Always Accepted option)
- Allows redirecting of user web pages
- Supports the Walled Garden approach to allow user access to specific areas within the network