Any mesh network router system with captive portal support?

[Frankie Yuen]

Would like to setup a mixed Ethernet / wireless backhual mesh network that supports a guest network with captive portal - also need OpenVPN by the way, any advice?

 

[Audio-catalyst]

unifi

send from a mobile device, so typo's are to be expected

 

[Frankie Yuen]

Correct me if I am wrong but Unifi itself is not a router, so do I need to have a router for a complete network?

 

[Audio-catalyst]

Correct me if I am wrong but Unifi itself is not a router, so do I need to have a router for a complete network?

i correct you

unifi is a line of products, that includes routes, switches and ap's

all managed from 1 controller, that can be either:
small usb devices
self hosted on linux/ubuntu local machines
self hosted on a cloud vm
or
unifi host at the elite , which includes support, for a premium


send from a mobile device, so typo's are to be expected

 

[Frankie Yuen]

So if I go for Unifi APs, which router will you recommend

 

[Audio-catalyst]

kind of depends on your exactly requirement, and bandwith.
in general an usg-4 pro should be able to handle all your needs now and for some time to come.

plus add some smaller unfi switches,and you should have everything in 1 console for configuration, management and monitoring

send from a mobile device, so typo's are to be expected

 

[Frankie Yuen]

kind of depends on your exactly requirement, and bandwith.
in general an usg-4 pro should be able to handle all your needs now and for some time to come.

plus add some smaller unfi switches,and you should have everything in 1 console for configuration, management and monitoring

send from a mobile device, so typo's are to be expected

Does ‘UniFi’ switch acts as a router too?

 

[umarmung]

A switch is not a router.

 

[Frankie Yuen]

A switch is not a router.

Sorry I meant UniFi Security Gateway.

 

[umarmung]

Sorry I meant UniFi Security Gateway.

Yes, that is a router.

 

[TechGuruUK]

Try Waver SmartOne. It has an integrated captive portal, captive portal builder and many advanced features like ability to offer paid access from paypal, social login, mailchimp sync etc etc. It is scalable easy to use and does not have any monthly fees.
Features on: wavertech.eu

Just got two, they work great..

 

[Trip]

First off, I would handle this with discrete components. No brainer there.

Going single-vendor/product line usually means nicer integration, such as with Ubiquiti UniFi. That said, especially for hundreds of Mb/s or more, you might prefer something like Untangle on a high-clock Pentium or i3, like a Protectli box off Amazon, or for more turn-key, a pre-loaded one from an integrator like NexGen. It has a nice GUI for VPN config and incorporates other goodies like fq_codel for "knobless" QoS, similar to UBNT's approach.

On the wifi side, again, UniFi is decent, but comes with some small annoyances, such as the controller, which needs to be installed on a physical/virtual machine, local or cloud, or run from a CloudKey, for setup, but then also for any config changes. Pundits say not a big deal, and I'll give them that. But it is still an additional failure domain that, for small deployments at least (<25 APs), is completely avoidable, if they simply offered something like Aruba does with Instant or Ruckus does with Unleashed. Using Ruckus as an example, you could get a more mature mesh product for <$200/AP (with R310's), arguably better captive portal functionality and great mixed-vendor behavior for not a whole lot more money.

For switching, you'd be free to pick from a slew of choices and these days an L2 box is all but a commodity item, but I would still stick with a reputable switching brand. YMMV on the el-cheapo stuff.

In closing, no single multi-hundred dollar consumer product is going to match wits for solid wifi with guest ability, and/or OpenVPN hosting beyond a certain amount of bandwidth. My 2 cents.