Access points that support an external captive portal
An external captive portal is the difference between a WiFi password and a guest list. It needs more from your network than a login page does: a controller that redirects guests to an outside address, and a way for that address to tell the controller to let them through.
What an external captive portal actually is
Every guest WiFi login works the same way at the start. A phone joins an open network and quietly checks whether it has internet. The network intercepts that check and sends the phone to a login page instead. The phone opens its small login window and shows it.
With a built in portal, that login page lives on the controller. It can show terms, take a password or a voucher, and let the device through. What it cannot do is keep a guest record you can use, because the controller is network equipment, not a guest database.
With an external portal, the controller redirects the phone to an address you choose and attaches details about the device: its MAC address, the access point it is on, the SSID. The guest signs in there. Then the portal service tells the controller to authorize that device. The page design, the consent record, the email address and everything after the visit live with the portal service.
What the hardware has to support
- A redirect to an outside address, with the device and access point identifiers attached, not just a local splash page.
- A pre-authentication allow list, so an unauthorized phone can load the portal and nothing else. See the walled garden list.
- An authorization interface the portal service can call once the guest has signed in. This is the part most consumer equipment lacks entirely.
- A controller that answers that call, which means it is reachable from wherever the portal service runs.
How Omada and UniFi do the hand off
| TP-Link Omada | Ubiquiti UniFi | |
|---|---|---|
| Where guests are sent | The portal URL you paste, e.g. /portal/your-venue-slug | The host you enter; UniFi adds /guest/s/<site>/ itself |
| What identifies the device | clientMac, apMac, ssidName, radioId | id (device MAC), ap, ssid |
| How authorization is proven | A one time token from the redirect is handed back | A stored local admin login on the controller |
| Where the authorization goes | The controller, or TP-Link’s cloud API for the cloud controller | The Network application on your console or server |
| Needs an inbound path | Only for OC200, OC300 and software controllers | Yes, unless the controller is on a VPS already |
| Setup guide | Omada setup | UniFi setup |
Supported controllers
TP-Link Omada
- OC200 and OC300 hardware controllers
- Omada Software Controller, on a PC, NAS or VPS
- Omada Cloud-Based Controller, hosted by TP-Link
Ubiquiti UniFi
- UDM Pro, UDM SE, UDM and UDR, on UniFi OS
- Cloud Gateways, on UniFi OS
- Cloud Key, Gen2 and later on UniFi OS, first generation on port 8443
- Self hosted UniFi Network Server, usually on a VPS
If your access points are managed by one of these, you already own everything the hardware side needs. No extra license and no extra box.
If your hardware is something else
Plenty of other network equipment offers some form of external portal, and many dedicated portal services support a much longer hardware list than VoqadoWiFi does. That is a real limitation, not a roadmap item. VoqadoWiFi works with exactly two vendors, and says so before you hand over an email address.
Your realistic options are to replace the access points at the venue with Omada or UniFi equipment, or to choose a portal service that supports what you have. The hardware compatibility checker tells you which side of that line you are on.
Choosing between the two
For a single venue starting from nothing, the deciding questions are practical: who will manage the network, whether you want a controller box on site or a hosted one, and whether more venues are coming. The portal works the same on both. The Omada vs UniFi comparison goes through it.
Questions
What is an external captive portal?
Which access points work with VoqadoWiFi?
Can I use an access point without a controller?
Will the router my internet provider gave me work?
Does the access point model matter?
Keep reading
Checked against the integration code on 7 October 2026. TP-Link and Omada are trademarks of TP-Link Technologies; Ubiquiti and UniFi are trademarks of Ubiquiti Inc. VoqadoWiFi is not affiliated with either.
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