Troubleshooting

Captive portal keeps coming back after login

A loop looks like one problem and is usually one of four. The portal reappears because authorization did not happen, because it happened for a different device address, because the guest reopened an old portal link, or, on UniFi, because two venues share a site name.

Why does the captive portal keep popping up after login?

Most loops are a failed authorization: the guest submits, nothing opens the firewall, and the phone’s next check redirects again. Check Portal Health first. If authorization succeeded, look at the phone’s private address setting, at old portal links being reopened, and on UniFi at two venues sharing the default site name.

Causes, in the order to check them

1. Authorization failed, so the phone is redirected againOmada and UniFi

Cause

The guest saw the result screen, but the controller never opened the firewall. The next connectivity check redirects to the portal again.

Check

Portal Health shows failed attempts for those devices.

Fix

Fix the error kind shown. See portal loads but WiFi never unlocks.

2. The phone presented a new private addressPhone

Cause

The controller authorizes a MAC address. If a phone rotates its private address, the controller sees a new device and asks again.

Check

iPhone: the network’s Private Wi-Fi Address setting. Android: whether the per network random address is set to change.

Fix

Use a fixed private address for the network. This is a phone setting, and most phones keep the address stable by default.

3. An old portal link was reopenedUniFi

Cause

UniFi only adds the device details on a live redirect. Reopening a saved /guest/s/<site>/ link from history arrives with no device, and the portal shows its forget and rejoin screen.

Check

The guest opened the login from browser history or a bookmark.

Fix

Forget the network and rejoin to get a fresh redirect. This is expected behavior, not a fault.

4. Two venues share the UniFi site name defaultUniFi

Cause

When more than one active venue uses the same site name, VoqadoWiFi picks the venue by the access point MAC in the redirect. An unregistered access point falls back to the oldest venue, whose controller cannot authorize your guest.

Check

Guests at one venue see another venue’s portal, or authorization fails only on some access points.

Fix

Add every access point MAC to the location’s AP MAC field, separated by commas.

5. Omada: a query string in the portal URLOmada

Cause

A URL with its own parameters collides with Omada’s, so the portal has no valid device or token and the guest goes round again.

Check

The portal URL in the controller contains a question mark.

Fix

Paste the URL exactly as the dashboard prints it.

Questions

Is a loop ever caused by the session being too short?

A short session makes the portal return later, not straight away. If guests see it again hours or a day later, see guests reconnect every day instead.

Do returning guests have to fill in the form every time?

No. Within the auto login period, a device the platform recognises is re authorized without the form.

Keep reading

Guests have to log in every day UniFi Cloud Gateway setup Portal loads but the WiFi never unlocks Captive portal not showing on iPhone All troubleshooting guides

Error kinds and codes on this page are the ones the VoqadoWiFi integration records, checked against the code on 7 October 2026.

See every authorization attempt

Portal Health in the free dashboard shows each guest login with its error kind and code. One location and 25 guest logins a month, no card.