NOTE: Facebook has discontinued Facebook WiFi. It will no longer be available after June 12, 2023. NETGEAR recommends that you choose an alternative captive portal option on your wireless access point.
In firmware release 3.8.3.0 we introduced Facebook Wi-Fi for WAC720 and WAC730 model access points that are managed in Business Central. This is an authentication method which redirects Wi-Fi clients to your chosen Facebook business page upon trying to join your wireless network. The Wi-Fi client is required to check in to the Facebook page or supply a passcode, which authenticates them to the wireless network.
The following steps outline how to configure and apply Facebook Wi-Fi.
1. Open a browser on your computer.
2. In the address bar, enter https://bc.netgear.com.
The application login page displays.
3. Enter the email address and password for your BC account and click the LOGIN button.
The Monitoring page displays.
4. Select Configuration.
The Configuration page displays and shows the locations that you added.
5. In the Locations tree, click the location where you want to configure the Facebook Wi-Fi.
In the selected location, click Wireless Networks.
6. Click the + New Wireless Network button.
Note: The following steps can also be applied to an existing Wireless Network.
7. In the SSID field, enter a WiFi network name (SSID).
You can use up to and including 32 ASCII printable (typeable) characters. Do not use extended ASCII characters, control ASCII characters, or ASCII characters that you compose with the Alt key on your keyboard.
By default, the application broadcasts the SSID. If you want to hide the SSID so that only users who know the SSID can access it, clear the Broadcast SSID check box.
8. From the Radio Bands menu, select the WiFi band or bands.
The default setting is 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz radios, which applies to dual-band access points only. If an access point supports a single band only, the access point broadcasts on that band, unless your selection from the Bands menu disables that band.
9. To specify a tagged VLAN, select the Specify a tagged VLAN check box, and in the VLAN ID field, enter the VLAN ID.
The VLAN ID is a 12-bit number that identifies the tagged VLAN. If the connection from the access points to the Internet gateway requires an IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tag, you must specify a VLAN ID. If multiple WiFi networks operate over the same physical Ethernet link, VLANs can provide isolation and separation.
10. To redirect Wi-Fi clients to your Facebook Wi-Fi page, Open System should be used as Authentication Type.
11. To assign Facebook Wi-Fi to the Wi-Fi network, click the Add a Captive Portal button.
12. From the Splash page Type, select Facebook Wi-Fi.
13. Click Register. A new page opens and displays the Facebook Wi-Fi Configuration page. If you are not currently signed into Facebook, you are required to sign in to proceed.
Note: If the Facebook Wi-Fi Configuration page does not open, please check the pop-up blocker settings in your browser. If pop-ups are set to block, you can enable them temporarily to allow the Facebook Wi-Fi Configuration page to open.
The following settings are required for configuration;
- Facebook page: Select your Facebook business page.
- Bypass Mode: Allows Wi-Fi clients to skip the check in process by providing a Skip check-in link, or using a code by selecting Require Wi-Fi code. If using a Wi-Fi code, each Wi-Fi client is required to enter it to access the Wi-Fi network.
- Session Length: Select the length of time the Wi-Fi client will have Wi-Fi after they check in.
- Terms of Service: Optional. You may add your own Terms of Service.
Click the Save Settings button, and close the page to return to the Edit Profile Settings page.
14. Click Verify Pairing to confirm the Facebook page is linked to the Captive Portal, then click the Save button.
15. To specify bandwidth caps, select the Enable Bandwidth Caps check box and adjust the upload and download bandwidth caps.
By default, the upload and download bandwidth caps are 1000 Kbps each. For each type of bandwidth cap, the minimum value is 64 Kbps and the maximum value is 10 Gbps.
16. To enable client isolation, select the Enable Client Isolation check box.
Note: Enabling client isolation on a WiFi network for a location with 802.11ac access points enables client isolation for all WiFi networks for those access points.
17. To set up a radio on/off schedule, select the Create Schedule check box.
18. Click the Save button.
Your settings are saved. In the Locations tree on the left, the WiFi network displays under the Wireless Networks heading for the location.
After you add a captive portal for Facebook Wi-Fi, the associated portal splash page might not open under some circumstances, allowing users Internet access without logging in. This security limitation is implemented by Facebook Wi-Fi, not by NETGEAR. If a user opens a browser and attempts to access a website over HTTP (by default, over port 80), the user is directed to the splash page. However, if a user attempts to access a website that does not use HTTP, the splash page might not open and the user can access the website without logging in. For example, this situation occurs if a user opens a browser and accesses a secure website over HTTPS (by default, over port 443), or if an application uses HTTPS to send traffic to the Internet.