CLI/TUI Captive Portal Authentication

I have a small computer (uConsole/CM4) that I use in Linux console mode for simple tasks (programming, Gemini, text editing, e-mail). The hardware is too cramped to use with X/Wayland.

I could not find any decent tutorial on how to authenticate against captive portals. Of course I only access networks that I am allowed to.

Of course I tried to use a TUI browser (w3m/lynx); but it did not work. I suspect that JS is at fault.

Any ideas? I look for a ready-to-go script. Even if I might have the capacity to debug this, I lack the motivation to do it (use phone hot spot workaround). Moreover, I simply can't believe that no one has solved this problem once for good before.

Thank you.

=> Posted in: s/retrocomputing | 🦋 CarloMonte

2024-11-10 · 2 months ago

7 Comments ↓

=> 🚀 mbays · Nov 10 at 17:59:

This doesn't exist, as far as I've been able to determine. I have written a couple of connect scripts (built from curl and sed) for particular captive portal systems, and attempted to for a few more. But they're all different, and many are highly obfuscated with JS. I've had only limited success with MAC cloning.

=> 🦂 zzo38 · Nov 10 at 21:02:

Captive portals are a bad idea for many reasons (this is one of them but not the only reason), and maybe you should complain to whoever set it up.

=> 🦋 CarloMonte [OP] · Nov 11 at 09:43:

I think that neither customers, nor venue managers can do anything about such a broken industry standard.

I only see two ways out here: work around it as in my original question), or wait (passively or actively) for another solution to emerge. Don't forget the requirement that users must sign the contract in order not to leave the provider liable for whatever them users do.

=> 🐙 norayr [mod] · Nov 11 at 17:17:

or you can circumvent the problem by carrying a portable, owned by you wifi access point. or even if you tether internet to the device via usb or blueetooth.

=> 🦂 zzo38 · Nov 11 at 17:21:

If a contract is wanted, then you should sign it by paper; I have been told that in some places it is done that way, and that such a contract is more legal than captive portals anyways.

=> 🐙 norayr [mod] · Nov 11 at 17:38:

and thank you, i didn't even know about uconsole.

=> 🦋 CarloMonte [OP] · Nov 12 at 06:37:

@norayr: you are welcome. the current workaround is the iphone hot spot.