Error Connecting to Public Wifi

Question

Error Connecting to Public Wifi

When I try to connect to public wifi networks I get an error message saying, "A problem occurred. The webpage could not be loaded."

I turn wifi on and off repeatedly and sometime the sign-in page comes up, eventually, but usually not.

I've tried accessing http://captive.apple.com/ but that doesn't help.

I can access the sign in pages on my iPhone and iPad, but not on my MBP.

Any suggestions/help would be appreciated.

And, PS, Yes, I know about the dangers of public networks and take appropriate precautions.

Thanks.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Apr 4, 2022 3:45 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

MartinR

Level 7

24,366 points

Apr 4, 2022 7:24 PM in response to Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki

Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki wrote:

I turn wifi on and off repeatedly and sometime the sign-in page comes up, eventually, but usually not.

Assuming your MBP has 'remembered' the offending public wifi access point, try deleting that network in System Preferences > Network > Wi-Fi > Advanced > Preferred Networks. After deleting it, try to connect again ... and then wait for the login page to appear - sometimes there is quite a delay before those public login pages appear.

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Answer 2

Apr 4, 2022 3:59 PM in response to Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki

Try entering 1.1.1.1 into the browser address bar and trying to access that ip address. This may force open the public wifi login page.

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Answer 3

Apr 5, 2022 8:00 AM in response to Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki

Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki wrote:

Thank you! That worked. I appreciate your help.

You are welcome. It worked because there was no need to perform domain name resolution. For some reason the public access point was not performing the initial name resolution and therefor causing the error.

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Answer 4

Apr 5, 2022 10:44 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Bob, thank you again. Just to be clear, I was getting the error on all the public networks I tried. Does that mean none of them were performing the initial name resolution? And why would the issue only come up with the Mac OS, not iOS?

Thanks again.

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Answer 5

Apr 4, 2022 9:06 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thank you! That worked. I appreciate your help.

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Answer 6

Apr 4, 2022 9:10 PM in response to MartinR

Thanks. Unfortunately, the site doesn't show up in Preferred Networks. Thank you, however, for the suggestion.

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Answer 7

Apr 5, 2022 6:05 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

I spoke too soon. That solution worked a couple of times but then stopped. Entering 1.1.1.1 into the browser no longer forces the log in page to appear. If you have any other suggestions, I would welcome them. Thanks.

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Error Connecting to Public Wifi

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