Error connecting to any public wifi that requires login page.

When using a public Wi-Fi you may need to use a login page and enter some access credentials to get online. The login page is presented when the local Access Point intercepts a web page request, and substitutes its own login page instead. Sometimes the login page does not appear, due to a diabolical problem with Domain Name Server DNS (internet telephone number) lookups. DNS lookups may also be blocked, so you can't get anywhere.

Launch a browser and enter this easy to remember all-numeric IP address:

1.1.1.1

in the address bar, and press return.

If in a Hotel or trying to access public Wi-Fi, and you get the local network login page, enter your credentials and proceed.

If you get the CloudFlare** splash page, your internet is working, but DNS lookup may not be working.

**CloudFlare is NOT part of the solution, they just own the easiest to remember all-numeric IP Address.

The reason attempts at web pages may not work in certain situation is that what your Mac tries first is a DNS server request (look up this “website.com” to an ‘all-numeric’ Internet Phone number), which is blocked because you have not logged on yet, so your actual web page request goes nowhere because your Mac can't determine where to send it.

Supplying an All numeric IP address Does go out, because it needs no DNS lookup. That gets intercepted and you get your local login page.

The reason you can not fix it, is that it really is not YOUR problem.

Unless you present a numeric IP address, your Mac sends out an 'internet Phone number (DNS)' lookup request. If those DNS requests are blocked, the error message you see is generated by your Browser. In a kinder universe, the message would say, "the numeric IP address required to send your request to can not be determined, so no access is possible."

It is possible that if Hotels and similar venues were smarter, they would understand the subtle difference and not block DNS lookups.

Twilly7 wrote:

This happened with a previous macbook, and has happened again using my M1 Macbook pro.

Anytime I try to connect to a public wifi network (starbucks, etc.) where you have to login or accept terms to access internet, the pop-up to accept terms errors out with the "A problem occured.

The webpage could not be loaded." error. It happens on every single network, so it's not an issue with the individual wifi network, it has to be an issue with my laptop settings.

I have been using the "https://captive.apple.com/hotspot-detect.html" link to open in a web browser as a workaround, but even this doesn't work sometimes. Plus this isn't a fix, it's a workaround.

< Anytime I try to connect to a public wifi network> Do not go to free public WiFi if this is your issue.

enter some known entity into the browser... to force the splash page to load(?)

Use your work-a-round.

Do what works, nothing new there.

the site you referenced:

https://captive.apple.com/hotspot-detect.html

looks up to:

17.253.3.203 -OR-

17.253.3.197

you are welcome to try to remember those when you are traveling, and enter one of them instead of 1.1.1.1