Connecting to captive networks, Starbucks, Marriott, etc. "a problem occurred. the webpage couldn't be loaded"

A system that requires a special login page may refuse to display on certain computers, including your Mac. This happens when the provider has aggressively blocked everything, including DNS-name (Internet Phone number) lookups.

To get any named thing on the internet, your Mac needs an IP address (internet Phone number). Without that, your well-crafted Mac Browser will not send out a request for web page data, because it does not know where to send it. Instead, it does not send anything out, and tells you (accurately) it can not connect.

The Provider wants you to send out a web page request, so that they can intercept that request, and present their login credentials page as a substitute web page for the one you requested. But the Provider will not allow you to do any DNS accesses to look up anything.

To get around this impasse, you type ANY all-numeric IP address directly into your browser. That generates a web page request for the Provider to intercept and send you their login page.

Once logged in, the Provider typically allows all traffic to pass, including DNS lookup requests.

1.1.1.1 is the easiest to remember all-numeric IP address, that reliably answers with a splash page. You could use Apple's IP address, but that changes form time to time. You could use google's IP address, or any other IP address you prefer and can remember, (because, no lookups).

[in my option] this is NOT a defect of the Mac. No Web Browser should not send a packet onto the Internet without a known IP address as its destination. [Speculating] perhaps Windows computers insert a default address like Microsoft's address instead.

[I my opinion] this is a defect in the setup of the Provider's network, which SHOULD allow DNS lookups for the reasons I have stated above. That this defect mostly blocks Macs is merely a coincidence.

Zurarczurx wrote:

"It is not a Mac problem. Try doing as I suggested."

I've been in meetings in hotels and conference facilities where Windows PCs had no problems and the Macs in the room couldn't connect. I've had the conference centre's IT guy turn up, see the Mac and tell me that Mac's have problems and they don't know why. If a problem only happens with a Mac then from the user's perspective it's a Mac problem. If I have to enter special commands to make a Mac work where other kit works fine then it's a Mac problem. It's a Mac problem.

I've traveled across 4 continents giving business related presentations with my Mac. I've run into the same issue at some locations. Forcing open the login page using any ip address such as 1.1.1.1 in a browser forced open the login page every time. Why the resistance to trying what I suggest?

When trouble shooting a technical issue it is best to try the simple steps first before jumping to conclusions as to what the issue is.

Bets of luck getting your issue resolved.

Type 1.1.1.1 into your browser's address bar then try to navigate to that ip address.

Unfortunately this is not uncommon with hotels & other "free" WiFi access points. It's not your Mac. The problem has something to do with the back-end authentication & provisioning of connections. I suspect that sometimes the location's WiFi system is just plain overloaded. You just have to keep trying.

I don't recall ever having to shut down/restart my laptop to connect, but I have often had to clear the cache in my browser, close the browser and/or forget the network in my attempts to get the sign-in to complete.

Zurarczurx wrote:

MartinR wrote:

Unfortunately this is not uncommon with hotels & other "free" WiFi access points. It's not your Mac. The problem has something to do with the back-end authentication & provisioning of connections. I suspect that sometimes the location's WiFi system is just plain overloaded. You just have to keep trying.

I don't recall ever having to shut down/restart my laptop to connect, but I have often had to clear the cache in my browser, close the browser and/or forget the network in my attempts to get the sign-in to complete.

For me it's a Mac problem across at least three different devices. I spent a lot of time on the road with a business partner. He'd connect with his Windows PC with no problems in many places where I simply had to give up on the Mac.

It is not a Mac problem. Try doing as I suggested.

Been a recurring problem for me on multiple Macbooks for over ten years in hotels, airports, cafes, etc. I've never found a solution other than rebooting Mac - which didn't always work. When the mobile Hotspot came along it was a godsend. I suspect it's a feature of the way the Macbook signs on to wireless networks and misses the captive splash page to accept Ts&Cs.

MartinR wrote:

Unfortunately this is not uncommon with hotels & other "free" WiFi access points. It's not your Mac. The problem has something to do with the back-end authentication & provisioning of connections. I suspect that sometimes the location's WiFi system is just plain overloaded. You just have to keep trying.

I don't recall ever having to shut down/restart my laptop to connect, but I have often had to clear the cache in my browser, close the browser and/or forget the network in my attempts to get the sign-in to complete.

For me it's a Mac problem across at least three different devices. I spent a lot of time on the road with a business partner. He'd connect with his Windows PC with no problems in many places where I simply had to give up on the Mac.

"It is not a Mac problem. Try doing as I suggested."

I've been in meetings in hotels and conference facilities where Windows PCs had no problems and the Macs in the room couldn't connect. I've had the conference centre's IT guy turn up, see the Mac and tell me that Mac's have problems and they don't know why. If a problem only happens with a Mac then from the user's perspective it's a Mac problem. If I have to enter special commands to make a Mac work where other kit works fine then it's a Mac problem. It's a Mac problem.

"Why the resistance to trying what I suggest"

I've paid the thick end of £10k for laptops that all needed user intervention to do what other manufacturer's laptops do automatically. I'd prefer it if Apple fixed this problem with their laptops instead of relying on arcane bodges to try to make them work.

"That this defect mostly blocks Macs is merely a side-effect"

It's not a problem for iPhones or iPads or MS devices - just Macs. Apple knows about this problem, it knows how to fix this but for some reason it doesn't.

I don't see the iPhone as a fair comparison in this case.

I find Web Browsers on the iPhone especially difficult to use for random web sites, because I don't use the 'expected' approach. The typing window is small and the on-screen keyboard is not quite trivial for me to type on. It seems that the way you are expected to navigate with an iPhone-based Browser is with "favorites".

All it would take is for a Mac Browser to save the looked-up IP address of a 'favorite' (thus no 'at this moment' DNS lookup required) to solve this problem on the Mac.

Did you try first clicking on a 'favorite' on your Mac?

Well stated Grant. FWIW, I've experienced the same issue with Windows and Apple computers and the solution is the same as suggested by us in this thread regardless of computer brand.