Captive portals are widely used for accessing WiFi. The problem is that there is no specific method for activating these portals. With unencrypted HTTP it was a simple matter to redirect requests to a Web server and force a login (sometimes called a speed bump).

The rise of HTTPS using TLS encryption prevents interception and, to date, smartphone vendors have been implementing their own methods to detect and activate a captive portal.

This Community show discusses an IETF draft standard, CAPPORT Architecture, to produce a common method for detecting portals.

Our guest for today’s conversation is Dave Dolson from Sandvine. David is involved with the Captive Portals Working Group.

Thanks to Huawei, which covered travel and accommodations to enable the Packet Pushers to attend IETF 99 and record some shows to spread the news about IETF projects and initiatives.

Show Links:

CAPPORT Architecture – IETF

Capport WG Status Pages – IETF