HPE Aruba Instant On
Setup Guide
Configure your Aruba Instant On access points to work with CaptiFi's captive portal and guest WiFi management system.
• An HPE Aruba Instant On account with your access points onboarded
• A CaptiFi account with an Aruba location created - create one here
• Your Portal URL, Redirect URL, shared secret and NAS identifier from CaptiFi. The wizard's Configure your controller step shows them with copy buttons (the Redirect URL is in the full list that Copy everything copies), and after set-up they are on the venue's card under My Venues: open More and choose Controller settings
• If your firewall restricts outbound traffic, UDP 1812 and 1813 allowed from the access points to
radius.captifi.io
On this page
Set up in the wizard
Choose Aruba Instant On in the set-up wizard on your CaptiFi dashboard at my.captifi.io. The wizard creates your venue as soon as you name it and shows the values Instant On needs as a copyable configuration pack: the splash page address, the allowed domains and the RADIUS server, ports, shared secret and NAS identifier. A connection check then shows when the first guest device reaches the sign-in page and when the first guest completes it.
1 Creating a new network
Log into the Aruba Instant On Portal (or the mobile app) and navigate to Networks → Create Network.
Configure the network name:
| Name | Your desired WiFi name (e.g. _My Restaurant FREE WiFi) |
|---|
_ pushes it to the top of the WiFi list, making it easier for customers to find.On the Network Properties screen, set the following:
| Network Usage | Guest |
|---|---|
| Network Security | Open |
The guest portal is turned on in Step 2, once the network exists.
On the IP Assignment screen, keep the defaults:
| IP Assignment | Specific to This Network (default) |
|---|---|
| Base IP | Leave default |
| Subnet Mask | Leave default |
2 Configure the network
Once the network is created, open its settings. Under Security → Network Options, tick Guest portal, click Update, then click the View guest portal link. Instant On opens Networks → Guest Portal. Configure the external captive portal:
| Type | External |
|---|---|
| Portal URL | https://app.captifi.io/guest/aruba?site_id=YOUR_SITE_ID/ |
| Redirect URL | https://app.captifi.io/site/YOUR_SITE_ID/connected |
| Authentication | User authentication (default) |
Add the CaptiFi RADIUS server
Leave Require RADIUS-Message-Authenticator unticked and tick RADIUS Accounting. Under Primary RADIUS Server, enter:
| Server IP address or Domain Name | radius.captifi.io |
|---|---|
| Shared secret | The shared secret CaptiFi shows for your venue, in the set-up wizard and under Controller settings on the venue's card |
| Server timeout | Leave the default |
| Retry count | Leave the default |
| Authentication port | 1812 |
| Accounting port | 1813 |
Under Network Access Attributes, enter:
| NAS identifier | The NAS identifier CaptiFi shows for your venue, exactly. It is unique to your venue and is how CaptiFi matches the access point's requests to your guests |
|---|---|
| NAS IP address | Use device IP (default) |
3 Add the allowed domains
Still in the Guest Portal settings, scroll to Allowed Domains and click Add. Add each of the following domains one by one, so the splash page, its styling and its fonts load before the guest is online:
- app.captifi.io
- captifi.io
- fonts.googleapis.com
- fonts.gstatic.com
4 Apply changes
All remaining configurations can retain their default values.
5 Test the solution
Connect to the WiFi network you just created. You should see the CaptiFi login page appear. Complete the login process and you should receive internet access.
You can verify guest connections are being recorded in your CaptiFi dashboard under Guest Visits.
If you are still in the set-up wizard, the Check the connection step shows the checks. On Instant On the access point sends its first RADIUS request when a guest signs in, so Controller sending RADIUS traffic turns green only after your first test sign-in.
You can simulate the flow by visiting:
https://app.captifi.io/guest/aruba?site_id=YOUR_SITE_IDThis will redirect you to the splash page. Fill in the form to verify guest data is captured correctly in your CaptiFi dashboard. Replace YOUR_SITE_ID with your actual Site ID.
Lite: £19.99 a month on your own network
Already run Aruba Instant On? Lite is guest capture and CSV export on the access points you have, 500 new guests a month, for one site. The splash page keeps CaptiFi branding.
Need Help?
Our team is here to assist with your Aruba setup. Reach out anytime.
Setting this up for a client?
CaptiFi partners buy at wholesale and keep a margin of more than a third of the public price, with white-label available at the same wholesale rates. You set your own retail price and bill your clients directly. The full wholesale rate card is published in six currencies (GBP, USD, EUR, CAD, AUD and NZD).
- ✓ Wholesale rate card published upfront, in your account currency
- ✓ Free 6-month internal demo licence for one internal test venue (testing and demos only)
- ✓ Partner dashboard from your first sign-in after approval, plus step-by-step deployment checklists