TP-Link Omada Captive Portal
Setup Guide
Add a branded captive portal to your TP-Link Omada guest WiFi with CaptiFi: capture guest emails on sign-in, automate Google reviews and run marketing on autopilot. Works with every EAP access point.
• A TP-Link Omada Controller CaptiFi can reach over the internet: an OC200/OC300 hardware controller, the self-hosted software controller, or the paid Cloud-Based Controller (the free Omada Cloud Essentials tier is not supported, see the FAQ below)
• One or more EAP access points adopted into the controller
• Admin access to the Omada Controller, on firmware 5.x or later (v5.15 or later for WiFi 7 access points such as the EAP772 and EAP773)
• A CaptiFi account - create one here
• Your CaptiFi sign-in address, which the WiFi step of the set-up wizard shows with a copy button
On this page
Set up in the wizard
Choose TP-Link Omada in the set-up wizard on your CaptiFi dashboard at my.captifi.io. The wizard creates the venue and shows the portal address, and the WiFi step lists the connection checks under it: whether a guest device has reached the splash page and whether guests are completing it. Once the controller points at CaptiFi, join the guest WiFi with a phone and the checks turn green.
1 4-step setup overview
Setting up CaptiFi on TP-Link Omada takes under an hour on your own controller. There are four jobs:
| Step 1 | Create an open guest SSID in the Omada Controller. |
|---|---|
| Step 2 | Under Network Config → Authentication → Portal, create a portal on the guest SSID and, on its Authentication tab, set External Portal Server with your CaptiFi address. |
| Step 3 | Add the CaptiFi domains to the pre-authentication list so the splash page loads before sign-in. |
| Step 4 | Create an operator account under Hotspot in Omada and connect the controller to CaptiFi with its Controller URL, Controller ID and the operator login. |
2 Create a guest SSID
Open your Omada Controller through its web interface: your controller's own IP or domain plus the management port (for example https://203.0.113.10:8043), or the controller URL from your Omada cloud account if you use the paid Cloud-Based Controller. This is the same address you'll give CaptiFi later, so it must be reachable from the internet. Then go to Network Config → Network Settings → WLAN (Settings → Wireless Networks on Omada 5) and create a new guest SSID:
| Name | Something guests recognise, for example Free WiFi |
|---|---|
| Security | None (the captive portal handles sign-in) |
| Guest Network | Off. Omada's Guest Network option stops guests reaching the controller's portal address, so leave it off, or add an exception for the controller's address |
| VLAN | Optionally assign a guest VLAN to isolate traffic from your business network. This is how you keep guests away from your own devices with Guest Network off |
3 Configure the external portal
Go to Network Config → Authentication → Portal (Settings → Authentication → Portal on Omada 5) and click Create New Portal. On the Basic tab:
| Portal | On |
|---|---|
| SSID & Network | Your new guest SSID |
| Landing Page | Original URL |
On the Authentication tab:
| Authentication Type | External Portal Server |
|---|---|
| Custom Portal Server | URL |
| Address | Choose https:// in the drop-down, then paste your CaptiFi address without the https:// part, for example app.captifi.io/guest/omada?site_id=YOUR_SITE_ID |
4 Add the pre-authentication domains
Add CaptiFi to the pre-authentication list (the Omada walled garden) so the splash page can load before a guest signs in:
- app.captifi.io
- 46.62.168.7
- fonts.googleapis.com
- fonts.gstatic.com
5 Connect the controller to CaptiFi
CaptiFi authorises guests through Omada's hotspot operator API, so it needs a dedicated operator account, separate from your admin login. In the Omada Controller, open your site and click Hotspot in the left menu (Omada 6 opens Hotspot Management in a new tab; on Omada 5 it is Hotspot Manager). Go to Operators and add an operator, for example username captifi, with a strong password, and select your site.
Then sign in to your CaptiFi dashboard, go to My Venues → Add venue (or choose your hardware during onboarding), select TP-Link Omada and enter:
| Controller URL | The address CaptiFi can reach your controller on directly, including the port, for example https://YOUR-PUBLIC-IP:443 for an OC200 or OC300, or https://YOUR-PUBLIC-IP:8043 for a software controller. Your controller's domain works too. On the paid Cloud-Based Controller, use the controller URL from your Omada cloud account |
|---|---|
| Controller ID | The 32-character ID only. Open your controller at its own address and sign in: the 32 characters straight after the host and port in the address bar are the ID. If you paste the whole address, CaptiFi keeps just the ID |
| Operator username and password | The operator account you just created |
omada-cloud.tplinkcloud.com address when you reach an on-site controller from Omada Cloud, does not work as the Controller URL, because CaptiFi cannot sign in through it. Links from the Omada app that start with omada:// are not controller addresses either.6 Test the solution
Connect a phone to your guest SSID. You should be redirected to your branded CaptiFi splash page. Enter a test email, complete the login, and confirm you reach the internet.
Verify the capture in your CaptiFi dashboard under Guest Visits.
Give CaptiFi Open API access
With the portal live, CaptiFi can also read this venue's controller through Omada's Open API. How much it may do depends on the role you give the app. A Viewer app lists the venue's access points on the Access Points page of your CaptiFi dashboard (name, model, online or offline, last seen, refreshed every 15 minutes) and shows the guests connected right now on the Connected Guests page, refreshed every 3 minutes. An Admin app also lets CaptiFi change the guest WiFi name, apply the venue's bandwidth limits, disconnect a guest, and set up the portal and the pre-authentication list on the controller for you, which covers steps 3 and 4 above. Once guests start signing in, Popular Access Points under Analytics can show them by name too. This part is optional. Guest sign-in works without it, and the portal settings and operator login you set up above stay exactly as they are.
An Omada admin creates the app. Switch to Global View in the controller, go to Settings → Platform Integration → Open API and click Add New App:
| Name | Anything you'll recognise later, for example CaptiFi |
|---|---|
| Mode | Client |
| Role | Viewer to list access points and connected guests, or Admin to let CaptiFi manage the guest WiFi for you as well |
| Site Privilege | This venue's site only |
Omada then shows a Client ID and a Client Secret. Copy both, open My Venues in CaptiFi, click More on the venue's card, then Connection status, and click Add Open API access on the Access points row. Save checks the pair against your controller, tells you how many access points it found and shows the access level it found, Viewer or Admin. Still in the set-up wizard? The Connect your Omada controller step has the same two fields under List your access points in CaptiFi (optional), so you can do it there and skip the card. Later the button reads Update, and the form has a Remove option.
Let CaptiFi set up the portal
With the app saved, the venue card's Connection status gains a WiFi network row. Pick which of the controller's SSIDs is the guest network; the picker tags any SSID whose Guest Network setting is on. Four controller checks then sit under the guest activity rows: Guest WiFi network chosen, Portal points at CaptiFi, Pre-authentication list (it names any of the four entries that are missing) and Guest Network setting. The last one warns when the chosen SSID has Omada's Guest Network option on, because that option stops guests reaching the controller's portal address. Untick it on the SSID, or add an exception for the controller's address.
With an Admin app and a chosen SSID, the button Set up the portal on my controller creates or updates a portal named CaptiFi on that SSID, with Authentication Type External Portal Server pointing at the venue's CaptiFi address, adds any missing pre-authentication entries, applies the bandwidth limit when one is set, and reports what it did. In the set-up wizard the WiFi step offers the same thing as Set up the portal for me, with the same checks under it, and the manual instructions stay on the page.
Works with your existing Omada kit, or use our included device
You do not have to buy anything new. There are two paths: your existing kit works on every plan, and the plug-and-play device is included with every plan.
| Use your existing Omada kit | If you already run TP-Link EAP access points and an Omada Controller, follow the steps above. CaptiFi sits in front as the external portal. No extra hardware. |
|---|---|
| Use our included plug-and-play device | No Omada controller, or you would rather not touch it? We post you a pre-configured CaptiFi device. Plug it into your existing network by Ethernet, enter its 8-digit activation PIN from your phone, and it pulls its config from the cloud. Guest WiFi is live in about five minutes, start to finish, with no controller, static IP or firewall change. |
Lite: £19.99 a month on your own network
Already run TP-Link Omada? 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.
Related guides and pages
TP-Link Omada captive portal FAQ
Does CaptiFi work with the free Omada Software Controller?
Yes. CaptiFi works with the OC200 and OC300 hardware controllers, the free self-hosted software controller, and the paid Cloud-Based Controller: any controller CaptiFi can reach directly over HTTPS.
Does CaptiFi work with Omada Cloud Essentials?
No. The free Omada Cloud Essentials tier has no external portal API, so no external captive portal service can connect to it. If your access points are managed by Cloud Essentials, either move them to the free self-hosted software controller (or an OC200), upgrade to TP-Link's paid Cloud-Based Controller, or skip the controller entirely with a CaptiFi Plug & Play device. Email hello@captifi.io and we'll help you choose.
Which EAP access points does CaptiFi support?
CaptiFi works with the full EAP range, including the EAP225, EAP245, EAP660 HD, EAP670 and the EAP610 and EAP225 outdoor units. The portal settings are the same across the range.
The WiFi 7 BE9300 ceiling mount models, the EAP772 and EAP773, work the same way with two limits. They need Omada Controller v5.15 or later and must be managed by a controller, because an EAP running standalone cannot run an external captive portal. Their 6 GHz band does not allow open networks, so put the guest SSID on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and keep 6 GHz for a private staff SSID, unless you configure Enhanced Open (OWE). On a Starlink connection, CGNAT blocks inbound connections to an on-site controller, so use the Omada Cloud-Based Controller or a cloud-hosted software controller.
Does CaptiFi show my Omada access points?
Yes, once you give it Open API access. An Omada admin opens Global View, then Settings, Platform Integration, Open API, and clicks Add New App: a name such as CaptiFi, Client mode, the Viewer or Admin role, and Site Privilege limited to the venue's site. Then open My Venues, click More on the venue's card, then Connection status, click Add Open API access on the Access points row and paste in the Client ID and Client Secret, or use the optional access points section of the set-up wizard. CaptiFi checks them against your controller, tells you how many access points it found and which access level the app has, and from then on lists them on the Access Points page with name, model, status and last seen, refreshed every 15 minutes. If the app can see no site, or more than one, CaptiFi asks you to narrow the Site Privilege to the venue's site. Open API needs a software or hardware controller on v5.12 or later, or Omada 6; the free Cloud Essentials tier is not supported.
Can CaptiFi set up the Omada portal for me?
Yes, when the Open API app has the Admin role. Save the app on the venue card, then pick the guest network on the WiFi network row of its Connection status (the picker tags an SSID whose Guest Network setting is on). Click Set up the portal on my controller and CaptiFi creates or updates a portal named CaptiFi on that SSID, sets its Authentication Type to External Portal Server pointing at the venue's CaptiFi address, adds any of the four pre-authentication entries that are missing, applies your bandwidth limit when one is set, and reports what it did. The four checks under the guest activity rows (Guest WiFi network chosen, Portal points at CaptiFi, Pre-authentication list and Guest Network setting) show where things stand with either role, and the last one warns when the chosen SSID has Omada's Guest Network option on, because that option stops guests reaching the controller's portal address. Untick it on the SSID, or add an exception for the controller's address. In the set-up wizard, an Admin app gives the WiFi step a Set up the portal for me button with the same checks, and the manual steps stay on the page.
Can CaptiFi change my WiFi name or set bandwidth limits on Omada?
Yes, with an Admin-role Open API app and a chosen guest WiFi network. Change the WiFi name on the venue, in Edit venue or as a scheduled WiFi name change in the Planner, and CaptiFi renames the SSID on your controller. The venue's download and upload limits are applied on the controller as a rate limit profile named CaptiFi guest limit, attached to the guest SSID and removed from it when you switch limiting off. With a Viewer app the name stays a label on your splash page and QR code, limits are not enforced on Omada, and the dashboard says why. The Connected Guests page shows the guests on the controller, refreshed every 3 minutes, and Disconnect is available when the app is Admin. Block and Extend are not available on Omada yet.
Why is my Omada splash page not loading?
Almost always the pre-authentication list is missing a CaptiFi domain. Confirm all four domains are added to the portal policy and that you saved. Test on a device that has not cached a previous portal.
Do I need to change my existing Omada setup?
No. You add one open guest SSID and configure the external portal on it. Your existing business and staff networks stay untouched.
Will CaptiFi slow down my Omada WiFi?
No. CaptiFi only handles the sign-in splash page. Once a guest is through, their traffic runs straight over your Omada network as normal.
Is Omada guest WiFi email capture GDPR compliant with CaptiFi?
CaptiFi asks for marketing consent separately from getting online and records each guest's answer, and guests who decline still get onto your Omada WiFi. Every marketing email carries an unsubscribe link, Delete (GDPR) and Anonymise (GDPR) on the Guest Visits page handle erasure requests, and CaptiFi's data processing agreement is published. Your venue is the data controller, so compliance itself stays with you.
Turn your Omada guest WiFi into a marketing machine
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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