Is there a cheap, easy way to put a custom welcome page on a home wifi network?

May 17, 2009 4:38 PM

Is there a cheap, easy way to put a custom welcome page on a home wifi network? I'm leaving the connection unsecured, and would like anyone who comes on to see a custom home page telling them about the area and why it's an open network.

I have guests at my camp in NH and would like them to see a page come up with local links and assistance when they hop on the Internet. It would give them info on who to call for help, where to go for pizza, what gyms are available, where to rent a boat, etc.

posted by nathanrudy to computers & internet (3 comments total)

What you want is akin to a 'captive portal', and it really depends upon the WAP you're using. If you have a dd-wrt compatible router it would be fairly simple.
posted by pompomtom at 4:44 PM on May 17

Previously
posted by ssg at 5:07 PM on May 17

As pompomton says, it depends entirely upon the access point you are using.

If you are an entity, or representing a business or entity, then I advise you to consider reminding your visitors/users of their obligations under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (and the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act, aka OCILLA or "section 512). All this means is that you present your visitors with an Acceptable Use Policy and Limited Legal Liability statement. If you're just a private person offering free Internet access, I don't think the same legal risks apply, but better safe than sorry.

If you're in India, the Department of Telecoms has recently (March 2009) mandated centralized authentication controls for all Internet WiFi services, regardless of controlling or owning legal entity. You can thank the Mumbai terrorists for that (amongst other things).

I'm the architect of a very large, global enterprise WiFi network that also provides guest networking services. I am not a lawyer. If you are concerned, I recommend that you to seek independent legal advise.
posted by Mephisto at 9:10 PM on May 17