[SOLVED] How do I connect WIFI cameras to WIFI that requires a login page?

[Schafr]

I live in an apartment complex that provides WIFI but you have to pay per device. Once you pay, you get a code. I don't know how to connect my newly purchased WIFI cameras to this WIFI network since you need to put in the code through a browser. Is there a way around this?

 

[bill001g]

Not likely unless it was a fancy camera you could write scripts for. Even if you could this is not the best idea since it would be exposed to other people at the complex. Cameras are known to have rather poor security and software patching so you really want to isolate them.

How much do you have to pay. You likely can pay for 1 device and run as many as you want with the proper setup. This is the same method college students use to connect to a college wifi network when they need ethernet.

What you basically do is hook a wifi radio to the wan port of a standard router. All your devices would connect to your router using your wifi. The the router would connect to the complex. You would take a PC and log in to the web page. Since all the traffic from the router appears to come from the same ip/mac address all your other devices would piggy back on the session you opened with your PC.

The device you need to hook to the wan port is called a client-bridge. They used to make these for tv and game consoles that only had ethernet. They are hard to find now days. What you can use a wifi repeater/extender. Most these devices can be set to run only as a client bridge.

The only other concern would be you need to make sure the lan ip on your router is different than the subnet the complex uses. Most routers will complain if they detect the wan and lan using the same ip range.

You do not need any fancy high end routers. Most like $50 router will be more than good enough.