> log in with some criteria more than just a username/password
The problem there is that captive portals don't add any extra link-layer security. The network is open, so literally anyone can sniff packets.
It's uncommon, but a network using WPA2-Enterprise and user/pass uses different keys for each person (not sure if per device or per user), so you don't have to trust everyone in the room.
Now you don’t have to trust the other customers, only the bar you’re at, their ISP and a million other parties between you and the site you’re visiting.
That's a reasonable point, but I'm speaking from the perspective of the bar owner - I feel I have a duty to provide better security even if the patrons have no reason to trust me.
Like a bar is going to run account administration.. at most they’re going to set a proper password with WPA2-PSK which provides protection against outsiders. But it can’t provide protection against an active attacker that has the password.
Using WPA-Enterprise, as I understand it, requires devices to be preconfigured to authenticate with the radius server, which makes it a non-starter for the kinds of networks that use a captive portal.
No, there's no preconfiguration needed, it's just a username/password account. You choose the network, then the OS asks you for your user/pass, then you're connected.
It's the router that connects to the RADIUS server, not the device directly. And some routers have one embedded, so you don't even need to configure that, it "just works".
Wouldn't it be nice if there was an encryption mode for Wifi that ensures integrity without requiring authentication? At CCC events, the workaround is to have a WPA2-Enterprise network that accepts every username/password combination, but that's going to be hard to explain to non-technical users.
The problem there is that captive portals don't add any extra link-layer security. The network is open, so literally anyone can sniff packets.
It's uncommon, but a network using WPA2-Enterprise and user/pass uses different keys for each person (not sure if per device or per user), so you don't have to trust everyone in the room.