Cisco Guest Wireless Access with an iPod Touch

[jw17731jd]

I've tried searching for help with this in Cisco's support community and Google and couldn't find much...

Essentially I connect to our guest wireless with my iPod Touch and I then get redirected to the Cisco Landing page asking for a user name and password, which are created, stored, and managed on the Guest Controller. When I try to type in the user name and password, the text boxes never fill with what I press on the onscreen iPod keyboard. If I type the correct user name and password I have and hit enter I do not authenticate.

This used to work just fine but all of the sudden it no longer works. I tried with a laptop and things are fine. I know the controllers were updated recently to version 6.x and the Guest Controller appears to be on a 4.2.x version, but I wouldn't think this would be the issue as Guest Wireless still works fine for everyone and everything else.

Any ideas?

[Scott Fella · Accepted solution]

The only time I have seen that issue is when we used a custom Web-Auth page and certain html code that the iphone, itouch did not seem to recognize.  If you are using the default Cisco Web-Auth page, then I don't know what the issue can be.  99% of my installs are cutome web-auth pages and one of my test is to make sure the iphone works.  So far the only issue I had was with certain html coding.

[Kayle Miller · Accepted solution]

I've never setup the scenario you described because normally the guest controller is on the same code version, becasue prior to 6.x.x.x code it wouldn't work unless they were all the same code revision, but there was a bug in the 4.1/4.2 code that related to the meta-refresh tag, that caused some clients (99.5% worked fine and never had issues) to behave irratically sort of like what your describing, this issue could possibly be more prominent with the fact that the interior controllers are on 6.x code and the Anchor is on 4.1/4.2 code.

Maybe this info will be useful.

[Scott Fella]

I usually try to keep the code versions the same no matter what.  However, Cisco did put out a matrix that allows you to use different code levels from the foreign and anchor controllers.

http://www.ciscosystems.com/en/US/products/ps6366/products_qanda_item09186a00809ba482.shtml#Q-Aug08

[jw17731jd]

Thanks everyone. All answers were useful. I'm guessing that it is likely something to do with using a custom web-auth page. The code for it was recently reapplied to the Guest controller if I'm not mistaken and it might have been slightly modified.

Now my next goal is figuring out how to tell busy network admins that my iPod cannot connect on Guest... LOL I'm screwed there.

[Scott Fella]

NO... just tell them you like the old Web-Auth page better:)  Do people with iPhones have the same issue as you?

[jw17731jd]

Excellent question. As far as I know the company is not allowing company iPhones to connect to our guest wireless since they already provide a wireless connection for them at work.

I guess it couldn't hurt to ask about my issue, but as busy as that team is I would hate to have them spend time troubleshooting a miniscule issue like this one. I was hoping for a quick and easy fix to pass along.

[Scott Fella]

I hear you, but you already know that the web-auth page changed.... what I would look at is the username and password field.  Depending on how they coded that form, that can be the issue.  If they didn't change that form, then it must be something else.  I had updated a clients web-auth page and all of a sudden iPhones could not enter username or passwords... when I changed the form back to the original, everything worked.  If your security policy doesn't allow iPhones, then asking then why your iTouch isn't working will give you a dirty look, not to mention them reminding you of the policy.... be carefull what you say:)