what is the different between captive portal and hotspot

i will like to know the difference between captive portal in most linux servers and hotspot in mikrotik server , though we have used mikrotik in our office and is pretty ok and cool both in its time management in ticket printing but i want to know the different features of the two and which is more preferable?

thanks

collins465,

The term Hotspot and captive portal can be the same thing.
Hotspot refers to an area where an access point is available with or without a required password to connect. A captive portal is usually behind the hotspot ready to serve clients that connect to the hotspot wireless network.

Depending on the configuration, a Captive portal will usually 'catch' wireless client requests toward websites and redirect them to a login page where the user is requested to authenticate in order to obtain Internet access.

Two great examples are Mikrotik as you already mentioned and PFSense which is a Linux BSD based hotspot solution that includes a captive portal.

With PFSense (just as most other similar systems), you add users in the system's database and make use of the Firewall (Access lists) to restrict the services that will be provided to the users. When the user opens their web browser, the captive's portal login page will appear, requesting the user to authenticate against its internal database. If the user enters correct credentials, they have access to the services defined by the system's firewall.

I hope that helps clear things up for you!

Cheers,

With PFSense (just as most other similar systems), you add users in the system's database and make use of the Firewall (Access lists) to restrict the services that will be provided to the users

does that mean i will be adding users manually, unlike mikrotik that users can connect but cant access internet until they login with generated tickets or username. can one also generate ticket in pfsense just like mirkrotik hotspot?

thanks for you kind reply and explanation.