Cato Captive Portal for Guest Networks: Secure, Branded, and Monitored Access

Organizations often provide guest network access for visitors, contractors, and customers. While necessary, unmanaged network access can become a significant security vulnerability. To address this, Cato Networks introduces the Cato Captive Portal — a flexible, customizable, and secure solution to manage guest Internet access.
 

This feature enables administrators to ensure compliance, strengthen network safety, and deliver a branded, trustworthy experience for guest users. It supports brand customization, terms-of-use acceptance, and network usage monitoring, all within a seamless platform.

What Is the Cato Captive Portal?

The Cato Captive Portal is a gateway mechanism that intercepts users attempting to access the Internet via a guest network and directs them to a customizable page where they must accept terms of use or enter identifying information—such as an email address—before access is granted.
 

Key capabilities include:

• Custom Branding: Craft the captive portal experience with your company’s logo, colors, and style, reinforcing brand consistency.
• Terms of Service & Identification: Require users to accept terms or provide identifiers like email addresses prior to granting Internet access.
• Network Usage Monitoring: Track user activity, helping enforce policy compliance and detect anomalies.

Why This Matters to Organizations

1. Enriched Security

Captive portals ensure only guests who consent or authenticate can access the network, reducing the risk posed by unauthorized or malicious users.

2. Enhanced User Engagement

A branded portal with clear terms creates a polished, user-friendly experience that aligns with organizational identity and professionalism.

3. Strong Policy Enforcement

By capturing acceptance of terms or retrieving identifiers, the portal lays the groundwork for usage tracking and compliance enforcement.

4. Improved Visibility and Oversight

Real-time monitoring of guest behavior enables proactive threat detection and usage compliance.

Want to see how the Cato Captive Portal can secure and customize guest access for your business? Fill out the form and our team will reach out with tailored recommendations.
 

How It Works: Configuration and User Flow

1. Define Guest Traffic Rule
   • In the Internet Firewall rules, create a high-priority rule where the source is the guest network.
   • Set the action to Captive Portal, ensuring users are redirected to the portal before full Internet access.
   • Once accepted, traffic proceeds to be inspected by subsequent firewall rules as usual.
      
2. Customize Captive Portal Experience
   • Navigate to the Captive Portal settings in the Cato Management Application.
   • Upload your logo, define colors, and design text layout.
   • Configure terms and user acceptance options—email address requirement and session duration.
   • Optionally, define a post-acceptance redirect URL, such as your homepage.
      
3. Define Session Duration and Behavior
   • Set how long a guest session is valid once terms are accepted.
   • Changes to session duration apply to new sessions and will affect previous sessions only after expiration.
      
4. Leverage Monitoring and Reporting
   • Track guest usage—when users log in, how long sessions last, and their Internet interactions.
   • Use this data to ensure adherence to usage policies and to flag unusual activity.

Real-World Use Cases

• Visitor Wi-Fi in Offices
  Organizations direct guest users to accept terms before allowing Internet access—displaying corporate branding and safeguarding connectivity.
   
• Event and Temporary Access
  Conference locations or co-working spaces provide branded guest portals with time-limited access to manage throughput and confer terms.
   
• Regulatory Compliance
  Captive portal acceptance records provide evidence of informed consent—valuable in hospitality, healthcare, and other regulated sectors.
   
• Security Auditing
  By verifying usage and capturing basic user information, teams can detect patterns indicating misuse or rogue devices.

Conclusion

The Cato Captive Portal offers a secure, branded, and manageable way to provide guest network access. By combining customization, compliance enforcement, and visibility, it ensures guest connectivity is both user-friendly and secure. Integrated within Cato’s broader network and security platform, the solution helps organizations deliver guest access with confidence—not compromise.

Ready to implement secure and branded guest access? Book a free consultation with our experts and see Cato Captive Portal in action.

FAQ

1. Why should I use Cato’s Captive Portal instead of an open guest network?

The portal enforces terms-of-use, reduces unauthorized access, enhances network visibility, and mitigates security risk.
 

2. Can I brand the captive portal to match my organization’s identity?

Yes. You may customize the portal with a company logo, color scheme, confirmation button text, and layout.
 

3. What types of user identification are supported?

You can require visitors to provide a user identifier—such as an email address—before granting access.
 

4. How long is a guest session valid?

Session duration is configurable. If the duration is modified, it affects new sessions and existing sessions transfer to new parameters once they expire.
 

5. Is guest Internet usage monitored?

Yes. Administrators can track usage to ensure compliance and identify potential security issues in guest activity.
 

6. Can guest traffic be blocked after terms acceptance if it violates policy?

Yes. Once terms are accepted, the traffic is further evaluated against sequential firewall rules—meaning policy controls still apply.