Why wifi says connected but there is no internet
Public networks in hotels, airports, trains and cafes usually intercept your first web request and redirect it to a login or terms page. Until you complete it, every other connection fails. That is a captive portal. Your device shows full wifi bars, yet pages will not load and apps spin, so it looks like a broken network when it is really a missing sign-in.
Phones and laptops try to detect this and pop up a sign-in sheet, but it often fails: the sheet is dismissed, a VPN or custom DNS gets in the way, or a stale session lingers from your last visit. That is the gap the detective fills.
What the captive-portal detective does
- Checks whether you are really online. It sends plain-HTTP probes to three public connectivity-check addresses (Google's
generate_204, Apple'scaptive.apple.comand Microsoft'smsftconnecttest.com) with redirects switched off, and takes a 2-of-3 vote. - Gives a clear verdict: open internet, captive portal detected, no connectivity, or inconclusive. When the probes disagree it says so and shows what each one returned rather than guessing.
- Shows the portal URL and the full redirect chain so you can see where the network is sending you.
- Opens the login page on request, and re-checks automatically when you close it. A Check again button is always available.
When to use it
- Hotel wifi won't connect or loads nothing after joining.
- The airport wifi login page never appears.
- Your phone says connected but pages and apps time out.
- You want to confirm you are online before blaming the router, DNS or a VPN.
Platform availability
| Platform | Availability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Yes | Opens the login page in your default browser. |
| iOS / iPadOS | Coming soon | Opens the login page in an in-app Safari view; closing it triggers a re-check. |
| Android | Coming soon | Opens the login page in a Chrome Custom Tab; closing it triggers a re-check. |
What it does and does not touch
The probes go only to those three public check addresses. The login page opens in the system browser view, not an embedded web view inside NetJolt, so portal sign-in details stay out of the app.
No app? The manual fix
- Turn off any VPN and, on Android, Private DNS until you have signed in.
- Open
http://neverssl.comorhttp://captive.apple.comin a browser. - If nothing appears, forget the network, rejoin it and try again.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my hotel wifi say connected but there is no internet?
Most hotel, airport and cafe networks hold back all traffic until you accept terms or sign in on a login page (a captive portal). Your device joins the wifi, but nothing reaches the internet until that page is completed. Sometimes the sign-in sheet never pops up on its own, which makes it look like the network is broken.
How do I get the airport wifi login page to show up?
Open a plain http:// page that is not cached, such as http://neverssl.com or http://captive.apple.com. Portals can only intercept unencrypted requests, so an https:// address or an app that is already open will just fail. Turning off a VPN or custom private DNS until you have signed in also helps.
Will NetJolt log in to the portal for me?
No. NetJolt finds the portal and opens the login page for you to complete yourself. It does not fill in or store your credentials.
Does the captive-portal detective work on Mac, iPhone and Android?
It is available now on macOS and coming soon on iOS and Android. It opens the login page in an in-app Safari view on iOS, a Chrome Custom Tab on Android and your default browser on macOS.
More diagnostic tools: all NetJolt docs · Who's on my WiFi · NetJolt overview and downloads