Creating a WiFi login page can be a great way to control access to your network and provide a seamless login experience for your users. In this article, I’ll guide you through the process of making a WiFi login page from scratch, with personal touches and commentary along the way.
Step 1: Setting Up a Web Server
The first thing you’ll need to do is set up a web server to host your login page. There are several options available, but for simplicity, I’ll use Apache as the web server in this guide.
To install Apache on a Linux-based system, open your terminal and run the following command:
sudo apt-get install apache2
Once Apache is installed, you can start the service by running:
sudo systemctl start apache2
Now that your web server is up and running, you can access the default Apache web page by opening your web browser and entering “localhost” in the address bar.
Step 2: Creating the Login Page
Now it’s time to create your WiFi login page. You can use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to design and customize the page to your liking.
I recommend starting with a simple HTML structure and adding styling with CSS. Here’s an example of a basic login page:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>WiFi Login</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to My WiFi Network</h1>
<form action="process_login.php" method="POST">
<label for="username">Username:</label>
<input type="text" id="username" name="username" required>
<label for="password">Password:</label>
<input type="password" id="password" name="password" required>
<input type="submit" value="Login">
</form>
</body>
</html>
Save the above code as “index.html” and create a new file called “style.css” in the same directory to add custom styles.
Step 3: Processing the Login
Once the user submits their login credentials, you’ll need to process the login request and validate the username and password against your chosen authentication method.
In this example, we’ll assume you’re using a MySQL database to store user information. Create a new file called “process_login.php” and add the following code:
<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "your_username";
$password = "your_password";
$database = "your_database";
// Create a connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $database);
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}
// Retrieve the submitted username and password
$submittedUsername = $_POST['username'];
$submittedPassword = $_POST['password'];
// Query the database for the user credentials
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = '$submittedUsername' AND password = '$submittedPassword'";
$result = $conn->query($sql);
// Check if the user credentials are valid
if ($result->num_rows == 1) {
echo "Login successful!";
} else {
echo "Invalid username or password.";
}
// Close the database connection
$conn->close();
?>
Make sure to replace “your_username”, “your_password”, and “your_database” with your own database credentials.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve learned how to create a WiFi login page from scratch using Apache as your web server. By following these steps, you can now control access to your network and provide a personalized login experience for your users.
Remember to customize your login page and authentication method to fit your specific needs. You can add more fields, implement stronger security measures, and integrate additional features as desired.
If you’re interested in exploring more advanced topics, such as captive portal setups or integrating with external authentication services, there are plenty of resources available online to help you further enhance your WiFi login page.
Happy coding!