If you use the Smoothwall Connect for Chromebooks Chrome extension to filter external users, you need to use proxy settings with the IDex client too, which was not designed for external usage. The proxy settings can get in the way of WiFi logon pages when users try to connect to public WiFi locations.
To address this problem, you need to set up proxy exceptions in your Smoothwall Filter and Firewall. In general, exceptions for the proxy should be all private network ranges and a single IP as well, often used by Cisco access portals. Feel free to add to the list. Good items to have exceptions for are local domains, like your local Active Directory domain name. If you are hosting your PAC file externally, the host and domain name of the server should also be in the list.
In either your Active Directory or your Google Admin console, add the proxy settings to the user profiles by amending the proxy.pac/wpad.dat file, often used when using the Connect for Chromebooks extension. Alternatively, add these as mobile proxy exceptions in your Smoothwall Filter and Firewall.
Procedure
- In your Smoothwall Filter and Firewall, add these IP addresses and domains mobile proxy exceptions, see our help topic, Configuring proxy exceptions:
- 192.168.0.0/16
- 10.0.0.0/8
- 172.16.0.0/12
- 1.1.1.1
- mydomain.internal
Once those have been added to the exceptions list, reconnect the devices and test if their issues with public WiFi access have been resolved.
NOTE: This is not an issue with Cloud Filter because in that case, the proxy settings are not required.