CaptiveFlow works as an external captive portal for your UniFi network. Guests enter their email to connect, you get a GDPR-compliant marketing list and visit analytics — without touching your controller config beyond one URL.
FlowBox Pro £39/month · Works with all UniFi controller versions · No upfront fees
UniFi's built-in guest portal does the basics — terms acceptance, maybe a password. But it doesn't capture emails, it doesn't track marketing consent separately from WiFi access, and it doesn't give you any guest analytics beyond what's in the controller's client list.
You've probably looked at the guest hotspot settings in the UniFi controller and thought "there must be more I can do with this." There is — UniFi supports external captive portal redirect, which lets you point guest authentication at a third-party system. That's exactly what CaptiveFlow uses.
The bigger WiFi marketing platforms want you to rip out your UniFi gear or run their hardware instead. That makes no sense when you've already invested in a solid network. You don't need new access points — you need better software on top of the ones you've got.
CaptiveFlow's FlowBox Pro sits on your network, handles the external portal redirect, captures guest emails with proper GDPR consent, and gives venue operators a dashboard. Your UniFi APs keep doing what they do. Nothing changes except the guest login experience. If you don't have a managed network and just want to add guest WiFi to a standard broadband router, see our guest WiFi setup guide instead.
The Shamrock Social in Nottingham built a 657-strong marketing opt-in list in their first five weeks — running CaptiveFlow as an external portal on their existing network.
Read the case studyGuests enter their email to get online. Separate GDPR marketing opt-in — not bundled with terms acceptance.
Each venue gets its own portal with their logo, colours, and messaging. Managed from CaptiveFlow's dashboard, not the UniFi controller.
See new vs returning guests, visit frequency, and individual guest profiles with full visit history.
Manage portals across all your UniFi sites from one account. No per-controller configuration needed.
Step 1
Plug it into your switch. It sits alongside your UniFi infrastructure.
Step 2
In UniFi's guest hotspot settings, point the external captive portal at your FlowBox. One setting, done.
Step 3
Email capture, marketing consent, and analytics all handled. Your APs do the WiFi, CaptiveFlow does the rest.
UniFi's guest hotspot feature was designed for network access control, not marketing. It handles the basics well: you can set session lengths, bandwidth limits, and require terms acceptance. But when it comes to capturing guest data for marketing, it has real limitations.
The built-in portal doesn't separate marketing consent from WiFi access. Under UK GDPR, that distinction matters. If your only option is "accept terms to connect," you can't use those details for marketing emails. You need a separate, unticked opt-in checkbox, and UniFi's native portal doesn't offer that.
There's also no guest database. The UniFi controller shows connected clients, but it doesn't store email addresses, track return visits, or let you export a marketing list. Once a guest disconnects, that data is gone.
If you've searched for "UniFi captive portal email capture" or tried to find a way to collect guest emails through your existing UniFi setup, this is why it's not straightforward. The controller wasn't built for it. An external captive portal fills that gap without replacing anything in your network.
CaptiveFlow is tested and working with UniFi OS Console (UDM, UDM Pro, UDM SE, UCG Ultra), self-hosted UniFi Network Server, and legacy Cloud Key controllers. Any UniFi setup that supports external captive portal redirect works with FlowBox Pro. If you're not sure whether your setup is compatible, book a demo and we'll confirm before you commit to anything.
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