Connecting to web authenticated WiFi Networks such as Xfinity Wifi

[j-a-x]

I just got a new Apple Watch Series 2 and it's pretty cool. One thing I like is that I can leave my phone at home when I go to my yoga class since my watch can connect to their wifi network (simple WPA password protected network). I just keep my phone in silent mode during my workout and afterwards I can check my messages and email using their wifi. Untethering the watch from the phone is when I find it the most useful.

I am a Comcast Xfinity subscriber and I notice there are a ton of Xfinity Wifi networks all around town that my watch could use which would further untether me from my phone. However I can't get my watch to connect to these. When I first connected on my phone I had to enter my credentials, but from then on their network seems to recognize my MAC address and just let me connect. My watch just seems to ignore that network.

Has anyone found a way to connect their watch to Xfinity Wifi or other Wifi networks that require authentication via a webpage?

 

[Julien]

You can only connect to 'regular' WiFi's that are known to your iPhone. There is no way to sign into a network that needs web authorization using the Watch.

 

[j-a-x]

You can only connect to 'regular' WiFi's that are known to your iPhone. There is no way to sign into a network that needs web authorization using the Watch.

Too bad. I was hoping somebody found a hack (spoofing the watch MAC address, authenticating with a laptop, then connecting with a watch for example).

It would make the watch much more useful if the potential usable wifi networks were expanded.

 

[jakerichva]

It would seem to me that the XfinityWifi (I also am an Xfinity customer), should be available to you on the Watch. Carry your phone to yoga and connect from there to Xfinity. You give your customer information and password to do that, which should then make the network "legitimate" to the Watch. No need to do any spoofing, it's all aboveboard. I think the theory of XfinityWifi is that one login/password should work on all XfninityWifi hotspots everywhere.

 

[j-a-x]

It would seem to me that the XfinityWifi (I also am an Xfinity customer), should be available to you on the Watch. Carry your phone to yoga and connect from there to Xfinity. You give your customer information and password to do that, which should then make the network "legitimate" to the Watch. No need to do any spoofing, it's all aboveboard. I think the theory of XfinityWifi is that one login/password should work on all XfninityWifi hotspots everywhere.

The Watch won't connect to xfinity wifi even though my phone is configured and connects fine. I think it's because my watch has a different MAC address.

 

[Katiec1985]

You can only connect to 'regular' WiFi's that are known to your iPhone. There is no way to sign into a network that needs web authorization using the Watch.

Yes u can actually...u can spoof the mac address

 

[hexagenia]

I think this might be changing. Next time you go to yoga, log in to Xfinity on your iPhone which should take you to their portal. When you get to the portal, it should offer you the ability to install the Xfinity wifi profile and when you click install, it now offers you the ability to install it on your watch or on your iPhone. I've never seen the watch option for an Xfinity profile before this morning, but it seems like they must be thinking in this direction. Does the "Install Watch" for the Xfinity profile show up for you?

 

[j-a-x]

I think this might be changing. Next time you go to yoga, log in to Xfinity on your iPhone which should take you to their portal. When you get to the portal, it should offer you the ability to install the Xfinity wifi profile and when you click install, it now offers you the ability to install it on your watch or on your iPhone. I've never seen the watch option for an Xfinity profile before this morning, but it seems like they must be thinking in this direction. Does the "Install Watch" for the Xfinity profile show up for you?

I actually did install the profile before in iOS 10 but never saw the Watch option. Perhaps I need to try it again in iOS 11.

 

[rigormortis]

hello old thread!

watch os 5 will now let you manually select a wifi network. but you still cant connect to xfinity wifi or any other wifi network that requires a login.. theoretically you can use the xfinity wifi app and install a security profile onto the apple watch , and that should allow your watch to connect to the XFINITY ( secured ) network , but i haven't seen it work either

 

[tromboneaholic]

You can only connect to 'regular' WiFi's that are known to your iPhone.

This is mostly true in theory, and completely true in practice.

WatchOS 5 added the ability for the Watch to connect to a wifi network (without web interface) that your phone hasn't connected to.

You can now select a network from the Watch itself. However, you have to enter the password using Scribble. I have found it impossible to use Scribble to enter passwords because it keeps correcting the spelling and doesn't do a good job of understanding camel case (words with mixed upper case letters and lower case letters).

 

[Julien]

This is mostly true in theory, and completely true in practice.

WatchOS 5 added the ability for the Watch to connect to a wifi network (without web interface) that your phone hasn't connected to.

You can now select a network from the Watch itself. However, you have to enter the password using Scribble. I have found it impossible to use Scribble to enter passwords because it keeps correcting the spelling and doesn't do a good job of understanding camel case (words with mixed upper case letters and lower case letters).

Please look at the date of my post you are quoting. How was I supposed to know about wOS5 when no one here even knew about wOS4 yet?

 

[tromboneaholic]

Please look at the date of my post you are quoting. How was I supposed to know about wOS5 when no one here even knew about wOS4 yet?

Ha ha! Good point. Sorry about that.
You were 100% correct, and pretty much still are.

 

[rigormortis]

yeah my post about XFINTY pertains to the old posts as well. i just tested it , and it worked. when you install the certificate using the xfinity wifi hotspot app into the apple watch, your apple watch will now connect to XFINITY secure but not xfinitywifi which requires clicking on the "i agree" button. my apple watch now shows up on my xinfity wifi device list. and its now using up one of the 20 slots xfintity gives you. it should now connect to xfintywifi without needing authentication, because it authenticated to XFINITY , but i haven't seen it connect to xfinitywifi yet

now that xfinity has the mac address of my watch, theoretically, they should never ask me to log in again until the certificate expires