Setting up a UniFi hotspot with Spotipo transforms your guest WiFi into a powerful marketing and customer engagement platform. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step, from connecting your UniFi controller to Spotipo, to configuring external portal authentication, to setting up firewall rules for seamless operation.
Whether you're using a UniFi Dream Machine, Cloud Key, or self-hosted controller, this guide covers all UniFi device types and connection methods. The setup takes 20-30 minutes and enables email capture, social login, paid WiFi access, and marketing automation on your UniFi network.
What you'll accomplish:
Connect your UniFi controller to Spotipo (direct connection or reverse proxy)
Configure external captive portal authentication on your UniFi network
Set up firewall rules to allow Spotipo server communication
Enable hotspot on your guest WiFi SSID with proper authorization settings
What you'll need:
UniFi controller (any type: self-hosted, Cloud Key, UDM, UDM Pro, UXG)
Admin access to your UniFi controller
Public IP address or ability to set up reverse proxy
Active Spotipo account (start free trial)
This guide uses Spotipo's new user interface and includes firewall configuration for UniFi gateways.
1. Configuring UniFi Controller in Spotipo
Navigate to Settings -> UniFi Settings
Click on the settings icon to configure the controller.
1.1. Select the Right Setup Type
If your controller is self-hosted (Linux, Windows, Docker, etc.): Select "Set installed software".
If your controller is a UniFi OS device (UDM, Cloud Key, UX, etc.): Select "UniFi OS".
1.2. Connection Type
If you have a public IP or host name: Select Direct Connection.
If you don’t have a public IP: Use Reverse Proxy and follow this guide.
1.3. Enter Controller Details
Controller IP/Host name
Self-hosted (Linux, Windows, Docker): Use port 8443 (if public IP) or 443 (if using a reverse tunnel).
UniFi OS devices: Use port 443.
If your controller's IP address is not visible to Spotipo, check out our guides for setting up firewall to work with Spotipo.
Once you finish up that guide, you can come back and finish things up.
1.4 Enter Admin Credentials
Enter your admin credentials. We recommend creating an additional local user for this purpose. You can learn more in the linked guide. Once you finish up that guide, you can come back and finish things up.
Click Next.
1.5 Select a site you'd like to use Spotipo with
If your Unifi controller has multiple sites connected to it, select the appropriate one. Otherwise, just select the Default one.
1.6 Configure SSID for Hotspot
Select the SSID where you want to enable the hotspot.
Verify that the controller is connected by returning to the Unifi controller tab, and the status shows "Online."
2. Configure Hotspot Settings in Unifi
Now that controller is connected to Spotipo, all you have to do is to check the hotspot settings on Unifi controller itself.
2.1 Enable Hotspot on the Desired WiFi
Navigate to Settings -> WiFi -> Your WiFi Name
From there, set the Advanced settings to manual and under Hotspot 2.0 set it to Captive portal.
2.2 Configure Unifi to work with External portal
On your Unifi controller, go to Insights -> Hotspot -> Landing Page
From there, make sure that under Authentication there is a box checked beside External Portal Server section and that the address entered is 107.178.247.148
Once that is set, move on to captive portal settings and copy the following under the Hotspot settings section:
Domain: app.spotipo.com
Authorization access:
app.spotipo.com
107.178.247.148
Optional: Payment login
q.stripe.com
js.stripe.com
api.stripe.com
Optional: Facebook login
facebook.com
akamaihd.netakamai.net
edgecastcdn.net
facebook.net
akamaihd.net
fbcdn.net
atdmt.com
fbsbx.com
3. Test Things out
All that is left to do now is to test the captive portal out.
If you run into some issue, feel free to contact us through chat, or by writing to us at [email protected]. We'll gladly help you out.
Your UniFi Hotspot with Spotipo Is Now Live
Once you've completed all configuration steps and tested the captive portal successfully, guests will authenticate seamlessly—and you can start capturing WiFi guest data, running marketing campaigns, or offering paid WiFi access through your UniFi network.
What to do next:
Customize your splash page design in Spotipo dashboard to match your branding
Set up email marketing integrations to automatically sync guest contacts
Configure paid WiFi packages to generate revenue from premium access
Add additional SSIDs or sites if managing multiple locations
Common UniFi hotspot setup issues:
Controller shows "Not Reachable": Verify firewall rules allow Spotipo server IPs
Portal not appearing: Check that external portal server is enabled and set to 107.178.247.148
Authentication failures: Ensure admin credentials have proper permissions (consider creating dedicated local user)
Authorization domains missing: Verify app.spotipo.com and 107.178.247.148 are in Authorization Access list
Need additional setup guides:
Using reverse proxy instead of direct connection? Check if your reverse tunnel is active
UniFi OS devices need dedicated credentials? Add local user to UniFi controller
Using zone-based firewall? Configure UniFi zone-based firewall
Still having trouble with your UniFi hotspot setup? Contact us through chat or email [email protected]—we'll gladly help you troubleshoot your specific UniFi configuration.