The Nile Access Service offers three different options for providing guest network access:

This solution is ideal for customers who already have a Cisco ISE or Aruba ClearPass implementation with their existing WLAN. In this model, the Nile Access Service acts as a pass-through, relying on the external captive portal server to authenticate the guest devices.

There are two modes of operation:

In the server-initiated flow, the captive portal server is configured with the redirect URL and hosts the captive portal page. When a guest device connects to the captive portal SSID:

To configure this flow, navigate to the "Settings" > "Authentication" section in the Nile Cloud Services Portal and add a RADIUS server.

In the static URL mode, the administrator configures the redirect URL in the Nile Cloud Services Portal when adding the RADIUS server. The captive portal server does not provide the URL via the MAC authentication process.

This solution is ideal for customers who do not have an external captive portal server. The Nile Access Service hosts the captive portal server in the cloud and provides it as part of the service, free of charge. Nile supports two authentication methods for onboarding guest users:

The click-through feature requires the guest user to accept the terms and conditions to access the network. This is the most basic form of authentication. Once accepted, the user is granted access to the network.

The email approval feature displays a form that the guest user must fill out, and then the request must be approved. The form includes the following fields:

Once the form is filled out, an email is sent to the visiting employee, who must approve the request for the guest user to gain access.

Nile will only send the email if the domain of the visiting employee's email entered by the guest is a valid domain for the tenant. The administrator can add multiple domains if needed.

To configure the Nile-hosted guest portals, navigate to the "Settings" > "Authentication" section in the Nile Cloud Services Portal and select the "Guest" option when adding a RADIUS server.

Nile Guest Wi-Fi Access Codes provide flexible options for granting temporary network access to visitors. Customers can choose between simple, shared access codes for short events or user-specific access codes for personalized, auditable guest access.

Both options are available through:

This flexibility allows customers to match the access model to their operational needs without changing network configuration.

Nile Guest Portals support Access Code–based authentication. When using Access Codes, customers can choose between two access models:

Option 1: Generic Access Code

A single shared access code that can be used by multiple guests.

Characteristics:

Typical Use Cases:

Option 2: User-Specific Access Code

A unique access code per guest, tied to user identity.

Characteristics:

Typical Use Cases:

Step 1: Identify the Guest Portal

Step 2: Create Access Codes

Access codes can be created in two ways, regardless of whether they are generic or user-specific.

Option A: Nile Portal (Manual)

Admins can manually create:

Admins configure:

Option B: Nile APIs (Automated)

External systems can programmatically create access codes using Nile APIs.

The API supports both access models:

API payloads can include:

This enables automation, bulk provisioning, and integration with existing workflows.

Step 3: Guest Authentication

Use Case 1: Short Event with Shared Access

Use Case 2: Employee-Hosted Guests

Use Case 3: Conference Attendees

Q. What is the default session time of guest?

A. The default session timeout is 24hrs and it can be changed

Q. As an admin, can I customize the branding of the page?

A. Nile offers the ability to brand the page using background images, colors, and logos

The Nile Secure Guest Service is an optional component of the Nile Access Service that provides secure internet access for guest devices, including those belonging to customers, partners, and employees, while isolating them from the organization's internal network resources.

For more information on the Nile Secure Guest Service, please refer to the Nile Guest Service documentation.

For deployments that require IP-based or FQDN-based allowlisting, Nile publishes the regional Guest PoP IP addresses and FQDN addresses used by the Nile Guest Service.

Use the following table to allow required guest traffic by region.