MacOS – Problems using FTP, Steam, and other non-browser web services on public password protected wi-fi on MacOS

macosNetworkwifi

I currently have to use a wi-fi service which is public (doesn't have a WPA password), but which uses a username and password sign in via browser (provided by SOPHOS UTM). I access this on a Mac with the latest macOS.

While I can connect to the internet with all browsers and some other applications like Spotify and Skype, I cannot use FTP, SQL or VPN clients, and I also can't use Steam, battle.net or TeamSpeak. For all of the latter, the connection always times out and I cannot connect to any of those services.

The odd thing is that in any other wi-fi network, all of those applications work perfectly fine on my computer. I've already contacted the wi-fi network's support, but they're just as baffled as me and claim that all other users on the network can use those applications without problems.

I've already tried pretty much anything I could think of (system reboot, system update, logging on as a different user, turning off all kinds of firewalls, etc), but nothing helped.

Does anyone have an idea why some applications can connect to the internet perfectly fine on macOS, while others cannot?

Best Answer

Together with support, I found the solution. All other protocols worked on LAN but not on wi-fi, and there was just a rudimentary setting which didn't allow the other protocols on wi-fi (unfortunately I don't know the details, as it was the support who solved it, not me).