Will Hotspot always work in an Ethernet setup (Ethernet to the Client) if the client plugs in their own router?
We tested this a little bit and it looks like it works with most routers, but some newer routers try to check the internet connection in order to establish a connection during a setup wizard.
Has anyone had experience or issues with this? Is there anything that can be done on the hotspot router to allow client routers to work easily? Maybe a set of Walled Garden rules that have open connections to each consumer router website since each router wizard typically checks into their own sites (Netgear.com, belkin.com, etc.)?

Thanks.

I have newer seen a router that require internet to have a config? An or why does anyone like to run a wizard (that I doubt is required to use). All routers I have ever seen, will have a default config, and work "out of box". Its enough to get a user/pass to establish a internet connection. AFTER this, if required, setup the router (troug wizard or something else)

We've tested a few routers so far and some work (older Netgear, newer Asus), and some do not work since they need to detect an internet connection first (newer belkin and newer netgear). I watched the Mikrotik IP Connections while the Belkin went through the setup wizard, and it tries to ping and check DNS on an outside IP: 67.20.176.130. Once I put that IP in the Walled Garden IP list, the setup wizard went through successfully.
Without having the IPs of the setup wizards or testing every consumer router out there, this is going to become a support nightmare.
That being said, anyone have a list of IPs or Websites which all of these newer routers check?

but why do you want to use hotspot for clients (with routers). This is a bit like, "how it was done in 2003" Today, there is better ways to do stuff. How about pppoe?

But, if the clients just test the use of a DNS, make a firewall rule, that forward all traffic to udp port 53 to the same IP. (pickup traffic, and change dst address to a dns server, that is in your walled garden)

There are many benefits to using a hotspot and client routers, but I won't list them all. Mostly we want to have one system to manage any type of installation (wifi hotspot or ethernet hotspot). PPP is great, but adds a learning curve and extra support so I'm unsure if we'll use that. Also, if someone chooses not to use a router and just plugin, it's easier for them to use hotspot rather than PPP, so I would like to use one only hotspot for all deployments.
Also, the routers do use DNS to check the internet, but they also still go out to the internet to check in to an IP, so adding the DNS rule only will not fix the issue entirely.
I guess I'll think about this a little further and see what we can do... Maybe build a router list as we go and the IPs which they check online. Any help with IPs would be great. Thanks.

I think so. All is possible to do

Btw, I still cant se any benefits of running system like a "login hotsot" sone for CPE. Just a million negative things. I have converted a lot of system from dhcp/hotspot to radius/pppoe over time. When network grow big, the l2 setup in a environment that you describe, will be a hassle. The simplest way for a user, is to have a system, they don't need to use a login/password. This is configured in some type of client. Its not possible in public hotspot, but the radius can still be used to login to a hotspot. How to get a username/password, is just a matter of configuration. sms, pay by visa/master/paypal, etc, and even authenticating trough Facebook etc. For a CPE, the password and username (shaping public ip range etc) is set one time, and put to the cpe device. No login/password etc for the customer to think about. Your router would have access to internet, and the config is no pain.