Use StayFi to capture guest data, enhance marketing, and drive more direct bookings — for hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, RV parks, campgrounds, and more — all through your existing UniFi infrastructure.
About Ubiquiti Hardware
A captive portal (sometimes called a splash page) is the first page people see when they connect to a WiFi network — typically used to display terms of service or request login details before granting internet access.
Ubiquiti UniFi networks include a built-in captive portal feature for basic access control. However, UniFi’s default portal is limited: it offers minimal branding, lacks data collection, and provides no marketing integrations.
StayFi enhances UniFi’s captive portal functionality by using UniFi’s external captive portal API to deliver a fully branded splash page that collects email addresses and phone numbers — enabling automated marketing campaigns and driving more direct engagement and bookings.
How It Works
A captive portal acts as a gateway between a user’s device and the open internet. When someone connects to your UniFi WiFi network, they are automatically redirected to a splash page. In the UniFi ecosystem, this behavior is managed through the UniFi Controller or UniFi Network Application. StayFi integrates seamlessly with this process by serving as the external captive portal. Once the user completes the splash page form — providing details such as name, email, or phone number — the data is securely captured, and internet access is granted.
StayFi works seamlessly with your existing UniFi WiFi network — no new access points or controllers required. By connecting through UniFi’s external captive portal feature, StayFi transforms your WiFi into a branded marketing channel.
Here’s what you can achieve with StayFi + UniFi:
Purchase UniFi hardware and get set up onsite.
Create a StayFi account and start collecting guest info at WiFi sign in.
Set up automated marketing campaigns tailored for vacation rentals in seconds.
Watch as previous guests fill your upcoming booking calendar.
How It Helps
Hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, RV parks, campgrounds, and other businesses that offer WiFi can use a captive portal as more than just a way to connect users to the internet — it becomes a powerful marketing and engagement tool. A captive portal ensures that users accept your terms of service, keeping your network compliant. More importantly, it enables you to collect verified contact information — often missing when bookings come through OTAs, walk-ins, or third-party platforms. By integrating StayFi’s captive portal with your UniFi network, you can build a rich database of customer contacts to fuel review requests, repeat booking offers, upsells, loyalty programs, and remarketing long after the initial visit.
Adding a branded WiFi portal to your UniFi network is simple with StayFi — no new hardware or advanced technical skills required. Whether you’re running WiFi for a hotel, resort, vacation rental, RV park, campground, or other property, StayFi’s team will guide you through setup: enabling UniFi’s guest network and connecting the external captive portal settings to StayFi.
Once in place, StayFi replaces UniFi’s basic login page with a fully branded, mobile-optimized splash page that captures contact information — transforming your WiFi into a marketing engine that helps drive reviews, repeat visits, and more direct revenue.
Want help getting started? Book time with our team here and we’ll walk you through the setup — it’s fast and easy.
StayFi works with virtually all Ubiquiti UniFi hardware — there’s no need to replace or upgrade your existing equipment. Whether you manage a single property or a multi-location network, StayFi integrates seamlessly with UniFi’s support for external captive portals and VLAN tagging.
StayFi works across both on-premise and cloud-managed UniFi setups — making it easy to scale your network across any number of properties or locations.
For full setup instructions and a complete device list, see our UniFi setup guide here.
StayFi is trusted by thousands of operators and integrates seamlessly with existing UniFi setups. Whether you’re managing one property or fifty, StayFi helps you transform WiFi into a high-converting marketing tool.
With StayFi, you have full control over the design and content of your splash page. Customize your page with brand colors, logos, background images, and more to deliver a seamless, on-brand experience for users.
You can include a welcome message, require terms of service acceptance, and choose what users see after logging in — using StayFi HomePage to drive engagement with your digital welcome book, booking engine, special offers, or any custom content.
StayFi also integrates with ZeroBounce to verify email addresses in real time — ensuring that your contact list stays clean and fully usable for future marketing campaigns.
Once contact data is captured, you can use StayFi Email — StayFi’s built-in email marketing platform — to build segmented audiences, automate review requests, send rebooking offers, and track performance. Everything is fully integrated with your guest CRM and WiFi data — no manual steps required.
StayFi also instantly syncs captured contacts to your external marketing tools, including:
Whether you use StayFi Email or your existing marketing stack, StayFi makes it easy to turn WiFi data into repeat business and direct revenue.
Start collecting verified guest data, driving repeat bookings, and upselling effortlessly—right from your WiFi splash page.
From the user’s perspective, the StayFi-powered UniFi WiFi login process is fast and simple. After connecting to the network, a branded splash page appears — fully mobile-optimized and quick to load.
Users enter their email address (or phone number, if enabled), accept your terms of service, and gain internet access. By default, users only need to log in once per device every 30 days — providing a smooth experience for repeat visitors.
After login, users can be redirected to your StayFi HomePage — where you can display a digital welcome book, promote local offers, link to your direct booking site, or showcase any custom content.
StayFi’s WiFi marketing with UniFi is just one part of a larger marketing and data platform designed for hospitality and lodging businesses:
By combining WiFi marketing, CRM, and automated marketing tools, StayFi helps hospitality businesses of all types convert more direct bookings and grow repeat business.
When managing WiFi for vacation rentals, boutique hotels, or any type of short-term lodging, your captive portal choice can make a big difference — not just for network access, but for marketing and revenue.
Ubiquiti’s UniFi platform offers excellent WiFi infrastructure and a simple, built-in captive portal. However, the native UniFi portal is designed mainly for basic network access and security — with limited branding options and no guest data capture or marketing features.
In contrast, StayFi’s marketing portal works alongside UniFi, turning your WiFi into an automated marketing tool. StayFi adds powerful capabilities for first-party data collection, CRM integration, and post-stay marketing — all with no extra hardware required.
The table below compares the core features of UniFi’s native portal vs. adding StayFi to your UniFi network:
| Feature | UniFi Native Portal | StayFi Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Branding |
Basic
|
Fully customizable splash and landing pages
|
| Data Capture |
None
|
Email, SMS, Name, device history
|
| CRM Integration |
Not supported
|
Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more
|
| Email Verification |
No
|
Integrated (ZeroBounce)
|
| Marketing Automation |
No
|
Automated email/SMS campaigns, upsells, review requests
|
| Dashboard & Reporting |
Basic device view
|
Full CRM with marketing performance tracking
|
| Audience Building for Ads |
No
|
Sync contacts to Facebook/Instagram for retargeting
|
| Real-Time Occupancy Alerts |
No
|
Live device tracking and occupancy insights
|
For vacation rentals, hotels and other hospitality operators looking to grow direct bookings, drive repeat business, and build marketing audiences — adding StayFi to your UniFi network offers a major upgrade over the basic native portal.
StayFi is now deployed in over 80,000 vacation rentals and boutique hotels that use UniFi networks, where it’s become a cornerstone of guest engagement and repeat-booking strategies. Here are some of the things our customers have achieved:
Cozi Vacation Rentals took a portfolio of 200 listings from a 0 to 30% direct booking rate in just over a year by using StayFi WiFi & email marketing while accumulating a list of over 25,000 guest emails.
Mike Z Rentals experienced a revenue uplift of $12,000 per year from upsells through StayFi WiFi marketing alone using StayFi HomePage and our built-in upsell storefronts in addition to adding 1,400 emails to their guest list.
Cottage Stays has used StayFi and UniFi to reach a 100% direct booking rate in the high season while also benefiting from dramatically fewer WiFi support calls and complaints from their guests.
These outcomes illustrate why STR operators consider StayFi more than a WiFi add-on—it’s a revenue multiplier powered by verified contact data and automated engagement.
StayFi makes it easy to turn your UniFi network into a powerful marketing tool. Whether you’re managing one property or dozens, you can capture guest data, automate follow-ups, and build long-term loyalty—all from a branded WiFi login page. Create your free account or book a demo to see how it works in real-time.
No. StayFi works with all existing UniFi access points, switches, and controllers. You just need to enable VLANs and configure the external portal URL.
Yes. StayFi is fully compatible with both the UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) and UDM Pro—two of the most popular routers used in short-term rentals today.
These devices support the necessary VLAN and captive portal features required for StayFi to function seamlessly. Using the UniFi Network application, you can easily integrate StayFi’s splash page and data capture capabilities with your existing UniFi setup.
To configure StayFi on your UniFi network, follow these steps exactly as outlined in our platform’s onboarding workflow:
Once activated, your designated access point will start broadcasting the guest network configured in StayFi—offering a fully branded splash page and immediately capturing guest data as they connect. This setup replicates the simplicity of StayFi Express (which plugs directly into your router) while giving you full control over VLAN segmentation
Absolutely. StayFi is built with scalability in mind, making it an ideal solution for property managers and hosts with multiple rental locations.
Through the StayFi dashboard, you can manage all your properties in one place. Customize each property’s branding, splash pages, and guest WiFi settings individually, ensuring a consistent yet personalized experience across your portfolio. This central control saves time and enhances the guest journey no matter where they stay.
StayFi helps you collect verified contact information but does not block access based on identity. Guests must enter a valid email or phone number to proceed through the splash page, and StayFi verifies that the email is deliverable in real time using tools like ZeroBounce. However, access is not restricted based on who the guest is—anyone can complete the form and connect.
For enhanced control, you can configure session limits, bandwidth restrictions, and device caps within your UniFi Controller. StayFi complements this by logging all user access details and providing clean, usable guest contact data for follow-up marketing.
