You said:

I have this strange problem when I visit Panera bread locations in the Palm Beach region. There is this hotspot portal that Covelli Enterprises is implementing. And when I try to use chrome browser on my laptop, any page I try to visit I get a. DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET
what should I do about this?
This is hindering my work this morning because I run many of my web apps on chrome including the AI apps. But it’s not related to those apps it’s any webpage in the chrome browser. I’m starting to wonder if whomever implemented their hotspot capital portal or firewall did not realize this problem or it must not be intentional, or maybe it is.
And I’m letting you know I did log into the captive portal and the Internet is working on all the other browsers, including the AI website websites

ChatGPT said:

Thought for 26s

This pattern—captive portal works + other browsers work + Chrome shows DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET on every site—usually comes down to Chrome doing DNS differently than the other browsers (most commonly Secure DNS / DNS-over-HTTPS or a proxy/VPN/extension).

Here’s the fastest path to get you working right now, then a couple deeper fixes.

Fast fix (do these in order)

1) Turn off Chrome “Secure DNS” (most common culprit on captive Wi-Fi)

In Chrome:

• Open: chrome://settings/security
• Find Use secure DNS
• Set it to Off (or “Use your current service provider”)

Then close all Chrome windows and reopen.

Why this works: some guest networks/captive portals or their firewalls don’t play nice with DoH, and Chrome is often the only browser that insists on trying it.

2) Clear Chrome’s internal DNS cache

Open these URLs in Chrome and click the clear buttons:

• chrome://net-internals/#dns → Clear host cache
• chrome://net-internals/#sockets → Flush socket pools

Restart Chrome again.

3) Check proxy/VPN (including “automatic” proxy scripts)

On your laptop, make sure you’re not using a proxy:

• Windows: Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy → turn off anything you don’t recognize (especially “Use a setup script”).
• macOS: System Settings → Network → (your Wi-Fi) → Details → Proxies → ensure none are enabled unless you set them.

Also temporarily disable any:

• VPN app
• “security”/filtering software
• adblock/privacy extensions

Quick test: Incognito mode (disables many extensions). If Incognito works, it’s almost certainly an extension/profile setting.

If you still get it: one quick diagnostic

4) Try switching networks within Chrome by making it re-detect captive status

Even after login, some portals behave weirdly with cached state. Do this:

• Disconnect Wi-Fi
• Reconnect
• In Chrome go to: http://neverssl.com (plain HTTP triggers captive networks reliably)

If that loads but HTTPS sites fail, it’s still pointing at DNS/DoH or filtering.

OS-level flush (optional but often helps)

Pick your OS:

Windows (Admin CMD):

• ipconfig /flushdns
• netsh winsock reset
• Reboot

macOS (Terminal):

• sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Linux (systemd):

• sudo resolvectl flush-caches

What I’d bet is happening

Covelli/Panera’s guest network likely expects you to use their DNS (or it blocks/poisons some DNS methods). Chrome, unlike your other browsers, is probably trying Secure DNS / DoH or honoring a proxy/VPN/extension that the others aren’t.

Workarounds if you need to be productive immediately

• Use the browser that works for this morning
• Or: keep Chrome but disable Secure DNS + disable extensions for this Wi-Fi session

If you tell me your laptop OS (Windows/macOS/Linux) and whether you have Secure DNS enabled in Chrome right now, I can give you the exact clicks/commands for your setup.

You said:

I searched the Chrome settings for security NS and I see Secured DNS is switched on, but the button is grayed out.

ChatGPT said:

Thought for 29s

If the Secure DNS toggle is ON but grayed out, that almost always means Chrome is being forced by a policy (enterprise/“managed” setting) — either by:

• a device management profile (work/school, MDM),
• a security product (AV, “web protection”, DNS filtering),
• or a local policy/registry file.

1) Confirm what’s locking it (takes 10 seconds)

Open this in Chrome:

• chrome://policy

Look for policies like:

• DnsOverHttpsMode
• DnsOverHttpsTemplates
• (sometimes) BuiltInDnsClientEnabled

If you see them, Chrome will also usually say “Source: Platform” or “Source: Cloud” and you’ll know it’s enforced.

Also check:

• chrome://management (it will tell you if Chrome or the device is “managed”)

2) Quick workaround to get unstuck on Panera Wi-Fi (even if policy stays)

Since captive Wi-Fi + forced DoH often breaks DNS in Chrome, your fastest “get working now” options are:

• Use the other browser that works for this Panera session (you already confirmed they work).
• Or make a fresh Chrome profile (sometimes your main profile has an extension or settings that trips this):
  • Click your profile icon → Add → create a new profile → test.
• Try Incognito (to bypass many extensions). If Incognito works, it’s an extension problem.

3) Remove the lock (only if this is your personal laptop)

How you remove it depends on what chrome://policy says the source is:

If it’s an extension / security software

• Go to chrome://extensions and temporarily disable anything security/DNS/privacy-related.
• Check your AV/security suite for features like Web Shield, Secure DNS, HTTPS scanning, DNS protection, family filtering — toggle those off and relaunch Chrome.

If it’s OS policy (common on Windows/macOS/Linux)

Windows

1. Close Chrome completely.
2. Check if the policy exists in registry:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
3. If you find keys like DnsOverHttpsMode / DnsOverHttpsTemplates, delete those values (or the whole Chrome policy key if it’s only used for this).
4. Reopen Chrome and check chrome://policy again.

macOS

• System Settings → Privacy & Security → Profiles (or “Device Management”)
  If there’s a profile enforcing browser/network settings, removing that profile will ungray the toggle.
• If you don’t see Profiles, it may be security software instead.

Linux

• Check for policy JSON files in:
  • /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/
  • /etc/chromium/policies/managed/
    If there’s a policy file setting DoH, remove/adjust it, then relaunch Chrome.

4) The most useful thing you can paste here

On chrome://policy, tell me exactly what it shows for anything related to DNS/DoH (policy name + value + source). With that, I can tell you precisely what is enforcing it and the cleanest way to remove/override it on your OS.

You said:

OK, well I think many other users in the region will have the same question and I would like to make a blog for post. Please design a blog post regarding the subject of this conversation of chrome browser not working at Panera bread in Palm Beach region Covelli Enterprises hotspot Internet

ChatGPT said:

Here’s a ready-to-paste blog post draft (with a clean structure, SEO-friendly headings, and a simple “do this now” checklist). You can tweak the location names or add screenshots later.

Chrome Not Working on Panera Wi-Fi in Palm Beach? (Covelli Hotspot Portal Fix)

If you’re at a Panera Bread location in the Palm Beach region and the Wi-Fi captive portal logs you in successfully — but Google Chrome won’t load any websites and throws:

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET

…you’re not alone.

What makes this confusing is that the internet works in other browsers (and often your apps still work), but in Chrome every page fails. This usually points to a DNS conflict, not “no internet.”

Below is the fastest fix, why it happens, and what to do if the setting is locked.

The Symptoms

At certain Panera locations using a Covelli Enterprises hotspot/captive portal, you may see:

• Captive portal login succeeds
• Wi-Fi shows as connected
• Other browsers (Edge/Firefox/Safari) load normally
• Chrome fails on every site with: DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET

The Most Common Cause: Chrome “Secure DNS” (DNS-over-HTTPS)

Chrome has a feature called Secure DNS (also called DNS-over-HTTPS / DoH). It’s meant to improve privacy by sending DNS lookups through an encrypted DNS provider.

On some public guest networks — especially those using captive portals or strict filtering — DoH can get blocked or misrouted, and Chrome ends up unable to resolve domains.

Other browsers may not be using DoH the same way (or at all), which is why they still work.

Fix It Fast (2 Minutes)

Step 1 — Try turning off Secure DNS in Chrome

1. In Chrome, go to:
   chrome://settings/security
2. Find Use secure DNS
3. Set it to Off (or “Use your current service provider”)
4. Close all Chrome windows and reopen Chrome.

If it immediately starts working, you’ve found the issue.

Step 2 — Flush Chrome’s internal DNS cache

Even after changing DNS settings, Chrome may keep cached bad results.

Open these two pages:

• chrome://net-internals/#dns → click Clear host cache
• chrome://net-internals/#sockets → click Flush socket pools

Restart Chrome.

If the Secure DNS Toggle is ON but Grayed Out

If you found Secure DNS is enabled but the toggle is grayed out, Chrome is being controlled by a policy (often called an “enterprise” or “managed” setting). This can happen on personal laptops too, because some security software or network tools install Chrome policies.

Step 1 — Check whether Chrome is managed

Open:

• chrome://management

If you see a message that the browser/device is managed, that’s why the toggle is locked.

Step 2 — See what policy is forcing Secure DNS

Open:

• chrome://policy

Look for policy names like:

• DnsOverHttpsMode
• DnsOverHttpsTemplates

If you see these, Chrome is being forced to use Secure DNS.

Workarounds When the Setting Is Locked

If you can’t turn Secure DNS off, these are the fastest ways to keep working:

Option A — Use another browser on Panera Wi-Fi

If Edge/Firefox/Safari works, use it temporarily at that location. It’s not ideal, but it gets you unstuck.

Option B — Try Incognito Mode

Incognito disables many extensions. If Incognito works, you likely have an extension interfering.

Option C — Create a fresh Chrome profile

Sometimes your main Chrome profile has extensions or settings that trigger the issue.

• Click your profile icon → Add → make a new profile → test.

Option D — Use a hotspot for Chrome-only work

If you must use Chrome (web apps, AI tools, business systems), switching your laptop to phone hotspot often bypasses the captive portal/DNS behavior entirely.

Why This Happens on Captive Portal Networks

Captive portals often rely on “walled garden” rules and sometimes require you to use the network’s DNS during authentication and after login.

Secure DNS/DoH bypasses the local DNS server and can conflict with:

• network filtering
• captive portal detection
• DNS interception rules
• corporate guest Wi-Fi configurations

This doesn’t necessarily mean anything malicious is happening — it may simply be a configuration mismatch that isn’t obvious unless you use Chrome with DoH enabled.

If You Want Covelli / Panera IT to Fix It (What to Tell Them)

If you report this to Panera staff or corporate IT, here’s the clean technical description:

“On the Covelli captive portal guest Wi-Fi, Chrome fails to resolve domains and shows DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET when Chrome Secure DNS / DoH is enabled. Other browsers work. Please verify whether the network blocks DNS-over-HTTPS or whether Chrome traffic is being disrupted by firewall/DNS rules after captive portal authentication.”

That’s enough for a network engineer to understand what to test.

Quick Checklist Summary

If Chrome fails at Panera guest Wi-Fi:

✅ Turn off Secure DNS: chrome://settings/security
✅ Clear host cache: chrome://net-internals/#dns
✅ Flush sockets: chrome://net-internals/#sockets
✅ Check policies: chrome://policy
✅ Use alternate browser / incognito / new profile as workaround

Final Note

If this problem happens repeatedly at multiple Panera locations in the Palm Beach region, it’s likely a consistent hotspot/captive-portal configuration issue — and many other users are probably hitting it without realizing why.

If you found a specific fix that works every time at your location, consider commenting or sharing it — it can save other people a lot of time.

If you want, paste what you see in chrome://policy (just the DNS-related lines) and tell me your OS (Windows/macOS/Linux). I’ll add an “Advanced Fix” section to the post with the exact steps to remove the policy that locks Secure DNS.

You said:

Well, that was a very nice informational blog post you created, but I meant to say create an infographic for this subject