MikroTik Hotspot with RADIUS Billing: Complete ISP Monetisation Guide

Why ISPs Should Offer Hotspot Services

Hotspot WiFi is one of the fastest-growing revenue channels for ISPs. By deploying managed WiFi zones in public areas, hotels, cafes, and residential complexes, ISPs can monetise existing infrastructure with minimal additional investment.

MikroTik Hotspot provides built-in captive portal authentication, bandwidth control, and time-based access — everything you need for a commercial WiFi service.

Hotspot Network Architecture

A typical hotspot deployment uses a MikroTik router as the hotspot gateway, access points for WiFi coverage, and RADIUS for authentication and accounting.

• Hotspot Gateway — MikroTik router running Hotspot server (handles captive portal + NAT)
• Access Points — bridged APs providing WiFi coverage (any brand)
• RADIUS Server — FreeRADIUS for user authentication and session control
• Billing System — ISPbills generates vouchers and manages user accounts
• Captive Portal — customised login page with branding

Step 1: Configure the Hotspot Server

Start by running the Hotspot Setup wizard or configure manually for full control.

/ip hotspot
add name=hotspot1 interface=wlan1 address-pool=hotspot-pool     idle-timeout=5m keepalive-timeout=none login-by=http-chap,http-pap     addresses-per-mac=1

/ip hotspot profile
set default dns-name=wifi.login html-directory=hotspot     http-proxy=0.0.0.0:0 login-by=http-chap,http-pap     use-radius=yes radius-interim-update=5m     rate-limit="2M/2M"

Step 2: Set Up IP Pool and DHCP

Create a dedicated IP pool and DHCP server for hotspot users.

/ip pool
add name=hotspot-pool ranges=192.168.10.2-192.168.10.254

/ip dhcp-server
add name=hotspot-dhcp interface=wlan1 address-pool=hotspot-pool     lease-time=1h

/ip dhcp-server network
add address=192.168.10.0/24 gateway=192.168.10.1     dns-server=192.168.10.1

Step 3: Create Hotspot User Profiles

Define different access tiers — free limited access, hourly passes, daily passes, and unlimited plans.

/ip hotspot user profile
add name=free-30min rate-limit=1M/1M session-timeout=30m     shared-users=1 status-autorefresh=1m
add name=hourly-pass rate-limit=5M/5M session-timeout=1h     shared-users=1
add name=daily-pass rate-limit=10M/10M session-timeout=24h     shared-users=2
add name=unlimited rate-limit=20M/20M shared-users=3

Step 4: RADIUS Integration for Hotspot

Connect the hotspot to RADIUS for centralised user management and accounting.

/radius
add service=hotspot address=10.10.0.5 secret=HotspotRadiusSecret     authentication-port=1812 accounting-port=1813

/ip hotspot profile
set default use-radius=yes radius-interim-update=5m     radius-default-domain="" radius-accounting=yes

Voucher System for Prepaid Access

Vouchers are the standard monetisation model for hotspot WiFi. Each voucher has a unique code that grants time-limited access. ISPbills can generate thousands of vouchers in bulk with customisable templates.

The workflow is simple: generate vouchers in ISPbills → print or distribute digitally → user enters code on captive portal → RADIUS validates and starts the session → session expires when time runs out.

# Manual voucher creation (ISPbills automates this via RADIUS)
/ip hotspot user
add name=VOUCHER-A1B2C3 password=VOUCHER-A1B2C3 profile=hourly-pass     comment="1hr pass - generated 2026-04-14"
add name=VOUCHER-D4E5F6 password=VOUCHER-D4E5F6 profile=daily-pass     comment="24hr pass - generated 2026-04-14"

How ISPbills Automates Hotspot Billing

ISPbills provides a complete hotspot management solution:

• Bulk voucher generation — create thousands of vouchers with custom prefixes, profiles, and expiry dates
• Online payment — subscribers can buy access directly through the captive portal with bKash, Nagad, or card payment
• Usage tracking — real-time session monitoring with bandwidth graphs per hotspot zone
• Revenue reporting — track revenue by zone, voucher type, and time period
• Multi-site management — manage hotspot zones across multiple locations from one dashboard