Group Admin FAQ

This FAQ covers the most common questions for Group Admin users — the top-level ISP operator role in ISPbills. As a Group Admin, you manage your entire ISP tenant: operators, resellers, routers, packages, billing, payments, monitoring, and settings. Use the table of contents on the right to jump to a specific topic.

Getting Started

What is the Group Admin role and what can I do with it?

The Group Admin is the highest-level operator role within an ISP tenant. You have full control over your entire ISP operation — including creating operators and sub-operators, managing routers and network infrastructure, defining packages and billing profiles, handling customer accounts, configuring payment gateways, setting up SMS and WhatsApp notifications, and accessing all reports and accounting features. Think of it as owning the ISP within the ISPbills platform.

What should I do first after logging in as a Group Admin?

Start with these essential steps:

1. Go to Settings → ISP Setup and fill in your ISP name, logo, address, and contact details.
2. Add your first router under Network → Router.
3. Create IP pools and PPP profiles under Network → IPv4 Pool and Network → PPP Profiles.
4. Define at least one Master Package and one Billing Profile under the Network menu.
5. Add an operator or start adding customers directly.

How do I access the Group Admin dashboard?

After logging in, you are taken to the Dashboards → Overview automatically. It displays business metrics such as total customers, active vs. suspended counts, revenue summaries, and recent activity. From the Dashboards menu you can also open the Business, Finance, and Network Health dashboards for revenue, growth, and real-time network analytics.

Can I switch to an operator’s view to see what they see?

Yes. Open the Operator menu, find the operator, open its row actions (the 3-dot menu), and click Panel Access. This lets you switch into the operator’s panel to see exactly what they see, without needing their login credentials. Use the exit/stop-impersonation control in the top bar to return to your own panel.

How do I update my ISP company profile and branding?

Go to Settings → ISP Setup (requires the editCompany permission, which Group Admins have by default). Here you can update your ISP name, logo, address, phone number, and other business details. These details appear on invoices, the customer portal, and SMS notifications.

Operators & Resellers

How do I add a new operator (reseller)?

Open the Operator menu and click New Operator. Fill in the operator’s name, mobile number, email, and login credentials. After creation, use the operator’s row actions to assign Packages and Billing Profiles so they can start adding customers. You can also set a Credit Limit to control how much they can bill before settling.

What is the difference between an operator, sub-operator, and manager?

Role	Created by	Purpose
Operator	Group Admin	Regional reseller who manages their own customers, sub-operators, and managers
Sub-Operator	Group Admin or Operator	Assistant operator with limited customer management capabilities
Manager	Group Admin or Operator	Staff member with permission-gated access to specific functions like receiving payments or creating customers
NOC User	Group Admin	Network operations technician with permission-gated access to infrastructure monitoring and device management — no financial data access

How do I control what an operator can access?

Use the Permissions and Packages row actions together. Open the Operator menu, select the operator’s 3-dot actions, and click Permissions to enable or disable specific panel sections. Use Packages to choose which packages the operator is allowed to sell. You can also assign specific Billing Profiles to restrict billing options.

How do I set a credit limit for an operator?

Open the Operator menu, open the operator’s 3-dot row actions, and select Credit Limit. Set the maximum amount the operator can accumulate in unpaid customer bills. Once the limit is reached, the operator cannot create new customers or process new bills until they settle their balance.

How do I add balance to an operator’s account?

Open the Operator menu, open the operator’s 3-dot row actions, and click Add Fund. Enter the amount and a reference note. This balance is used when the operator’s customers make payments that are processed through the operator’s account.

What is a NOC user and how do I create one?

A NOC user (Network Operations Center) is a network operations technician who can monitor infrastructure, manage routers/OLTs/IP pools, search and troubleshoot customer connections, and use the iPilot AI device terminal — all without any access to billing, payments, or financial data.

To create a NOC user:

1. Go to Staff → NOC in your sidebar.
2. Click New NOC User.
3. Fill in the name, mobile, email, and password.
4. Select the desired permissions from the available options.
5. Click Submit.

See NOC Role and NOC Panel for full details.

What is the difference between a Manager and a NOC user?

Aspect	Manager	NOC User
Primary focus	Customer operations and billing	Network infrastructure and monitoring
Financial data	Has access (permission-based)	No access at all — strict financial isolation
Network devices	No access	Routers, OLTs, IP pools, switches (permission-based)
Customer operations	Create, edit, activate, suspend	Search and disconnect only
Panel	Uses main admin panel	Has its own dedicated NOC Panel at /admin/noc/
iPilot AI	No access	AI-assisted device terminal access to network devices

Routers & Network

How do I add a MikroTik router to ISPbills?

1. Go to Network → Router and click Add Router.
2. Enter the router’s IP address (public or VPN IP), API port (default 8728), API username, and API password.
3. Click Test Connection to verify ISPbills can communicate with the router via the MikroTik API.
4. Click Save. The router will now appear in your router list with its connection status.

My router is behind NAT — how do I connect it?

If your router does not have a public IP, you need a VPN account. Go to Network → VPN Accounts and create a VPN tunnel. ISPbills will provision a secure connection between the platform and your router. Once the VPN is active, use the VPN-assigned IP address as the router’s IP in ISPbills.

How do I create and manage PPPoE profiles?

Go to Network → PPP Profiles and click Create. Each profile defines the bandwidth limits and IP allocation settings for a group of customers. Link the profile to an IPv4 Pool (and optionally an IPv6 Pool), then associate it with one or more packages. You can also bulk upload profiles using the Upload PPP Profiles option.

How do I set up IPv4 and IPv6 address pools?

Go to Network → IPv4 Pool (or IPv6 Pool) and click Create. Enter the pool name and subnet range. Assign each pool to a PPPoE profile so that customers connecting through that profile receive IPs from the correct pool. Note that protected pools (such as the suspended users pool) cannot be deleted or renamed.

Can I monitor my MikroTik routers in real time?

Yes. Go to Network → MikroTik Monitor, select a router, and click Live Status. This shows real-time CPU usage, RAM consumption, uptime, active PPP sessions, interface traffic, and IP pool utilisation. You can also view Router Logs and configure Netwatch alerts for each router from the router’s settings page.

Packages & Billing Profiles

How do I create a master package?

Go to Network → Master Packages and click Create. Set the package name, bandwidth speed (upload/download), price, and validity period. Master packages are templates that you assign to operators — each operator can then sell the package to their customers. Only the Group Admin can create, edit, or delete master packages.

What is the difference between a master package and an operator package?

A Master Package is created by the Group Admin and defines the speed, price, and terms. When you assign a master package to an operator, it becomes an Operator Package — the operator can sell it to customers but cannot change the speed or core settings. The Group Admin can set different operator prices to control the reseller margin.

How do I create a billing profile?

Go to Network → Billing Profile and click Create. Configure the billing due date (day of the month), grace period (days before auto-suspension), and enable or disable auto-billing. You can create multiple billing profiles for different billing cycles (e.g., 1st of month, 15th of month). Assign profiles to operators and customers as needed.

What is a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) and how do I configure it?

A Fair Usage Policy limits the amount of data a customer can use within a billing cycle. Go to Network → Master Packages, select a package, and click Fair Usage Policy. Set the data limit (in GB). When a customer exceeds the limit, their status changes to FUP, their speed is reduced to the FUP tier, and they may be moved to a different IP pool. Speed resets at the start of the next billing cycle.

Can I set custom pricing for individual customers?

Yes. Go to the customer’s profile and click Custom Pricing. This overrides the standard package price for that specific customer. Custom pricing is useful for special deals, corporate customers, or promotional offers. The custom price is used in all subsequent bill calculations for that customer.

Customer Management

How do I add a new customer?

Go to Customers → All Customers and click New Customer. Fill in the customer’s name, mobile number, address, and connection details. Select a connection type (PPPoE, Hotspot, Static IP, or Other), assign a package and billing profile, and set login credentials. Upon saving, ISPbills automatically creates the necessary RADIUS entries and generates the first bill (if billing is enabled).

How do I bulk import customers from a spreadsheet?

Open Customers → Import XL and upload an .xlsx workbook. Map its columns (username is required); the importer also recognises password, name, mobile, package, billing profile, expiry date, address, status, IP pool, and PPP profile fields. Review the rows, resolve unmatched package or billing-profile values by skipping, mapping, or creating them, then confirm and check the result. Imported records are PPPoE customers; when no billing profile is mapped, the importer uses Monthly.

How do I define custom fields for customer profiles?

Go to Customers → Custom Fields and click Create. Define the field name, type (text, number, dropdown, etc.), and whether it is mandatory. Custom fields appear on the customer creation and edit forms.

What are the customer statuses and what do they mean?

Status	Meaning
Active	Customer has internet access and is in good standing
Suspended	Service is temporarily paused, usually due to unpaid bills or manual action
Disabled	Service is permanently turned off until manually restored
FUP	Customer exceeded their Fair Usage Policy data limit; speed is reduced

You can change a customer’s status manually from their profile, or let auto-suspension handle overdue accounts automatically.

How do I perform bulk operations on multiple customers?

Bulk operations have separate workflows. For customer information, download edit_customer_info.xlsx, leave its header and id/username columns unchanged, edit the supported identity/contact/address/type columns, and upload it; there is no preview. For MAC binding, open Customers → Online, select live sessions, and apply MAC Bind so each session’s Calling-Station-ID is used. Package, status, and billing-profile changes are not fields in the customer-information workbook.

Billing & Invoicing

How does automatic bill generation work?

ISPbills generates bills automatically based on each customer’s billing profile. When auto-billing is enabled, the system creates a bill on the configured billing due date each month. The bill amount is calculated from the customer’s package price, any applicable VAT, and discounts. Customers whose payment status becomes billed are subject to auto-suspension after the grace period expires.

What billing types are available?

Type	Description
Monthly	Standard monthly billing — bills generated on the billing due date each month
Daily	Per-day billing — balance is deducted daily from the customer’s prepaid balance
Free	No billing — customer has free service with no bill generation

Set the billing type when creating the customer or through their billing profile.

How do I handle advance payments from customers?

Go to the customer’s profile and click Advance Payment. Record the advance amount — it is stored as a credit balance on the customer’s account. When the next bill is generated, the system automatically deducts from the advance balance first. If the advance covers the full bill, the customer’s payment is marked as paid without any manual action.

How do I configure VAT on customer bills?

Go to VAT → VAT Profiles and create a VAT profile with the applicable tax rate. Once enabled, VAT is automatically calculated and added to each customer’s bill amount. You can track all VAT collections under VAT → VAT Collection for regulatory reporting purposes.

How do I manage bills in bulk?

Go to Billing → Customer Billing and open the bulk-bills workspace. Filter by operator or billing profile, then select the bills you want to process. You can mark multiple bills as paid in one action using the Bulk Bill Paid feature, which is useful when reconciling offline payments at the end of the day.

Payments

How do I set up online payment gateways for my customers?

Go to Settings → Payment Gateway, select a supported gateway (bKash, Nagad, SSLCommerz, Razorpay, ShurjoPay, Aamarpay, EasyPayWay, WalletMix, and more), enter your API credentials from the gateway provider, and toggle it Active. Once enabled, customers can pay their bills through the gateway on the Customer Portal.

How do I verify pending online payments?

Go to Billing → Payments and open the Verify Payments view. This page shows all pending transactions from online payment gateways. The system automatically rechecks pending payments every 30 minutes. You can also manually verify a payment by clicking Verify next to the transaction — ISPbills will query the gateway API to confirm the payment status.

How do I send payment links to customers?

You have two options:

• Individual: Go to the customer’s profile and click Send Payment Link to send a unique payment link via SMS or WhatsApp.
• Broadcast: Go to SMS & WhatsApp → Link Broadcast to send payment links to multiple customers at once. You can optionally scope recipients by billing profile to target the right customers.

What payment methods can operators use to collect payments?

Operators can collect payments through Cash (manually recorded in the panel), Online Gateways (customer self-service via the portal), Recharge Cards (PIN-based prepaid cards), and Advance Payments (credit balance applied to future bills). All payment records are tracked under Billing → Payments with full audit history.

SMS & Notifications

How do I configure SMS notifications?

Go to Settings → Messaging Gateways and enter your SMS provider credentials. Then go to SMS & WhatsApp → Event Messages to enable automatic messages for billing events such as bill generation, payment received, account suspended, and account expired. Customise each message template using placeholders like customer name, amount, and due date.

Can I send bulk SMS to customers?

Yes. Go to SMS & WhatsApp → Broadcast and start a new broadcast. Filter recipients by connection type (PPP, Hotspot, Static IP), customer status (active, suspended, disabled), and optionally payment status (billed, paid). Compose your message, preview the recipient count, and send. ISPbills processes the broadcast as a background job so you can continue working while messages are delivered.

How do I set up WhatsApp notifications?

Go to Settings → Messaging Gateways and configure your WhatsApp API provider (Meta Cloud API, Twilio, or 360dialog). Then go to SMS & WhatsApp → Event Messages to enable automated WhatsApp messages for billing events. You can also use SMS & WhatsApp → Broadcast (switched to WhatsApp) to send bulk messages to filtered customer groups.

How do I configure due date reminders and expiration alerts?

Go to SMS & WhatsApp → Due Notifier to create reminder rules that automatically notify customers before their bill is due. Set how many days before the due date to send the reminder. For prepaid customers, go to SMS & WhatsApp → Expiry Notifier to alert customers before their package validity expires. Both features work via SMS and WhatsApp.

Monitoring

How do I set up Zabbix monitoring in ISPbills?

Go to Integration → Zabbix Servers and click Add Server. Enter your Zabbix server’s URL and API credentials. Once connected, ISPbills pulls host data, problems, and alerts from Zabbix. Go to Integration → Zabbix to view real-time monitoring data for all devices registered in your Zabbix server.

How do I monitor OLT and ONU devices?

Go to Network → OLT to add your Optical Line Terminals. Once added, you can view Live Status, Running Config, and open Telnet Sessions directly from the panel. Go to Network → ONU List to view, map, and unmap Optical Network Units. Use ONU Sync to pull the latest ONU data from your OLT automatically.

What is the Network Topology Map?

The Topology Map (under Network → Topology) provides a visual diagram of your entire network infrastructure. It displays routers, OLTs, switches, and their interconnections as nodes and links. This helps your NOC team quickly identify the physical and logical layout of the network when troubleshooting issues.

How do I set up DDoS Protection?

Open DDoS Protection and follow the six setup steps: complete the network profile, declare your authorised public prefixes, add a telemetry source, configure BPS/PPS/FPS detection policies, review response controls, and activate monitoring. The workspace supports sFlow, NetFlow v5/v9, IPFIX, SPAN, and cloud flow logs as telemetry inputs. Activation starts baseline learning and detection only; it does not scrub traffic or execute a response connector. See DDoS Protection for the full workflow.

Accounting & Reports

How does the accounting system work in ISPbills?

ISPbills includes a built-in accounting module driven by per-operator cash balances. Go to Billing → Accounts & Reports to view Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Every customer payment, expense, and operator transaction is recorded automatically. Use Billing → Ledger & Journal for detailed debit/credit records, and generate account statements as needed.

How do I track income vs. expenses?

Go to Billing → Income & Expenses for a visual overview of your ISP’s financial health, including the Income vs. Expense report that compares total income (customer payments, operator settlements) against total expenses. The same menu provides daily and monthly income summaries by date range, and lets you manage Expenses with categories and subcategories.

How do I generate regulatory reports (e.g., BTRC)?

Go to Customers → BTRC to generate reports required by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. The report pulls customer data, connection statistics, and financial summaries in the format required for regulatory submission. Export the report as needed for your compliance filings.

Settings & Security

How do I enable two-factor authentication for my account?

Go to Settings → Account Security. Scan the QR code with an authenticator app (such as Google Authenticator or Authy) and enter the verification code to confirm. Once enabled, you will need to enter a code from your authenticator app each time you log in. The same Account Security page also lets you set up WebAuthn/Biometric Login for passwordless authentication.

How do I manage API access and webhooks?

Go to Integration → API to create API client credentials for external integrations. Each client receives an API key and secret for authenticating requests, and the same area lets you configure webhook endpoints that receive real-time event notifications (e.g., payment received, customer created). API clients and webhooks are ownership-scoped, meaning you can only manage your own.

How do I configure automated backups and notification preferences?

Go to Network → Customer Backup to configure automated customer/database backups with your preferred schedule and storage location. For notification preferences, go to Settings → Notifications to control which events trigger email, SMS, or in-app alerts. You can also customise the Suspension Portal (walled garden) from a router’s Network → MikroTik Monitor page to control what suspended customers see when they try to browse.