Preparing a MikroTik router for billing starts with understanding what already works. Before adding a Hotspot portal or connecting PPPoE subscribers, you need a recovery copy, working internet connectivity and a reliable management connection.
For a Kenyan operator serving an apartment block, neighbourhood network or paid Wi-Fi site, these preparations help separate upstream internet problems from account, portal and billing problems. This guide covers CENTRANET onboarding preparation, reset precautions and the first customer test. Start with a designated test router whenever possible.
1. Choose your service and confirm the setup path
Hotspot provides a captive portal where customers authenticate before accessing the network. PPPoE establishes authenticated subscriber sessions, commonly from a customer router. MikroTik supports both PPPoE client and server roles: your provider’s upstream PPPoE connection is separate from the PPPoE service you offer subscribers. MikroTik: PPPoE
Write down whether you need Hotspot, PPPoE or both. Identify the router model, RouterOS version, upstream connection and customer-facing ports. Include switches, access points and VLANs, which separate traffic into logical networks.
CENTRANET’s automatic-setup screen specifies RouterOS 7.20 or newer, a clean reset with no previous configuration, internet connectivity and a connected management cable. Its provisioning guide also describes retaining selected settings and monitoring an existing setup. For an operating network, confirm the migration workflow with support before erasing anything. A retention option should not be interpreted as permission to skip your selected workflow’s prerequisites.
Use the CENTRANET provisioning guide alongside onboarding. Meeting the software requirement does not establish that a router has enough capacity for your intended workload.
2. Back up before upgrading or resetting
Create a password-protected, encrypted RouterOS binary backup and download it to protected storage away from the router. Record the model, RouterOS version and backup date. Check that the downloaded file exists and that its password is securely available.
MikroTik describes binary backups as a recovery method for the same device and recommends restoring on the same RouterOS version. They contain sensitive configuration and device MAC addresses. The Dude and User Manager require separate backup mechanisms when installed. MikroTik: Backup
Also save a readable configuration export for reviewing the network layout. It does not replace a binary backup: system user passwords, installed certificates and SSH keys are among the excluded items. Sensitive values are hidden by default. MikroTik: Configuration Management
Keep upstream connection details, VLAN assignments and recovery instructions accessible to the authorised technician. Never post backups, subscriber credentials or enrollment commands publicly.
For a working site, agree on a maintenance window and rollback decision. Decide who can restore service and when troubleshooting should stop. A backup created during provisioning cannot recover settings erased before enrollment.
3. Understand the clean-reset precautions
A factory reset and an empty configuration are different starting points. A normal RouterOS configuration reset reloads defaults; no-defaults=yes requests a reset without loading them. The skip-backup=yes option suppresses the automatic pre-reset backup. Devices installed with a custom Netinstall initial script can have additional reset behaviour, so confirm their history. MikroTik: Configuration Management
A reset can remove addresses, routes, firewall rules and management settings. Treat it as a service interruption. Do not perform it remotely through the only connection you are about to erase.
Prepare a local technician, a cabled computer and a documented recovery method. For a physical reset button, consult the exact device’s instructions; button timing should not be guessed.
After an empty reset, establish protected management access and the minimum upstream configuration needed for enrollment. Put appropriate firewall protection in place before exposing the router to the internet. Connecting the provider’s cable alone does not restore the erased configuration. Keep customer connections out of service until setup is ready.
For existing subscribers, confirm what happens to accounts, profiles and address pools. Deleting a CENTRANET registration does not reset the physical router or remove its previous settings.
4. Prove that the router has internet connectivity
Identify how your provider delivers service: DHCP, static addressing or PPPoE. Obtain settings through an authorised channel. Record any required WAN VLAN; do not assume the provider uses an untagged Ethernet connection.
Check connectivity in stages: physical link, expected WAN address or PPPoE session, default route, public IP reachability and DNS resolution. DNS translates names into IP addresses. MikroTik’s initial-configuration guide distinguishes IP connectivity tests from name-resolution checks. MikroTik: First Time Configuration
CENTRANET requires the router itself to reach the internet over HTTPS. A laptop browsing through another connection does not prove this works. Use the enrollment workflow to check the router’s connection, and investigate reported routing, DNS or HTTPS errors before proceeding.
Standard CENTRANET enrollment communicates outbound and does not require opening public router management ports. Successful enrollment does not establish that interactive remote management is available.
Keep two tests separate: the router reaching CENTRANET, and a subscriber reaching the internet. Record which one succeeded so troubleshooting addresses the actual problem.
5. Preserve management access throughout setup
Label the management cable and record its router port. Identify your management IP address and authorised account. Confirm you can disconnect and reconnect through that path before configuring customer services.
During local preparation, WinBox can connect using a MAC address where network connectivity and router settings permit it. Do not assume this works through routed networks or after every change. MikroTik describes neighbour discovery and MAC-based connection when IP access is unavailable. MikroTik: First Time Configuration
Use a strong, unique administrator password and isolate management from customer traffic. MikroTik recommends keeping management services off the public internet, using a VPN for remote access and disabling MAC management services in production. Test your intended management route before removing a temporary recovery method. MikroTik: Securing your router
CENTRANET’s provisioning guide identifies internet and management connections as protected during customer-port assignment. Review the discovered layout carefully, especially with shared switches. Match your notes to physical cables and RouterOS interfaces; investigate ambiguous assignments before continuing.
6. Prepare customer addressing and authentication
For Hotspot, plan the customer interface, IPv4 subnet, address pool, DNS service and portal identity. MikroTik documents an IPv4 dependency for reliable Hotspot operation and warns that device-mode settings can block the feature. Check these before treating a portal failure as a billing problem. MikroTik: HotSpot - Captive portal
If you use multiple internet links, arrange a routing review. MikroTik documents Hotspot limitations involving the default routing table and PCC, a method used in some load-balancing configurations. An existing multi-WAN design may need changes before supporting a captive portal. MikroTik: HotSpot - Captive portal
For PPPoE, prepare the subscriber-facing interface, address pool, PPP profile and authentication arrangement. MikroTik’s server example demonstrates these components. Use a reviewed address plan rather than copying example ranges into an operating network. MikroTik: PPPoE
If another billing platform or RADIUS authentication server manages accounts, establish which system will control credentials and service policies after migration. Avoid conflicting changes from two systems. Prepare one test account per service and exclude real customer records from screenshots and support examples.
7. Practical preparation checklist
Before generating the enrollment command, confirm:
- Router model and RouterOS version are recorded; automatic setup requires 7.20+.
- The selected setup or migration workflow is understood.
- An encrypted backup is downloaded and its password securely available.
- A readable export and upstream settings are retained privately.
- Any reset has a maintenance window and local recovery plan.
- WAN, management and customer cables are labelled.
- Router IP connectivity, DNS and outbound HTTPS work.
- Management access is tested and protected from customer traffic.
- Hotspot or PPPoE interfaces and address pools are planned.
- Existing authentication dependencies have been reviewed.
- Test devices, accounts and acceptance checks are ready.
Keep this checklist with the site’s private handover notes. Mark unresolved items clearly so another technician can see what still needs attention.
8. Enroll, test and plan the next step
Generate the registration-specific command in CENTRANET’s Router fleet workflow and review it before running it in MikroTik Terminal. Keep it private. Follow discovery, configuration and verification states; a completed terminal command is only part of onboarding.
Test from an actual customer connection. For Hotspot, check portal access, authentication, DNS and browsing. For PPPoE, establish a test session, inspect the assigned address and test browsing. Test expiry, suspension and reconnection separately through the agreed workflow.
For paid access, confirm payment-provider setup before an agreed test transaction. Check the payment record, router account-installation acknowledgement and customer browsing separately. Payment confirmation alone does not demonstrate delivered connectivity.
Ready to prepare your site? Contact CENTRANET with your router model, RouterOS version, upstream connection type and whether you need Hotspot, PPPoE or both. Ask to confirm the reset or migration path before changing a live router. Leave passwords and customer records out of the enquiry.