Hotspot Billing

Learn how to set up and manage hotspot billing with vouchers, mobile money, and captive portals.

Overview

LALABill hotspot billing enables you to monetize your WiFi network by selling internet access through prepaid vouchers and mobile money payments. When a customer redeems a voucher or pays via mobile money, they are automatically provisioned on your MikroTik hotspot with the speed and data limits defined in their package.

What problem does it solve?

Without automated hotspot billing, ISP operators manually create MikroTik hotspot users, track payments in spreadsheets, and struggle to enforce bandwidth limits. This leads to revenue leakage, inconsistent service quality, and operational overhead that limits growth.

How it works

LALABill connects to your MikroTik router via WireGuard VPN. When a customer redeems a voucher on the captive portal, LALABill verifies the code, creates a hotspot user profile on the MikroTik with the correct speed and data limits, and starts the session timer. When the session expires or data cap is reached, the user is automatically disconnected.

Requirements

• A MikroTik router running RouterOS 7.x or later
• WireGuard support on the router (built into RouterOS 7+)
• Internet connectivity on the router for the VPN tunnel
• A LALABill account with an active subscription

Step-by-step setup

1. Register your account

   Create a LALABill account at lalabill.com/signup. Choose your business name, currency, and subdomain.

2. Add your MikroTik router

   Go to NAS Devices and click Add Device. Enter your router details and generate the onboarding script.

3. Run the onboarding script

   Paste the generated script into your MikroTik terminal. It configures WireGuard and connects to LALABill automatically.

4. Create packages

   Go to Packages and create your internet plans. Set speed limits, data caps, duration, and pricing for each package.

5. Generate vouchers

   Go to Vouchers and generate batches of voucher codes linked to your packages. Print them or distribute to agents.

6. Set up captive portal

   Choose a portal theme, customize with your branding, and deploy it to your MikroTik router with one click.

Configuration guide

Package settings

Each package defines the speed (upload/download), data cap, duration, and price for a hotspot session. You can create unlimited packages for different customer segments.

Voucher settings

Configure voucher code length, prefix, batch size, and expiry rules. Vouchers can be single-use or multi-use, and their timer starts on first redemption.

Captive portal

Select from 12 professional themes. Customize your logo, business name, and colors. The portal supports voucher login, mobile money payment, and auto-login for returning users.

Use cases

• Community WiFi — Sell prepaid WiFi vouchers in residential neighborhoods through agent networks.
• Cafe hotspot — Offer time-based WiFi access to customers with a branded captive portal.
• Campus network — Manage student internet access with semester or monthly voucher plans.

Benefits

Troubleshooting

Voucher not working on captive portal

Verify the voucher exists and has not been redeemed. Check that the MikroTik hotspot server is running and the captive portal is deployed. Ensure the WireGuard tunnel is active (device shows Online in LALABill).

Customer connected but no internet

Check that NAT masquerade is configured on the MikroTik WAN interface. Verify DNS settings on the hotspot network. Confirm the customer's speed profile allows traffic.

Captive portal not showing

Ensure MikroTik hotspot is enabled on the correct interface. The captive portal files must be uploaded to the router (use the 'Set up captive portal' button in LALABill).

Frequently asked questions

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