What you need before you start
- A MikroTik router running RouterOS 6.x or 7.x, with its hotspot server, IP pool and DHCP already configured on the LAN side
- A working internet connection feeding the router
- Winbox (or SSH access) to configure the router directly
The manual way — what's actually involved
A rough overview of the steps a MikroTik hotspot billing setup requires without automation:
- Create a hotspot user profile with a time or data limit (e.g. 24-hour, 1GB) for each plan you want to sell
- Generate individual voucher codes (username/password pairs) for each plan, one at a time or in a batch
- Print or hand-write vouchers to sell at a counter
- Manually track which vouchers have been sold and for how much — usually in a notebook or spreadsheet
- Set up a walled garden so unpaid users can at least reach a payment or information page
- If you want mobile money payments, build a way to accept M-Pesa/Tigo Pesa/Airtel Money and connect it to MikroTik's API to create hotspot users automatically — this is custom software, not a MikroTik feature
- Handle expiry carefully — deciding whether a customer's time should pause when they disconnect or run out on a fixed schedule
Where manual setups usually run into trouble
Manual MikroTik billing
- No mobile money integration out of the box
- Vouchers tracked by hand — errors and disputes
- No revenue dashboard or reporting
- Custom scripting needed for automatic expiry
- One person needs to understand the whole setup
Automated (UpesiLipa)
- M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money, Halopesa built in
- Vouchers generated and tracked automatically
- Live revenue dashboard, per-site breakdown
- Fixed-deadline expiry handled automatically
- Cloud dashboard — no one person is a single point of failure
The easier way: MikroTik billing with UpesiLipa
UpesiLipa connects directly to the MikroTik router you already have — no replacing hardware — and handles everything in the list above automatically: creating hotspot users the moment a customer pays by mobile money, printing/generating vouchers for cash customers, tracking every sale, and expiring access on a fixed schedule tied to each customer's first login.
If you're already running a manual MikroTik hotspot, UpesiNet's technical team migrates your existing configuration, customers and voucher batches over for free.
Already have a MikroTik router?
Tell us your setup and we'll walk you through what switching to automated billing looks like for your specific router and location.
Ask About UpesiLipa on WhatsAppFrequently asked questions
Does this work with RouterOS 6 or 7?
Both — though RouterOS 7.x is recommended for better performance and WireGuard tunnel support.
Do I need to replace my existing MikroTik router?
No. UpesiLipa connects to the MikroTik you already have — there's no need to buy new hardware in most cases.
Can I migrate my existing manual vouchers?
Yes — UpesiNet's technical team migrates existing configurations, customers and voucher batches free of charge when you switch to UpesiLipa.