Maintaining and Troubleshooting a MikroTik Hotspot: Logs, Debugging, and Best Practices Print

Hey there! It’s Emmanuel Corels again from Emmanuel Corels Creatives, and we’re about to cap off our MikroTik Hotspot series by focusing on maintenance and troubleshooting. Sure, setting up and customizing a captive portal is fun, but what happens when something goes sideways? Let’s dive into monitoring logs, diagnosing login hiccups, and keeping your Hotspot running like a well-oiled machine.

Getting Friendly with the Logs

MikroTik Hotspot has a lot going on behind the scenes—redirecting traffic, authenticating users, updating RADIUS. One of your best friends when issues pop up is System → Logging.

• Hotspot Logging: If you don’t see any “hotspot” topics in the logging rules, add one:

  /system logging add topics=hotspot action=memory
  

  This way, you can see events like user login attempts, rejections, or address assignments in real time.

• RADIUS Logging: If you’re using an external RADIUS or User Manager, add radius or accounting topics so you can watch the handshake.

  /system logging add topics=radius action=memory
  

  This helps confirm whether the router is actually sending requests and receiving replies.

• Viewing Logs: Check them under Log in WinBox, or use the CLI command /log print. You can also configure a remote syslog server if you want centralized logging.

Common Issues and How to Spot Them

1. Users Not Seeing the Login Page

   • Usually a DNS problem: Make sure the client is using the router’s DNS or that any DNS requests route through the Hotspot interface. If they have a static DNS outside, the captive portal might never trigger.
   • Confirm your Hotspot interface and IP pool are correct under IP → Hotspot → Servers and IP → Hotspot → IP Bindings.

2. SSL Certificate Warnings

   • If you’re using HTTPS without a valid certificate, browsers may scream “insecure.” Import a valid cert into System → Certificates and assign it to your Hotspot server profile.
   • Check logs for references to “ssl” or “tls” errors if users complain they can’t connect or see weird warnings.

3. RADIUS Authentication Failures

   • Look for radius,debug or hotspot,debug logs. They might say “no valid reply received” or “reject”. Could be a shared secret mismatch, firewall block, or an incorrect RADIUS IP in IP → RADIUS.
   • Try /ping <radius-server-ip> from the MikroTik to ensure connectivity.

4. Low Performance or High CPU Usage

   • A large number of concurrent users or heavy usage of dynamic pages might strain your router’s CPU. Check System → Resources.
   • Offloading authentication to an external RADIUS or scaling to a faster MikroTik model (or a CHR in the cloud) might help if you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of users.

5. Users Get Disconnected Prematurely

   • Look at idle-timeout or session-timeout in IP → Hotspot → Server Profiles or in user profiles. Maybe the time limit is too short.
   • If the device sleeps or roams to another AP, the session could drop unless you enable features like “keepalive timeout” or tweak your bridge settings for seamless transitions.

IP Bindings and Bypassing Devices

Sometimes you want certain devices—like printers, payment terminals, or staff PCs—to bypass the captive portal altogether. That’s where IP Bindings come in (under IP → Hotspot → IP Bindings).

• Type: bypass
  • This tells the Hotspot not to redirect traffic for that IP/MAC. Handy for servers or management laptops.
• Type: blocked
  • If you suspect a rogue device, you can force it to be blocked at the hotspot level.

Be sure these IPs aren’t also assigned to regular hotspot users, or you’ll have overlapping issues.

Advanced Debugging with Torch and Packet Sniffing

If logs don’t reveal the culprit, you can dig deeper using Tools → Torch or Packet Sniffer.

• Torch: Lets you see traffic per interface, including source/destination addresses, protocols, and ports in real time. If traffic never hits your Hotspot interface, you know it’s a routing or interface assignment problem.
• Packet Sniffer: Captures packets for offline analysis in Wireshark if you need an even more detailed look. You might filter by port 80/443 or by a certain user’s IP to see if the login attempts are getting redirected.

Keeping It Fresh: Updates and Backups

1. RouterOS Updates

   • Hotspot features evolve, security patches come out—so keep your MikroTik firmware up-to-date. In WinBox, head to System → Packages → Check for Updates.
   • Check the release notes for any changes to hotspot packages. Sometimes a new feature or bug fix can solve tricky problems.

2. Regular Backups

   • After you’ve spent hours perfecting your captive portal, be sure to back up! Go to Files → Backup. Save that file off the router.
   • A quick restore can be a lifesaver if you accidentally break something or need to replicate the setup on a new device.

Security Checkpoints

1. Limit Access to the Router

   • If the Hotspot is on a public network, consider restricting WinBox or SSH access to admin subnets only.
   • In IP → Services, disable or re-map ports for Telnet, FTP, or anything you don’t use.

2. Firewall Hardening

   • The Hotspot wizard creates firewall rules automatically, but you can refine them if needed.
   • Make sure you block inbound connections from the internet on unnecessary ports (like DNS if you’re not providing public DNS, or remote WinBox if you don’t need it).

3. Brute Force Protection

   • Keep an eye on login attempts. If you see suspicious repeated logins for random users, a malicious user might be brute-forcing accounts. You can set up scripts or firewall rules to detect and block too many failed attempts.

Proactive Maintenance

• Monitor Active Users: Under IP → Hotspot → Active. If you see suspicious or unknown user entries, investigate.
• Check RADIUS / User Manager: If you’re using an external system, log in periodically to see user usage, payments, or expiration.
• Test the Captive Portal Yourself: Every so often, connect as a brand-new user, see if the login page loads quickly, and confirm that your disclaimers, brand images, or any redirect links still work.

Bringing It All Together

Running a Hotspot isn’t just about the initial setup—it’s about ongoing care to ensure users have a smooth experience and you maintain security. By leveraging logs, IP bindings, advanced debugging, and a healthy dose of updates and backups, you’ll keep your MikroTik Hotspot humming along, ready to greet guests with a friendly login page.

If you ever feel stuck or see something weird in the logs, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re all learning every day, and the MikroTik community is famously helpful. Meanwhile, keep exploring your router’s capabilities—there’s always a new corner to discover or an advanced tweak to try. Happy Hotspotting!

Authored with care by
Emmanuel Corels – Admin, Emmanuel Corels Creatives