MikroTik

We have need using MT hotspot for years and as the years have passed our clients per hotspot gateway have grown along with the traffic and speeds. We started using the RB750G and RB450G but we have found they can't handle the speed and traffic flow we are seeing. It seems they cut the bandwidth in half. If we have an 80mbps pipe at a location that uses a 750g or 450g all it can deliver to the customers is 40mbps.

If anyone here has first hand knowledge of hotspot setups please clue me in.
Do I need to build a PC based system or should I give the RB800 or RB1100 a try?

I have run 1,800 active users (30 min timeouts) with 500 PCQ sub-queues open at ~100Mbps on an RB1100. It ran at 85-90% CPU. The most important step is to use PCQ instead of simple queues, and to bypass the Hotspot servlets for authenticated traffic - that will also extend the life of your 450Gs and 750Gs.

x86 based systems will perform even better.

Fewi

How do you authenticate your users instead using Hotspot Servlets? I have a x86 based solution, but my performance is not the best, how can you manage all of this users in a single box?
Could you share us some information about your experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

Depends on what I need on a router. Sometimes local user accounts that the end users don't even see (they get automatically submitted on page load via meta refreshes or JavaScript and the only purpose of the hotspot is to provide an initial splash page and redirect to display a sponsor), sometimes RADIUS at two central locations on each coast.

The vast majority of our Hotspot users don't pay directly, they are on sponsored products. The ad hoc pay users we have all sign up via the centralized server that the Hotspot routers redirect to. The server runs a custom PHP framework that processes payments and shoves user accounts into SQL databases. The databases synchronize between the two coasts, and the two RADIUS servers use them as back ends to authenticate users. Other higher end accounts are inserted into the databases via a different order application our customer service department runs, that application is also developed in house.

Fewi that sound like a nice setup.
Id like to hear more about it.

What do you want to hear about?
A lot of it is proprietary software developed in house.

Well I'd its difficult to say, but I'd like to hear how you've setup your system. Your one of the most active and helpful people on this forum. It would be good to see how you've managed to combine everything and listen to what you've done (you've mentioned on this forum in little snippets).