Step 1: Creating Your PrimeLink ISP Account & Setting Up Your Business Portal
Before managing any internet clients, routers, or payments, you need to establish your official PrimeLink tenant account. This gives you a dedicated management URL (yourisp.primelinkisp.com) where all your business operations securely live.
1. Register Your Portal
Visit auth.primelinkisp.com/register, enter your company name, email address, phone number, and choose your custom ISP subdomain prefix.
2. Verify & Log In
Confirm your email address through the verification link sent to your inbox, then log into your new administrative dashboard for the first time.
3. Configure Business Profile
Sidebar Navigation: Click on in your dashboard sidebar to upload your logo and set KES currency.
Step 2: Selecting Compatible Hardware & Linking Your MikroTik Gateway
Your router is the brain of your network. It enforces client speeds, handles disconnections, and communicates with PrimeLink via the RouterOS API.
Recommended Hardware Models
- Startup / Small WISP (Up to 150 clients): Use MikroTik hEX (RB750Gr3) or hAP ac³.
- Medium Tower / Fiber (150 - 800 clients): Use MikroTik RB4011 or CCR1009.
- Enterprise Core (1,000+ clients): Use MikroTik CCR2004 or CCR2116 series with dual power supplies.
API Setup Terminal Script
Run this script inside your MikroTik WinBox terminal to create an API user for PrimeLink:
/user group add name=primelink-group policy=read,write,test,api,!local,!telnet,!ssh,!ftp,!reboot,!sensitive
/user add name=primelink_api group=primelink-group password=SecureApiPassword2026!
/ip service set api disabled=no port=8728
/ip service set api-ssl disabled=no port=8729Connecting the Router in Your Dashboard Sidebar:
- Look at your dashboard left sidebar and click on .
- Click the Add New Router button at the top right.
- Enter your router's IP address, port 8728, username
primelink_api, and password. - Click Test Connection to confirm live CPU and uptime stats sync properly.
Step 2b: Full MikroTik Router Configuration Manual for Starter, Middle, and Large-Scale ISPs
Proper router provisioning is critical to ensure seamless communication with your PrimeLink cloud billing engine. Follow this step-by-step procedure using WinBox or WebFig to configure your MikroTik gateway from scratch.
ISP Scale Hardware Classification & Selection
| ISP Tier / Scale | Recommended MikroTik Models | Target Client Capacity | Key Hardware Specifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter / Micro ISP | MikroTik hEX (RB750Gr3), hAP ac³, hEX S | Up to 150 Concurrent Clients | Dual-core CPU, 256MB RAM, Gigabit ports, Hardware encryption support. Perfect for localized apartment setups and small hotspot zones. |
| Middle-Scale WISP / Fiber ISP | MikroTik RB4011iGS+, CCR1009-7G-1C-1S+ | 150 to 800 Concurrent Clients | Quad/9-core CPU, 1GB to 2GB RAM, SFP+ ports for fiber uplinks, robust NAT and queuing capacity. Ideal for multi-tower wireless or medium neighborhood fiber distribution. |
| Large-Scale Enterprise ISP | MikroTik CCR2004-1G-12S+2XS, CCR2116-12G-4S+ | 1,000 to 5,000+ Concurrent Clients | Annapurna Labs 16-core CPU, 16GB+ RAM, 10G/25G SFP28 interfaces, redundant hot-swap power supplies. Built for massive city-wide fiber and carrier-grade NAT workloads. |
Step-by-Step MikroTik Configuration Procedure (Where to Click & What to Do)
1. Initial Access & Default Reset
Connect your laptop Ethernet cable to Ether2 of your MikroTik router (Ether1 is reserved for your ISP uplink). Open WinBox, click the Neighbors tab, select your router’s MAC address, leave login as admin with no password, and click Connect. If prompted with the default configuration window, click Remove Configuration to start with a clean slate.
2. Setting Up WAN & LAN Interfaces
In WinBox, click on from the left menu. Double-click ether1, rename it to WAN-ISP, and click OK. Double-click ether2 (or bridge interface if using multiple ports), rename it to LAN-LOCAL. Next, go to , click +, add your local subnet (e.g., 192.168.88.1/24), and assign it to LAN-LOCAL.
3. Configuring WAN Internet & DNS
If your upstream provider uses DHCP, go to , click +, select WAN-ISP, and click OK. If Static IP, go to and add your public/private WAN IP. Next, go to , set servers to 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1, and check Allow Remote Requests.
4. Setting Up Firewall NAT (Masquerade)
Go to , click on the NAT tab, and click the blue + button. In the General tab, set Chain to srcnat and Out. Interface to WAN-ISP. Switch to the Action tab, set Action to masquerade, and click Apply then OK.
Quick Terminal Script for Basic NAT, DHCP, and API Access
You can paste the following automated block into your MikroTik New Terminal to instantly apply standard baseline settings:
# Configure IP Address & NAT Masquerade
/ip address add address=192.168.88.1/24 interface=ether2 comment="Local Gateway"
/ip firewall nat add chain=srcnat out-interface=ether1 action=masquerade comment="Default Internet NAT"
# Configure DNS Servers
/ip dns set servers=8.8.8.8,1.1.1.1 allow-remote-requests=yes
# Enable Secure API Access for PrimeLink Cloud Engine
/ip service set api disabled=no port=8728
/ip service set api-ssl disabled=no port=8729
/user group add name=primelink-policy policy=read,write,test,api,!local,!telnet,!ssh,!ftp,!reboot,!sensitive
/user add name=primelink_api group=primelink-policy password=PrimeLinkSecure2026!Step 3: Creating Internet Packages & Setting Up Automated M-Pesa Daraja Billing
You need to define what speeds you are selling and how clients will pay for them. PrimeLink automates the entire payment-to-connection lifecycle.
Creating Speed Packages
Sidebar Click Path: Navigate to in your dashboard sidebar and click Add Plan:
- Name: 10 Mbps Home Unlimited / 1 Hour Hotspot
- Download/Upload Limit: 10M / 10M
- Price: KES 2,500 (Monthly) / KES 20 (Hotspot)
- Type: PPPoE, Static IP, or Hotspot Vouchers/Plans
M-Pesa Daraja Integration
Sidebar Click Path: Navigate to in your dashboard sidebar to connect Safaricom:
- Input your Safaricom Consumer Key & Consumer Secret.
- Enter your Paybill or Till Number (Buy Goods).
- When clients pay, Safaricom sends a webhook callback. PrimeLink instantly verifies the transaction and reactivates the client within 5 seconds.
Step 4: Onboarding, Connecting, and Managing PPPoE Fiber & Home Clients
PPPoE is used for dedicated home and office fiber or wireless CPE installations where users log in with a username and password configured directly on their wireless router or fiber ONT.
1. Register Client in Portal
Sidebar Click Path: Go to in your dashboard sidebar and click Add Subscriber. Input their full name, phone number, installation address, and assign a PPPoE username and password.
2. Automatic Router Sync
Sidebar Verification: Check or in your sidebar. PrimeLink automatically pushes the secret and speed profile to your MikroTik router via API instantly.
3. Payment & Expiry Tracking
Sidebar Monitoring: Monitor financial inflows under and . When subscription days expire, PrimeLink automatically cuts access until M-Pesa payment is received.
Dedicated Staff & Customer Access Portals
PrimeLink provides isolated, secure subdomain interfaces tailored for different user roles in your network ecosystem:
Staff Management Portal
From there, staff can log in securely at yourisp.primelinkisp.com/staff to manage daily network operations, monitor router node health, inspect client connection logs, and oversee billing queues.
PPPoE Customer Account Portal
While PPPoE broadband customers can access their personal subscription accounts at yourisp.primelinkisp.com/customer to view active bandwidth packages, billing history, and payment statements.
Client Portal Self-Service Experience
Your PPPoE clients can log into their customer portal using their phone number or username to check their expiry countdown, download PDF invoices, and trigger instant M-Pesa STK push payments to renew their connection seamlessly.
Step 5: Deploying Wi-Fi Hotspots, Captive Portal Landing Pages, & Generating Vouchers
For public Wi-Fi hotspots, residential apartments, and commercial zones, captive portal landing pages and voucher-based self-service access allow users to connect, buy packages, and browse instantly.
Custom Hotspot Captive Portal Architecture
When users connect to your Wi-Fi zone, PrimeLink redirects them automatically to a tailored web interface:
For hotspot environments, users connecting through hotspot.yourisp.primelinkisp.com see a customized captive portal page displaying package options, instant voucher top-up inputs, real-time connection status, data usage counters, and direct mobile money payment prompts.
- Package Options: Hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly tiered Wi-Fi rates configured under .
- Instant Voucher Top-Up: Scratch card or printed paper voucher code entry input box that instantly authorizes session time via API.
- Real-Time Status & Usage Counters: Live timers showing remaining session duration and megabytes consumed.
- Direct Mobile Money Prompts: Automated M-Pesa STK push input field allowing users to enter their phone number and pay directly from the landing page.
Generating Vouchers & Access Codes
Sidebar Click Path: Navigate to in your dashboard sidebar to batch generate print-ready Wi-Fi access codes for agents, shops, and street vendors.
AP Map & Access Point Management
Sidebar Click Path: Use and in your sidebar to track signal distribution and remote tower hardware health.
Day-to-Day Operations & System Oversight
Once your ISP is live, use the bottom sections of your sidebar for ongoing management:
Operations & Logistics
Track field technician team assignments and hardware stock using and .
Client Engagement
Handle support tickets, broadcast automated SMS notifications, and track marketing campaigns via and .
System & Community
Review system activity logs, configure admin roles under , and connect with peers via .