Hi, I have been successful in getting a basic hotspot up and running with a 750G. Now, my ultimate goal is to have a single MiktoTik router in my small community and 4 or 5 generic wireless access points throughout the community which will redirect all of they’re wireless users to the single MikroTik router at my head end.
I assume the term “hotspot gateway” would describe my scenario but most of what I read is assuming you have the gateway box and wireless AP in the same location.
Can I have a single 750G perhaps in one location with a Public static IP address on its WAN side, and have 3 or 4 generic wirelss AP’s out in the community with public IP’s on them, but forwarding all wireless clients to a user database from the 750G? Would this scenario have the 750G running as a radius server or could I do this with just using the hotspot user section on the 750G?
I would suggest that you get VLAN capable APs. Then configure a public IP address on the WAN interface (ether1). Keep ether2 - 5 switched via the internal switchchip. Add two VLAN interfaces on the ether2 master interface. Connect all the APs to ether2 - 5 (or possibly through dumb or smart switches further down). Each AP gets both VLANs, one is used for management, the other is used for the customers and bridged to the radio. Logically the customer network will be one common space shared between the RB750G and all the APs, and you run the Hotspot on the VLAN interface.
fewi, I can control the path the data takes as I work for the ISP providing the internet connection. I will feed each remote AP with a separate cable modem and static public IP.
The logistics of how how to get the data from point A to point B is not my issue at all, it is just how to do it using MikroTik.
Can a hotspot configured 750G accept users from a remote AP that has been pointed back to the 750G?
The clients will associate to the remote AP, that AP will forward packets directly to an auth server (750G) to present the login page and provide authentication. The client will receive a routable public IP address and internet gateway for internet.
I am assuming the 750G could operate as the authentication server (ie radius).
Then there you go. If the clients on the AP are on the same VLAN as the RB750G then the RB750G can be their gateway and host a Hotspot on its VLAN interface (or on the physical interface connected to the untagged VLAN). That will work.
Yes, the RB750G could be the auth server via the User Manager packet. Generally speaking I don’t think that’s a good idea, the 750G has very, very little RAM available (32MB). I’d rather use a 450G as it has 8x the amount of RAM, or do the actual authentication via RADIUS on a dedicated RADIUS server you may already have available in your infrastructure.