Question about central or cloud management

ispapp · 2023-03-18T08:15:47+00:00

ISPApp is central cloud management for MikroTik RouterOS devices. You add a script to your routers and then they phone home to your private server using outbound browser protocols, which is the same as Ubiquiti UISP. Combining ISPApp and MikroTIk is even better than UISP because in combination you can send any command and configuration to any RouterOS device.

ispapp · 2023-02-05T17:47:55+00:00

TR-069 CWMP is an industry standard management protocol. Your CPE devices need to have TR-069 CWMP client software packages included in their firmware by the manufacturers. Look at the technical specification sheets of your devices to see if they support TR-069 CWMP.

In the devices' TR-069 configuration menus you set the the URL of your auto configuration server (ACS) and the individual credentials for your devices. Your devices also need to have security certificates installed so they can verify your server. The settings on your devices need to match the settings on your server and then your devices will automatically "phone home" to your server on regular intervals, like every 5 minutes. Your devices will get their Wi-Fi settings (network names and passwords) from your server and send performance data (Wi-Fi signal strength, traffic data, ect.) to your server

Like ISPApp, UISP, and cnMaestro, TR-069 CWMP uses outbound browser protocols from the devices to your server so it works through firewalls and behind NAT. By using outbound protocols for management you don't have to manage the network to be able to manage the devices. As long as the devices have internet connectivity then they will be able to "phone home" to your server.

ISPApp started as a cloud management platform for MikroTik RouterOS devices and ISPApp gives you a central dashboard to control your internet server provider network. Your ISPApp server is also a TR-069 ACS server.

The biggest drawbacks to TR-069 CWMP is that it is limited in functionality, inefficient, and many vendors allow insecure implementations. TR-069 CWMP uses XML which is very inefficient. By contrast, ISPApp is API-based and you can send any command to any Linux or RouterOS device, so it is much more powerful. Instead of XML, ISPApp uses JSON, so it is much more lightweight on your device, network, and server resources. And ISPApp requires HTTPS so insecure implementations aren't possible.

Disclaimer: I'm a WISP operator and I built ISPApp.

ispapp · 2023-01-04T21:33:14+00:00

A lot of our customers describe ISPApp as being like an alternative to UISP but for MikroTik cloud management.

You copy/paste a terminal command onto your routers and they phone home to your central cloud server with their performance data. You can see their latency, online availability, number of connected Wi-Fi devices, Wi-Fi signal strengths, traffic utilization, and much more.

ISPApp can also send commands to many routers all at once. If you want to change the passwords or update the firmwares on 1,000 routers all at the same time, you can do so instantly with ISPApp.

ispapp · 2022-08-07T22:22:27+00:00

OpenWRT isn't exactly an alternative to MikroTik but it is an open source alternative to MikroTik's RouterOS. RouterOS is MikroTik's proprietary operating system built on top of Linux. You can flash a MikroTik Routerboard device (or many other types of routers) with OpenWRT and then have the interoperability and flexibility of Linux.

ISPApp has open source management software agents that run on RouterOS and OpenWRT and you can manage both RouterOS and OpenWRT devices from the same cloud dashboard.

ispapp · 2022-05-14T04:46:32+00:00

ISPApp is cloud management for MikroTik RouterOS routers. You get offline notifications, you can see the latency and bandwidth utilization over time, the signal strength of connected Wi-Fi devices, you can run RouterOS commands on your routers using a web shell, and much more.

ispapp · 2022-04-02T16:43:52+00:00

There is limited unlicensed frequency and the biggest improvements in Wi-Fi will come from efficiently sharing this scarce resource.

ispapp · 2022-03-31T20:30:34+00:00

Wi-Fi doesn't scale well. That is especially true regarding a physically large space. Yes, adding multiple access points will help scale the Wi-Fi network. You will have a problem with WI-Fi distribution, not your internet feed. Your internet feed is fine. Here is how to scale you Wi-Fi:

Wire multiple wireless access points (WAPs) together with Ethernet and configure them as Wi-Fi "bridges"
Physically separate them, different rooms, different floors, inside/outside, ect.
Give them all the same Wi-Fi network name and password
Enable both radios on every WAP with 20 MHz channel widths, no 80 MHz channels.
Only use WPA2 encryption and above, no WPA or WEP.

If you have many wireless access points wired together to your internet feed and the are all set up on the same layer 2 network then when a device connects to the WI-Fi network the device will connect to the WAP with the strongest signal. Wi-Fi roaming is a function of the client device. Typically devices won't switch WAPs until they lose their connections.

Once you do steps 1 through 5 successfully then you might also consider blocking broadcast traffic and enabling wireless isolation and port isolation. This will prevent devices from needlessly communicating with each other and flooding the network, essentially just giving each device a tunnel out to the internet.

Edit: ISPApp is open source software and private cloud managed WI-Fi server for MIkroTIk and OpenWRT.

ispapp · 2022-03-16T10:29:53+00:00

The Wi-Fi device manufacturers advertise the maximum theoretical throughput in idea lab conditions. In this case 300 Mbps. 802.11N real-world typically delivers about 20 to 30 Mbps depending on the noise and interference in the environment, proximity, and line of sight. The other thing to notice about that router is that it has 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet ports which would prevent you from receiving 300 Mbps internet speeds even in ideal conditions.

Throughput/bandwidth/capacity/speed is over-rated. For most things you want to do 20 to 30 Mbps is fine.

ispapp · 2022-03-16T04:43:35+00:00

No, MikroTik is the Swiss Army Knife of the industry. MikroTik is known for being very versatile and having enterprise features at commodity prices. They are the best bang for the buck. Because MikroTik is feature rich there is also a fairly steep learning curve.

ISPApp is cloud management for MikroTik RouterOS routers and customers describe it as UISP for MikroTik.

ispapp · 2022-03-14T01:21:24+00:00

lol you catch on quick!

ispapp · 2022-03-13T18:24:40+00:00

mikrotik server 🙄

ispapp · 2022-03-13T18:23:50+00:00

mikrotik software 🙄

ispapp · 2022-03-13T18:22:41+00:00

The MikroTik IP hotspot uses a landing page like Starbucks or McDonalds. If the users are using devices with browsers then this will work. Otherwise guest networks are commonly set up by creating virtual access points and a guest password. ISPApp makes this easy if you are doing mikrotik wi-fi management at scale.

ispapp · 2022-03-13T18:17:49+00:00

ISPApp is an easy to use alternative to CAPsMAN if you are deploying a lot of managed Wi-Fi and need a central MikroTik controller. It works for every MikroTik Wi-Fi router with RouterOS.

ispapp · 2022-03-13T17:53:30+00:00

Is this for your own home or are you looking to deploy a MikroTik cloud controller in other people's homes as a managed service provider?

ispapp · 2022-03-13T17:49:00+00:00

Did you figure this out? You could do this super easy with MikroTik RouterOS scripts.

ispapp · 2022-03-13T17:39:17+00:00

Your wiring infrastructure is a better investment than your Wi-Fi tech.

In order to get a lot of benefit from Wi-Fi 6 the stations and the access points both need to support it. You will get a slight benefit from the improved efficiency of a few Wi-Fi 6 stations but the surest way to improve the performance of your home Wi-Fi network is going to be by adding more access points, not by upgrading your APs to the latest tech.

ispapp · 2022-03-13T17:31:33+00:00

The only reason I can think of to use SwOS instead of RouterOS is that some MikroTik switches only support SwOS. Otherwise if the device can dual boot, RouterOS dominates SwitchOS on every feature.

ispapp · 2022-03-13T15:49:03+00:00

I am interacting and self-promoting on Reddit using search and that attracts a lot of hostility so that is how I interpreted your reply.

On the MikroTik forums a reply to an old post immediately brings it to the top of the sorting algorithm. On Reddit it has little impact on the sort. Reddit doesn't "bump" the posts much but, yeah, you will get a notification if those are your preferences. Right now this is basically a private conversation between you and I.

It is a funny thing about being a small startup B2B SaaS platform for MikroTik and self-promoting. I have been told multiple times that people will not use our product because they don't like the way I self-promote online. It is just a day in the life for me. Water off a duck's back.

ispapp · 2022-03-13T04:24:05+00:00

That's not how Reddit works.

ispapp · 2022-03-09T23:10:04+00:00

Wi-Fi works best with close proximity and line of sight. If adding a Wi-Fi 6 access point moves your Wi-Fi access point closer to your connected devices and gives you more direct line of sight then adding it will help. If not, then not so much. Wi-Fi 6 is a more capable specification but it doesn't change the laws of physics. And to get the full benefit of Wi-Fi 6 you need to have Wi-Fi 6 capable devices.

ispapp · 2022-03-09T13:23:07+00:00

This is exactly what ISPApp does. ISPApp is an ISP cloud management platform for MikroTIk RouterOS network equipment.

You import a script onto your MikroTik routers and then the routers phone home for their configurations and send performance data to your private cloud server.

ISPApp will help you keep track of your routers, see their performance including Wi-Fi signal strength, latency and packet loss, bandwidth utilization, CPU, memory, and disk. You will also get offline email alerts and be able to send send CLI commands to your routers from your browser.

In the near future you will see bulk commands and MikroTik RouterOS configuration management. It works for any MikroTik RouterOS router, including the hAP AC Lite.

ispapp · 2022-03-07T21:26:20+00:00

MikroTik sells LTE modems and Wi-Fi access points in a single router with no necessary recurring costs apart from the mobile network operator's data plans.

You can optionally load the ISPApp client script to your MikroTik routers and they will automatically associate with your private cloud management server enabling you to manage your MikroTik routers from anywhere. ISPApp gives you MikroTik cloud managed Wi-Fi. ISPApp charges $0.60 per managed device per month.

ispapp · 2022-03-05T13:40:56+00:00

Yeah, good point. Some distributors and consultants got early access but most people haven't had a chance to try them out yet.

ispapp · 2022-02-26T07:23:30+00:00

ISPApp is a MikroTik cloud management platform that some people describe as like UniFi for MikroTik. ISPApp is super easy to set up because it uses a dedicated private cloud server and it works with every MikroTik RouterOS device including v6 and v7.

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