Questions operators ask before they switch.
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Getting started
What does NetOS do?
NetOS runs the business side of an ISP: plans and billing, payments, RADIUS authentication, the captive portal, customer messages and fibre provisioning. It works for hotspot, PPPoE and fibre networks, from one café router to thousands of subscribers.
What do I need before I sign up?
A router that can reach the internet (MikroTik is the easiest), a way to collect payments such as an M-Pesa till or paybill, and your prices. You can sign up first and add the router right after.
Do I need to know MikroTik configuration?
No. When you add a router, NetOS generates the hotspot, PPPoE and RADIUS configuration for it, and you paste it into the router. Our team can go through it with you on a call if you want help.
How do I know my router is working?
Your dashboard shows whether the router has actually let a customer sign in, not just whether you added it. If nothing has authenticated, you see it on the dashboard instead of finding out from a day with no revenue.
I already run another system. Can you move my customers over?
Yes. We import customers, plans and balances from your current system and switch your routers over to NetOS RADIUS in stages, so customers stay online. Migration is part of the Scale plan.
Payments
How do my customers pay?
By mobile money or card, straight to your own account. NetOS works with M-Pesa (STK push, paybill and till), KopoKopo, Pesapal, Flutterwave, Paystack and PayPal, and you can record cash payments. The customer is connected as soon as the payment is confirmed.
Does the money pass through NetOS?
No. Payments go to the paybill, till or merchant account you connect. NetOS confirms the payment and turns on the service; it never holds your money.
How do I sell hotspot vouchers?
Create a plan with a price and a time or data limit, such as an hour, a day or 1 GB. Customers connect to your WiFi, land on your branded portal, pick a plan and pay. You can also print voucher codes for customers who pay in cash.
What happens when a customer’s plan runs out?
NetOS disconnects them when their time or data is used up, and reconnects them when they pay again. You do not do either by hand.
How do customers know they have paid or are about to run out?
NetOS sends an SMS to confirm each payment and a reminder before a plan expires. WhatsApp messages can be switched on as well.
Network
Which routers and OLTs do you support?
MikroTik on RouterOS 6 and 7, with full hotspot and PPPoE setup. Any other router that speaks RADIUS can authenticate against NetOS. For fibre, NetOS provisions ONUs on Huawei and VSOL OLTs, with ZTE, C-Data, FiberHome and BDCOM on request.
Can I run more than one site or router?
Yes. Add as many routers as you run. Each one has its own status, and customers, plans and payments stay in one account.
Can a hotspot customer move to a home connection?
Yes. Give them a PPPoE or fibre plan on the same account. Their payment history and balance stay with them.
Can I put my own brand on the captive portal?
Yes. Under Configure, then Branding, you set the logo, colours and wording customers see when they connect.
Pricing and support
What does it cost?
Free for up to 100 customers. Business is $25 to $99 a month depending on how many customers you have. Scale starts at $200 a month and includes migration, dedicated support and your own server if you want one.
Where is my data kept?
On the cloud plans it is on our servers, encrypted and backed up. On the Scale plan it can run on your own server instead, so the data never leaves your network.
Where do I get help?
Every plan gets email support. Business adds priority WhatsApp support, and Scale adds a dedicated support channel.
Still deciding?
Start free with one router, or tell us about your network and we will help you plan the move.