VISP’s HyperRadius has many unique powerful features, one of which is SmartSession. SmartSession will allow you to make changes to your subscribers that are authenticated on Mikrotik devices, on the fly, including disconnects and package speed changes, right from VISP.
SmartSession only works with Hotspot and PPPoE authentication.
Mikrotik Changes
- Update the RADIUS Settings in your Mikrotik Router. In the RADIUS incoming panel,
- Check “Accept”
- Port: 3799
Changes in the VISP Settings
Add a Router-Type Equipment
SmartSession only works with devices categorized with a “Router,” equipment type.
If the equipment profile is already configured, skip the first instruction and add the new equipment into VISP.
- Let me explain the two parts of a device record in VISP. A device record is composed of an inventory profile and an equipment profile. The inventory profile stores data like the model, manufacturer, and SKU. The equipment profile contains the device’s metadata and equipment type. [If you want to closely track a particular device record, from the time it is purchased from a vendor until it gets to your inventory, and then deployed to your customers, then the serial number of the device is required. You can enter batch or order numbers, IP addresses, or MAC addresses instead of serial numbers, if you’re not closely tracking the inventory records.]
- Go to the Menu (nine dots, upper-right corner)
- Click on the
Equipment tab
- Select
Inventory profile
. - Click on the
+
plus sign to add a new inventory profile. - Add the Model, Manufacturer, SKU, or Stock Keeping Unit of the device.
- If you want to get notified when your stocks are low, you can create or set up an automation profile. Here are the steps:
- Click on the dropdown and select
Add New
. - Add a description for your profile.
- Set a limit on how low your stocks can go before the notification goes out.
- In the Low Stock action field, two options are available – to order new stocks or to simply send a notification to specific users. The order option will be explained in a separate video. For now, we’ll select notify.
- Select a preferred Vendor for this order.
- And choose a User that will get the notification.
- The automation profile type gives you an idea of whether this automation is based on your reorder level (stock), a calculated rate based on a specific metric, or both. If you’re only reordering when your stocks go below a certain level, then you can select Stock from the dropdown.
Save
your work when done.
- Click on the dropdown and select
- Select the automation profile from the dropdown.
- Next, add a description for this device.
- Toggle metered if the item or device you are creating a profile for can be measured and sold in meters.
- Click on
Add / Update
when you’re done. - After you add the inventory profile, check if the equipment appears on your list of available profiles.
- Click on the profile
- You will find two new tabs – one for the Equipment Profiles and another tab for the Vendors.
Now, select the Equipment Profiles
tab.
- Click on
Create Equipment Profile
. - Select the equipment type – for this instance– select Router.
- Add a description for the device.
- The metadata section allows you to create custom fields for collecting data about your equipment.
- Click on the plus sign to add more fields, or click on the X to remove fields.
- To mark metadata as required, toggle this checkbox.
- Click on
Add / Update
when you’re done. - Save your work when done.
Note: For this scenario, we will not set a Vendor profile for the device.
Add Equipment
Now to add the router in the IRM, do the following:
- Go to the IRM panel (click on the equipment icon from the sidebar).
- Click on the Equipment tab, and then hit the plus sign.
- Enter the name and description of the device.
- Select the location where you want to store or mount the unit.
- Select the Equipment Profile for this device. This loads the metadata for the equipment.
- You may enter additional information in the metadata fields, or leave them blank for now.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page to view the image attachments.
- You will also find the Inventory items. You will find the inventory profile associated with this equipment, as well as the option to select or add a new inventory item, by entering a serial number to match this new equipment. Otherwise, you can leave it blank.
- Hit save when you’re done.
- After adding the device, click on it and set the authentication to Smart Session and save, then assign it to the site.
If the subscriber’s device has been authenticated before the SmartSession is enabled it needs to be re-authenticated at least once for the RADIUS to capture the correct IP address.
When the Authentication is set for SmartSession, there will no longer be session timeouts set so there will be no overnight re-authentication. The device will only be disconnected when the subscriber’s account is suspended in VISP.