MikroTik Captive Portal
Setup Guide
Point your MikroTik RouterOS hotspot at CaptiFi's external splash page to capture guest emails, automate Google reviews and run marketing on autopilot. Or skip the config entirely with our included plug-and-play device.
• A MikroTik router running RouterOS 6.x or 7.x with internet access
• Admin access to RouterOS via WinBox or WebFig
• A CaptiFi account with a venue created - create one here
• Your venue's portal details, which come from CaptiFi support (email support@captifi.io)
On this page
Sign in to your CaptiFi dashboard
Log in to your CaptiFi dashboard at my.captifi.io. There is no self-serve MikroTik path in the set-up wizard, so the portal login URL you enter in step 3 comes from CaptiFi support: use the support@captifi.io link under the hardware cards, or email support@captifi.io with your venue name. You set up the hotspot yourself, and Guest Visits on the dashboard is where the test in step 5 shows up.
1 3-step setup overview
Setting up CaptiFi on MikroTik uses the RouterOS Hotspot feature. You configure the router, and CaptiFi support gives you the portal details and sets up the CaptiFi side. There are three jobs:
| Step 1 | Enable the RouterOS hotspot on the interface that serves your guests. |
|---|---|
| Step 2 | Set the portal login URL CaptiFi support gives you on the hotspot server profile. |
| Step 3 | Add the CaptiFi domains to the hotspot walled garden so the splash page loads before sign-in. |
2 Enable the RouterOS hotspot
In WinBox or WebFig, open IP → Hotspot and click the Hotspot Setup wizard. Run it on the interface your guests connect to (for example wlan1, or the bridge that carries your guest WiFi). RouterOS will create the hotspot server, an IP pool and a DHCP scope for that interface.
| Hotspot interface | The bridge or interface serving guest WiFi |
|---|---|
| Network address | For example 10.5.50.1/24 |
| Address pool | For example 10.5.50.2-10.5.50.254 |
| SSL certificate | none (CaptiFi handles HTTPS) |
| SMTP server | 0.0.0.0 |
| DNS servers | Your ISP's DNS, or 8.8.8.8 |
| DNS name | For example hotspot.local |
3 Point the hotspot at CaptiFi
Once your hotspot is ready, email support@captifi.io with your venue name. Our team provides your venue's portal login URL and any authentication credentials your setup needs, configures the CaptiFi side, and confirms session lengths and any devices that should bypass the portal, such as card machines or printers. Most setups are finished the same day.
| Where | IP → Hotspot → Server Profiles, your profile, Login tab |
|---|---|
| Login URL | The portal login URL CaptiFi support gives you for this venue |
4 Add the walled garden domains
The hotspot blocks everything until a guest signs in, so the splash page itself needs an exemption. Under IP → Hotspot → Walled Garden, add an Allow entry with each of these as the Dst. Host:
- *.captifi.io
- app.captifi.io
- fonts.googleapis.com
- fonts.gstatic.com
Then go to IP → Hotspot → Walled Garden IP List and add the CaptiFi server IP with Action set to Accept:
- 46.62.168.7
5 Test the solution
Connect a phone to your guest WiFi. You should be redirected to your branded CaptiFi splash page. Enter a test email, complete the login, and confirm you reach the internet.
Verify the capture in your CaptiFi dashboard under Guest Visits.
Works with your existing MikroTik kit, or use our included device
You do not have to buy anything new, and you do not have to learn RouterOS. There are two paths: your existing kit works on every plan, and the plug-and-play device is included with every plan.
| Use your existing MikroTik kit | If you are comfortable in RouterOS and already run a MikroTik router, follow the steps above with your portal details from CaptiFi support. CaptiFi sits in front as the external splash. No extra hardware. |
|---|---|
| Use our included plug-and-play device | RouterOS is powerful but fiddly. If you would rather not touch WinBox, we post you a pre-configured CaptiFi device. Plug it into your existing network by Ethernet, enter its 8-digit activation PIN from your phone, and it pulls its config from the cloud. Guest WiFi is live in about five minutes, start to finish, with no hotspot config, walled garden or static IP. |
Lite: £19.99 a month on your own network
Already run MikroTik? Lite is guest capture and CSV export on the access points you have, 500 new guests a month, for one site. The splash page keeps CaptiFi branding.
Related guides and pages
MikroTik captive portal FAQ
Does CaptiFi work with the RouterOS hotspot?
Yes. CaptiFi runs as an external splash page behind the RouterOS hotspot. You set up the hotspot and add our domains to the walled garden, and CaptiFi support gives you the portal login URL for the hotspot server profile, because MikroTik has no self-serve path in the set-up wizard. If you would rather skip RouterOS entirely, use our included plug-and-play device.
I am not comfortable in RouterOS. Is there an easier way?
Yes, and most venues take it. Our included plug-and-play device needs no RouterOS configuration at all: plug it into your network by Ethernet, enter its activation PIN, and branded guest WiFi is live in about five minutes, start to finish.
Why is my MikroTik splash page not loading?
Almost always the walled garden is missing a CaptiFi domain, so the router blocks the splash page before the guest can sign in. Confirm all four domains are added under IP, Hotspot, Walled Garden, and that 46.62.168.7 is on the Walled Garden IP List, then test on a device that has not cached a previous portal.
Will CaptiFi slow down my MikroTik network?
No. CaptiFi only handles the sign-in splash page. Once a guest is authenticated, their traffic is routed by RouterOS as normal.
Can I keep my existing MikroTik guest network?
Yes. You attach the hotspot to your existing guest interface rather than rebuilding the network. Your routing, firewall and other interfaces stay as they are.
Is MikroTik hotspot email capture GDPR compliant with CaptiFi?
CaptiFi asks for marketing consent separately from getting online and records each guest's answer, and guests who decline still get onto your MikroTik hotspot. Every marketing email carries an unsubscribe link, Delete (GDPR) and Anonymise (GDPR) on the Guest Visits page handle erasure requests, and CaptiFi's data processing agreement is published. Your venue is the data controller, so compliance itself stays with you.
Turn your MikroTik guest WiFi into a marketing machine
Start a free 30-day trial, or watch a live demo first.
Setting this up for a client?
CaptiFi partners buy at wholesale and keep a margin of more than a third of the public price, with white-label available at the same wholesale rates. You set your own retail price and bill your clients directly. The full wholesale rate card is published in six currencies (GBP, USD, EUR, CAD, AUD and NZD).
- ✓ Wholesale rate card published upfront, in your account currency
- ✓ Free 6-month internal demo licence for one internal test venue (testing and demos only)
- ✓ Partner dashboard from your first sign-in after approval, plus step-by-step deployment checklists