How to Set Up Centipid ISP Billing with MikroTik RouterOS in Uganda and Kenya: Step-by-Step Guide

For internet service providers in Uganda and Kenya, the combination of MikroTik RouterOS and Centipid ISP billing is one of the most powerful and cost-effective subscriber management stacks available. MikroTik gives you granular per-subscriber bandwidth control, PPPoE and hotspot session management, and a robust RouterOS API. Centipid connects to that API to automate your entire billing cycle — from subscriber onboarding and invoice generation through MTN MoMo and M-Pesa payment reconciliation to automatic service suspension and instant reactivation.

In this step-by-step guide, we walk through the complete setup process for Ugandan and Kenyan ISPs: enabling the RouterOS API on your MikroTik router, connecting Centipid, configuring subscriber plans and bandwidth profiles, setting up mobile money payment gateways, and onboarding your first subscribers. By the end, your ISP billing will be fully automated.

What You Need Before Starting

• A MikroTik RouterOS device as your PPPoE concentrator or hotspot gateway — we recommend the MikroTik hEX S RB760iGS for its SFP fibre uplink, PoE out capability, and full RouterOS API support.
• A Centipid account — register at the link.
• A static or reliably reachable IP address for your MikroTik router (or a VPN/WireGuard tunnel if behind NAT).
• MTN Mobile Money merchant account (Uganda) or M-Pesa Paybill/Till (Kenya) for payment gateway setup.
• Your subscriber plan structure — plan names, speeds (e.g. 5 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps), and pricing in UGX or KES.
• CPE for subscriber premises: MikroTik hAP RouterBOARD with PoE (standard/premium) or MikroTik hAP lite RB941-2nD (budget tier).

Part 1: Prepare Your MikroTik Router for Centipid

Step 1: Enable the RouterOS API Service

Open Winbox and connect to your MikroTik router. Go to IP > Services. Find the api entry (port 8728) and enable it. If you want to restrict API access to Centipid's servers only, set the Available From field to Centipid's IP range — check your Centipid dashboard for the current API server IPs. For SSL-secured API access, also enable api-ssl on port 8729 (recommended for production deployments).

Step 2: Create a Dedicated Centipid API User

Go to System > Users > Add. Create a new user (e.g. "centipid-api") with a strong password. Set the group to full or create a custom group with read/write permissions for: ppp (for PPPoE), ip (for IP pools and hotspot), queue (for bandwidth queues), and tool (for ping/API testing). Do not use your admin account credentials for the Centipid API connection — a dedicated user makes it easier to rotate credentials and audit API activity.

Step 3: Configure PPPoE Server (for PPPoE-based ISPs)

If your Ugandan or Kenyan ISP uses PPPoE subscriber authentication:

• Go to PPP > Profiles and create one profile per plan tier (e.g. "Basic-5Mbps", "Standard-10Mbps", "Premium-20Mbps"). Set the rate limit (e.g. 5M/5M) and assign your subscriber IP pool as the remote address.
• Go to IP > Pool and create a subscriber IP pool (e.g. 192.168.100.2–192.168.100.254).
• Go to PPP > PPPoE Servers > Add. Select your subscriber-facing interface, set your default profile, enable CHAP/PAP authentication, and enable the server.

Centipid will create and manage PPPoE secrets for each subscriber via the RouterOS API — no manual Winbox secret creation needed once integrated.

Step 4: Configure Hotspot (for Venue/Hotspot ISPs)

If your deployment is a hotspot (hotel, school, campus, or community Wi-Fi), go to IP > Hotspot > Hotspot Setup. Select your subscriber-facing interface, configure the local address pool, set your captive portal DNS name, and complete the setup wizard. Create user profiles in IP > Hotspot > User Profiles for each plan tier — these map to Centipid plan tiers after integration. The MikroTik hEX S handles hotspot gateway duties with PoE out to MikroTik wireless access points throughout the venue. Connect all APs with Cat6 cabling for reliable in-venue coverage.

Part 2: Connect Centipid to Your MikroTik Router

Step 5: Add Your Router in Centipid

Log into your Centipid dashboard. Navigate to Routers / Network Devices and click Add Router. Enter:

• Router name (e.g. "Kampala-Tower-1" or "Nairobi-Zone-A")
• IP address of your MikroTik router
• API port (8728 or 8729 for SSL)
• API username and password (the dedicated user you created in Step 2)
• Integration mode: PPPoE or Hotspot

Centipid will test the connection and confirm successful API access. If the test fails, verify that the API service is enabled on the router, the API port is not blocked by a firewall rule, and the API user credentials are correct.

Step 6: Create Subscriber Plans in Centipid

In your Centipid dashboard, go to Plans and create your plan tiers. For each plan, set:

• Plan name (e.g. "Basic 5Mbps" or "Standard 10Mbps")
• Monthly price in UGX (Uganda) or KES (Kenya)
• Billing cycle (monthly, weekly, or custom)
• MikroTik profile mapping: select the PPPoE profile or Hotspot user profile that corresponds to this plan on your router
• Data quota (if applicable) or unlimited

Create one plan in Centipid for every bandwidth tier you offer. Plan upgrades and downgrades update the subscriber's MikroTik profile via the RouterOS API automatically when changed in Centipid.

Part 3: Set Up Mobile Money Payment Gateways

Step 7: Uganda — MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money

In your Centipid payment settings, connect your MTN Mobile Money merchant account. Enter your MTN MoMo API credentials (Collection API key and Secret) obtained from your MTN Uganda business account. Repeat the process for Airtel Money Uganda. Once connected, Centipid will reconcile all UGX payments from both platforms automatically — no manual M-PESA or MoMo statement checking required.

Step 8: Kenya — M-Pesa Paybill and Airtel Money

In Centipid payment settings, connect your Safaricom M-Pesa Paybill using your M-Pesa Daraja API credentials (Consumer Key, Consumer Secret, and Paybill number). Connect your Airtel Money Kenya merchant account separately. Once live, all KES M-Pesa and Airtel Money payments from Kenyan subscribers are reconciled in real time by Centipid with instant router reactivation.

Part 4: Onboard Your First Subscribers

Step 9: Add Subscribers in Centipid

In your Centipid dashboard, go to Subscribers > Add Subscriber. Enter the subscriber's name, phone number, email, and physical address. Assign them to a plan and set their billing date. Select the router their CPE connects to. Centipid creates their PPPoE secret or hotspot user account on the MikroTik router automatically via the RouterOS API. Their first invoice is generated and sent via SMS/email immediately.

Step 10: Deploy Subscriber CPE and Go Live

At the subscriber's premises, configure the MikroTik hAP RouterBOARD or hAP lite RB941-2nD as a PPPoE client using the credentials Centipid created on the router. Connect via quality Cat6 cabling from the premises entry point to the CPE. Once the PPPoE session establishes, the subscriber is live — and Centipid begins managing their billing cycle automatically from this point forward.

Troubleshooting Common Centipid + MikroTik Setup Issues

• API connection fails: Check that the api service is enabled on IP > Services, the correct port is open, and no firewall rules on the router are blocking the Centipid server IP.
• PPPoE secret not created after subscriber onboarding: Verify the API user has write permissions for the ppp resource in System > Users > Groups.
• Mobile money payment not reconciling: Confirm API credentials in Centipid payment settings match exactly with your MTN MoMo or M-Pesa Daraja credentials. Check that your Paybill/MoMo account is active and in production mode.
• Subscriber not reactivating after payment: Check the Centipid event log for the reactivation API call status. Verify the router is reachable from Centipid's servers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)