How to set up session timeouts on MikroTik devices

Sometimes a situation might come up where you will want to change the amount of time after which the users at your venue will be disconnected due to inactivity, disconnected from your WiFi after some time has passed, or you will actually want them to be remembered even for several hours after they logged in without the need to do that again.

Fortunately, all those things can be manipulated within the MikroTik router’s settings. Here are a few tips on what you can do, how to do them and why you might want to look into it.

1) Access your MikroTik router configured with Social WiFi service using Winbox software, downloadable here.

In order to access the router, you will need to connect to the router and know your login credentials. By default, the login is set to “admin” (omit quotation marks), while the password field is left empty.

2) Navigate to IP → Hotspot → User Profiles

3) Double-click on the entry which says “default”

The options that we are primarily concerned with are Session Timeout, Idle Timeout and Keepalive Timeout.

Session Timeout – determines how much time needs to pass until a customer connected to the hotspot is unconditionally disconnected. After this time has passed, the user will need to log in again.

Keepalive Timeout – checks whether the user is still connected to the router, and if not – disconnects him. Essentially, this means that it determines for how long an authorized user will be kept in the hotspot as authorized, even if he temporarily leaves the venue. After the set time has passed, the user will be disconnected and will need to log in again.

Idle Timeout – determines how much time needs to pass when the user is inactive (no traffic going from the user to the router) for him to be disconnected.