Documentation
Voucher Management
Vouchers in NettPortal are redeemable codes that automatically create Hotspot users on your MikroTik routers when redeemed. They're perfect for temporary access, guest WiFi, events, or any situation where you need to provide internet access without manually creating user accounts. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about creating, managing, and using vouchers. Even if you're not technical, we'll explain everything in simple terms.
🎯 What is a Voucher?
A voucher is a unique code (like NET-1234-ABCD) that users can redeem to get internet access. When someone redeems a voucher, NettPortal automatically creates a Hotspot user account on your MikroTik router with the voucher's settings (time limits, data limits, speed, and assigned profile). The user can then connect to your WiFi using the username and password provided. Vouchers are ideal for temporary access, guest networks, events, or any scenario where you need to give someone internet access without setting up a permanent customer account.
Why Use Vouchers?
Vouchers offer several advantages for managing temporary internet access:
⚡ Automatic User Creation
No manual setup required: When someone redeems a voucher, a Hotspot user account is automatically created on the router. You don't need to manually create user accounts, configure settings, or manage credentials—everything happens automatically.
- Example: Generate 50 vouchers for an event—users redeem codes and instantly get internet access
- Benefit: Zero manual configuration, perfect for events, hotels, cafes, or temporary access
🎫 Batch Generation
Create multiple vouchers at once: Generate hundreds or thousands of vouchers in a single operation. All vouchers share the same settings, making it perfect for events, promotions, or bulk distribution.
- Example: Generate 100 vouchers for a conference—all with 24-hour access
- Benefit: Fast and efficient for large-scale distribution
⏱️ Flexible Limits
Set time and data limits per voucher: Each voucher can have its own time limit (hours or days) and data limit (GB or MB). Perfect for different use cases—hourly access for cafes, daily access for events, or data-limited vouchers for specific needs.
- Example: Create vouchers with 2-hour limits for coffee shop customers
- Benefit: Control access duration and data usage automatically
📅 Validity Periods
Control when vouchers can be redeemed: Set validity dates to control when vouchers become active and when they expire. Perfect for time-limited promotions, event-specific access, or scheduled distribution.
- Example: Create vouchers that become valid on event day and expire after the event
- Benefit: Prevent early redemption and automatic expiration
🖨️ Print and Distribute
Print vouchers for physical distribution: After generating vouchers, you can print them or export to CSV for distribution. Each voucher includes its unique code and password, ready to share with users.
- Example: Print vouchers on cards to hand out at events or cafes
- Benefit: Easy physical distribution with no manual copying
Creating Vouchers
Creating vouchers is straightforward. Navigate to the Vouchers page and click Generate Vouchers. You can create one voucher or generate multiple vouchers at once with the same settings. Here's what you need to configure:
📝 Basic Information
- Router *: Select the MikroTik router where vouchers will be redeemed and users will be created. Profiles from this router will be loaded automatically.
- Number of Vouchers *: How many vouchers to create (1 to 1000). All vouchers will share the same settings.
- Voucher Prefix *: A 3-character prefix for voucher codes (e.g., "NET" creates codes like "NET-1234-ABCD"). Auto-filled from your organization name.
- Code Length *: Total length of the voucher code (6 to 12 characters), including prefix and dash.
- Service Type *: Whether vouchers work with Hotspot, PPPoE, or Both. Most vouchers use Hotspot for WiFi access.
💡 Tip: The prefix helps identify your vouchers. For example, if your organization is "Coffee Shop", vouchers might use "COF" prefix and look like "COF-1234-ABCD".
⚡ What Happens Automatically
When you generate vouchers, NettPortal creates unique voucher codes and automatically generates passwords for each one. Each voucher code is unique and cannot be duplicated. When a user redeems a voucher, a Hotspot user account is automatically created on the selected router with the voucher's settings. You don't need to manually create any user accounts.
Voucher Settings Explained
Vouchers support various settings to control access. All limit fields are optional—you can set time limits, data limits, speed limits, or any combination. You must specify at least one limit (time or data) when creating vouchers:
⏱️ Time Limit
How long the user can access the internet: Set a time limit in days or hours. Once the time limit expires, the user is automatically disconnected. Useful for temporary access, events, or time-based usage.
- Example: 24 hours = User gets access for 24 hours from when they redeem the voucher
- Example: 7 days = User gets access for 7 days from redemption
- Leave empty: For unlimited time (use data limit instead)
Note: Time starts counting when the voucher is redeemed, not when it's created.
📊 Data Limit
How much data the user can download and upload: Set a data limit in GB or MB. Once the data limit is reached, the user is automatically disconnected. Useful for data-limited access or bandwidth management.
- Example: 10 GB = User can download and upload up to 10 GB total
- Example: 500 MB = User can use up to 500 MB of data
- Leave empty: For unlimited data (use time limit instead)
Note: You must set either a time limit or data limit (or both) when creating vouchers.
🚀 Speed Limits (Bandwidth)
Download and upload speed limits: Control how fast users can download and upload data. Set speeds in Mbps (megabits per second). Useful for controlling bandwidth usage or offering tiered speeds.
- Example: Download: 10 Mbps, Upload: 5 Mbps = User gets 10 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload
- Example: Download: 50 Mbps, Upload: 25 Mbps = User gets faster speeds
- Leave empty (0): For unlimited speed (no rate limiting)
Note: Speed limits work alongside the Hotspot Profile if one is assigned. If you assign a profile, the profile's rate limits take precedence.
📅 Validity Period
Control when vouchers can be redeemed: Set validity dates to control when vouchers become active and when they expire. Useful for time-limited promotions, event-specific access, or scheduled distribution.
- Valid From: Date and time when the voucher becomes redeemable (optional—defaults to now)
- Valid Until: Date and time when the voucher expires and can no longer be redeemed
- Leave empty: Voucher is valid immediately and never expires (but time/data limits still apply)
Note: Validity period controls when vouchers can be redeemed, while time/data limits control how long users can access the internet after redeeming.
Hotspot Profile Assignment
When creating vouchers, you can optionally assign a Hotspot Profile from the selected router. Profiles define connection settings like rate limits, timeouts, shared users, and address lists. When a voucher is redeemed, the user inherits all settings from the assigned profile.
👤 Selecting a Profile
When you select a router, available Hotspot Profiles are automatically loaded from that router. You can:
- Select an existing profile from the dropdown—users will inherit all profile settings
- Leave profile empty—users will use per-user settings (time/data limits from voucher)
- Create a new profile directly from the voucher generation page if you need a specific profile
⚡ How Profiles Work with Vouchers
If you assign a Hotspot Profile to vouchers, the profile's settings (rate limits, timeouts, shared users, etc.) are applied to users when they redeem the voucher. The voucher's time and data limits work alongside the profile settings. For example, if a profile has a 100 Mbps rate limit and the voucher has a 7-day time limit, users get 100 Mbps speed for 7 days. If you don't assign a profile, users use the voucher's individual settings only.
Printing and Exporting Vouchers
After generating vouchers, you can print them or export them for distribution:
🖨️ Print Vouchers
After generating vouchers, click the Print Vouchers button to see a print preview. Each voucher shows:
- Voucher code (the unique code users enter to redeem)
- Password (the password users use to connect after redeeming)
- Time limit and data limit (what the voucher includes)
- Validity period (when the voucher can be redeemed)
You can print vouchers on paper, cards, or stickers for physical distribution.
📄 Export to CSV
Click the Export CSV button to download vouchers as a CSV file. The file contains:
- Voucher code and password for each voucher
- All vouchers in a single file, easy to import into other systems
- Can be opened in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application
CSV export is useful for digital distribution, email campaigns, or importing into other systems.
Managing Vouchers
Once you've created vouchers, you can view and manage them from the Vouchers page:
🔍 Viewing Vouchers
The Vouchers page shows all vouchers with:
- Voucher Code: The unique code users enter to redeem
- Password: The password users use to connect (shown for active vouchers)
- Status: Active (can be redeemed), Redeemed (user created), Used (in use), or Expired (can't be redeemed)
- Limits: Time limit and data limit
- Validity: When the voucher can be redeemed
- Created At: When the voucher was generated
- Search and Filter: Search by voucher code or filter by status
🗑️ Deleting Vouchers
You can delete vouchers that haven't been redeemed yet. Once a voucher is redeemed or used, it's automatically tracked and cannot be deleted (but it can be expired). Deleting a voucher removes it permanently—users who haven't redeemed it yet won't be able to use it.
Note: Only active (unredeemed) vouchers can be deleted. Redeemed or used vouchers are kept for tracking purposes.
Redeeming Vouchers
When users redeem vouchers, here's what happens:
✅ Redemption Process
- User enters the voucher code (e.g.,
NET-1234-ABCD) on the Hotspot login page - System validates the voucher (checks if it exists, is active, and within validity period)
- If valid, a Hotspot user account is automatically created on the router with the voucher's settings
- User receives username and password to connect to the WiFi
- Voucher status changes to "Redeemed" and cannot be used again
- User connects to WiFi using the provided credentials
The entire process is automatic—users don't need to wait for manual account creation, and you don't need to configure anything on the router.
⚡ What Gets Created Automatically
When a voucher is redeemed, NettPortal automatically creates a Hotspot user on the router with the username from the voucher code and the password from the voucher. The user gets the time limit, data limit, speed limits, and assigned profile settings configured in the voucher. All of this happens automatically—no manual configuration needed.
Best Practices
💡 Naming Conventions
Use clear prefixes that identify your organization or purpose:
- Use organization initials (e.g., "COF" for Coffee Shop, "HTL" for Hotel)
- Use purpose prefixes (e.g., "EVT" for events, "GST" for guests)
- Keep prefixes short and memorable (3 characters max)
⏱️ Time Limit Settings
Set appropriate time limits based on use case:
- Cafes and restaurants: 1-4 hours
- Hotels and accommodations: 24 hours to 7 days
- Events and conferences: Event duration (few hours to few days)
- Guest access: 1-7 days depending on stay duration
📊 Data Limit Settings
Set data limits to control bandwidth usage:
- Light usage (browsing, email): 1-5 GB
- Moderate usage (streaming, downloads): 10-50 GB
- Heavy usage: 50+ GB or unlimited (use time limit instead)
📅 Validity Periods
Use validity periods to control when vouchers can be redeemed:
- Events: Set valid from event start time, valid until event end time
- Promotions: Set valid from promotion start, valid until promotion ends
- Regular access: Leave empty for immediate and indefinite validity
🔄 Profile Assignment
Use profiles to standardize voucher settings:
- Create profiles for different voucher tiers (Basic, Premium, Guest)
- Assign profiles to vouchers for consistent settings across all vouchers
- Update profiles once to change settings for all vouchers using that profile
🎫 Batch Generation
Generate vouchers in batches for efficiency:
- Generate vouchers in batches of 50-100 for events
- Use consistent settings for all vouchers in a batch
- Print or export batches for easy distribution
- Track batch redemption rates to understand usage
Common Use Cases
Example 1: Coffee Shop Guest WiFi
- Settings: 2-hour time limit, 1 GB data limit, 10 Mbps download/5 Mbps upload
- Profile: Assign "Guest" profile with shared users: 1 (single device)
- Generation: Generate 50 vouchers with prefix "COF"
- Distribution: Print vouchers on cards placed on tables
- Result: Customers get 2 hours of internet access with speed limits, perfect for browsing and email
Example 2: Event Conference WiFi
- Settings: 8-hour time limit, 20 GB data limit, 50 Mbps download/25 Mbps upload
- Profile: Assign "Event" profile with shared users: 3 (multiple devices)
- Validity: Valid from event start time, valid until event end time
- Generation: Generate 100 vouchers with prefix "EVT"
- Distribution: Hand out vouchers at registration or email CSV to attendees
- Result: Attendees get full-day internet access with enough data for streaming and downloads
Example 3: Hotel Guest Access
- Settings: 24-hour time limit, unlimited data, 30 Mbps download/15 Mbps upload
- Profile: Assign "Hotel" profile with shared users: 5 (family devices)
- Generation: Generate vouchers individually or in small batches as guests check in
- Distribution: Print vouchers at front desk or provide via email
- Result: Guests get 24-hour access with enough speed for streaming and enough devices for families
Next Steps
Now that you understand voucher management:
- Generate your first vouchers using the Generate Vouchers button on the Vouchers page
- Learn about Profile Management to create profiles for vouchers
- Learn about Customer Management for permanent user accounts