How to configure Mikrotik Radius

RADIUS, an acronym for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service, stands as a crucial tool for network administrators, empowering them to efficiently manage authentication and accounting across various network devices. Particularly, within the MikroTik ecosystem, RADIUS plays a pivotal role in streamlining user access and accounting for services like HotSpot, PPP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, OVPN, and ISDN connections.

Key Features and Benefits:

Centralized Management: RADIUS authentication and accounting provide a centralized solution for ISPs and network administrators to oversee user access and track usage across large-scale networks from a single server.

Flexible Configuration: MikroTik RouterOS offers a versatile RADIUS client that allows for flexible configuration options, including setting up backup RADIUS servers, specifying authentication and accounting ports, and defining various service types such as HotSpot, PPP, login, wireless, and DHCP.

Attribute Overrides: Attributes received from the RADIUS server can override default profile settings, enabling granular control over user access and permissions.

Seamless Integration: Integration with existing network infrastructure is seamless, with support for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, as well as options for specifying realms and domains for enhanced user authentication.

Secure Communication: Support for RadSec ensures secure communication between the RADIUS client and server, with the option to specify certificate files for encrypted data transmission.

Configuration Guide:

1. Access RADIUS Client Settings: Navigate to the RADIUS client settings in the MikroTik RouterOS interface.

2. Add RADIUS Client: Add a new RADIUS client, specifying the service types (e.g., HotSpot, PPP), RADIUS server address, shared secret, and optional parameters such as domain, protocol, and certificate.

3. Verify Configuration: Verify the RADIUS client configuration, ensuring that the specified settings align with the network requirements.

4. Enable RADIUS Authentication: Enable RADIUS authentication for the desired services (e.g., PPP, HotSpot) using the appropriate RouterOS commands.

5. Monitor Performance: Monitor RADIUS client statistics to track authentication requests, accepts, rejects, resends, timeouts, and other relevant metrics.

Example Configurations:

Basic Configuration:

/radius add service=hotspot,ppp address=10.0.0.3 secret=example

RadSec Configuration:

/radius add service=hotspot,ppp address=10.0.0.3 secret=radsec protocol=radsec certificate=client.crt

View Statistics:

/radius monitor 0

Conclusion:

By leveraging the power of MikroTik's RADIUS server capabilities, network administrators can enhance security, streamline user management, and optimize network performance. Whether deploying basic authentication setups or implementing advanced RadSec configurations, MikroTik RADIUS offers a robust solution for modern network management challenges.