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PURPLE ROUTER BLOG

ISP billing, explained.

Practical guides on ISP billing systems, PPPoE and RADIUS, M-Pesa payments and pricing, for internet service providers in Kenya.

Guide6 min read What is an ISP billing system? A complete guide What an ISP billing system does, from plans and M-Pesa payments to PPPoE, RADIUS and automatic reconnection, and why it matters for internet providers in Kenya. Read the article ›
All articles26 articles
01 Guide6 min read What is an ISP billing system? A complete guide What an ISP billing system does, from plans and M-Pesa payments to PPPoE, RADIUS and automatic reconnection, and why it matters for internet providers in Kenya. 02 Guide6 min read How to choose the best ISP billing system in Kenya A practical checklist for choosing an ISP billing system in Kenya: M-Pesa, paying when expired, PPPoE and RADIUS, MikroTik, pricing, migration and support. 03 How it works5 min read PPPoE billing system: how PPPoE billing works for ISPs How a PPPoE billing system works: accounts, plans and expiry, RADIUS, payments that renew plans automatically, and handling customers whose plan has expired. 04 Pricing4 min read Per-router vs per-customer billing: what your ISP really pays Why per-customer billing gets more expensive as your ISP grows, and how per-router pricing with unlimited customers keeps your costs flat. With worked numbers. 05 Payments5 min read M-Pesa billing for ISPs: through your bank or your own Paybill How ISPs in Kenya can collect with M-Pesa: an M-Pesa prompt through the bank with no Paybill, or their own Paybill with Daraja for STK push and offline payments. 06 Guide4 min read How to switch ISP billing systems without downtime Moving to a new ISP billing system without disconnecting customers: what to prepare, how PPPoE logins and expiry dates move over, and what to check after. 07 Guide5 min read Should your ISP build its own billing system? Many ISPs build their own billing system. What it really costs to build and maintain one, and when using a ready platform makes more sense. 08 Checklist5 min read 15 features every ISP billing system should have A checklist of the features an ISP billing system needs: M-Pesa, paying when expired, PPPoE and RADIUS, roaming, IP management, SMS, finance, audit log and more. 09 How it works4 min read Automatic disconnection and reconnection: billing that runs itself How an ISP billing system can handle expiry and reconnection automatically, so customers who pay are back online in seconds without your team doing anything. 10 Growth5 min read 7 billing mistakes that cost ISPs money Billing mistakes that quietly cost ISPs revenue, from matching payments by hand to shared logins and per-customer pricing, and how to fix them. 11 Guide4 min read Why ISP billing and network management belong in one system Running billing in one tool and the network in another creates gaps. Why ISPs benefit when billing, PPPoE, RADIUS and routers live in one platform. 12 How it works4 min read MikroTik billing system: what to look for What a MikroTik billing system should do: link routers quickly, central RADIUS for PPPoE, secure remote access, automatic backups and smooth router swaps. 13 Payments5 min read Captive portal payments: let expired PPPoE customers pay with no data How a captive portal payment page lets expired customers on your Wi-Fi pay with M-Pesa and reconnect in seconds, with no data bundle and no call to your office. 14 How it works4 min read How to link a MikroTik router to your billing system in minutes Link a MikroTik to Purple Router with one WireGuard script: copy it from the dashboard, paste it in the terminal, and your router is connected and secured. 15 Security4 min read Secure your MikroTik: close WinBox, SSH, API and WebFig to the internet Why open MikroTik management ports put ISPs at risk, and how Lock mode keeps WinBox, SSH, API and WebFig reachable only through a secure tunnel. 16 How it works4 min read PPPoE roaming: let customers connect on any of your routers How PPPoE roaming works with a central RADIUS: keep a customer on one router, on their station, or let them connect anywhere on your network. 17 How it works4 min read Monitor every router and customer in real time See live traffic, CPU, memory, storage and customers online for every router, and each customer’s speed against their plan, from one ISP dashboard. 18 How it works4 min read Static and public IPs for PPPoE customers, without touching their router Give PPPoE customers a private or public static IP, change or revoke it from the dashboard, and manage every IP block so you never run out by surprise. 19 How it works4 min read Burst speed and device limits: build better internet plans Create an ISP plan once and use it on every router: speed, burst, roaming and devices per PPPoE live in the plan, so one change updates your whole network. 20 Finance5 min read ISP finance done right: invoices, VAT and payments that reconcile themselves How ISPs can keep clean books: tax on every invoice, automatic reconciliation, unallocated payments, refunds, and records that staff can never delete. 21 How it works4 min read Swap a failed MikroTik router in minutes with reprovisioning When a router fails, unplug it, plug in a new one, click Reprovision, paste the script, and your customers log back in with the same login, plan and IP. 22 Messaging4 min read SMS reminders in your customers’ language: fewer late payments Automatic renewal reminders, payment links and receipts, per customer and in their own language, through Purple Router SMS, your sender ID or any SMS provider. 23 Growth4 min read Stop PPPoE login sharing with device limits and router locks Shared PPPoE logins quietly cost ISPs revenue. How devices per PPPoE, locking customers to a router or station, and RADIUS checks make every connection paid. 24 Growth4 min read Win back customers: follow-up lists for active, offline and dormant customers How ISPs use follow-up lists to win back dormant customers, catch paid-up customers who are offline, and pause rather than lose customers who travel. 25 Guide3 min read Your own customer portal: your address and your logo Give customers a portal and payment pages that carry your ISP’s address and logo, not ours, from day one. Custom domains and brand colours are coming soon. 26 Guide4 min read Cloud or self-hosted ISP billing: which is right for you? Run Purple Router on our cloud with updates and backups included, or self-host on your own servers on Enterprise. What each option means for your ISP.