MikroTik's keep-alive timeout forces guests to re-authenticate every time they disconnect and reconnect to WiFi, creating frustration and support burden. This occurs because MikroTik sends ICMP ping requests to verify device connectivity, and when guests' devices don't respond (due to sleep mode, power saving, or network switching), MikroTik logs them out automatically.
This guide shows you how to disable keep-alive timeout in MikroTik hotspot user profiles, allowing guests to reconnect seamlessly without re-authentication.
What you'll accomplish:
Identify keep-alive timeout as the cause of re-login issues
Remove keep-alive timeout from hotspot user profiles
Allow guests to reconnect without re-authentication
Reduce guest frustration and support requests
What you'll need:
MikroTik router with admin access via Winbox
Hotspot already configured with Spotipo
If you see that Guests on your Mikrotik have to log in multiple times a day, this might be caused by the Mikrotik Keep-Alive timeout.
You can log in to your Winbox application and navigate to the Logs tab to check if it's the case.
Check if you can see log prints that say, logged out: keepalive timeout.
What is Keep-Alive Timeout?
Keep-alive timeout is a mechanism that determines whether the device is still connected to the network. Typically this is done by sending ICMP requests to devices and waiting for a response. And if there is no response during the timeout period, Mikrotik will kick the device out of the network.
How to Remove Keep-Alive Timeout for Hotspot users
Go to User Profiles in the Hotspot tab and remove the Keep Alive timeout.
This can be verified by clicking on an active user that logs in after the setting was changed, their Keep Alive timeout should not be set.
Keep-Alive Timeout Removed
After removing the keep-alive timeout from your hotspot user profile, guests can disconnect and reconnect without needing to log in again (within their session time limit). This significantly improves guest experience, especially for mobile users who frequently switch between WiFi and cellular data.
What to do next:
Test by connecting a device, disconnecting, and reconnecting
Verify active users show no keep-alive timeout setting
Monitor logs to confirm "keepalive timeout" messages no longer appear
When keep-alive timeout is useful: Keep-alive timeout can prevent unauthorized device sharing by ensuring only actively connected devices maintain access. However, for most guest WiFi scenarios, the poor user experience outweighs this benefit.
Still having issues with guest re-authentication? Contact Spotipo support via live chat or email us at [email protected].