Speed profiles (bandwidth)
Define download and upload limits, burst and priority for guests; choose the default profile and learn when a profile is applied to a guest.
A speed profile is a plan that limits a guest's internet speed. The profile is sent to the router over
RADIUS (the MikroTik Mikrotik-Rate-Limit attribute); you do not need to build queues on the router
by hand.
Create a profile
- Open Bandwidth Management in the left menu and press Add New Profile.
- Enter Profile Name and an optional Description.
- Enter Download Speed (Kbps) and Upload Speed (Kbps). Values are in kilobits per second: 1000 = 1 Mbps, 10000 = 10 Mbps.
- Optionally open Burst Settings (below).
- Priority is 1–8; a lower number means higher priority. If unsure, leave 8.
- Save with Profile active ticked.
What burst means
Burst is a short speed-up: while a page loads the guest goes above the limit, during a long download the speed returns to the limit.
- Burst Download (Kbps) / Burst Upload (Kbps): the short-term maximum speed.
- Burst Threshold: burst is available while the average speed is below this value.
- Burst Time: the period the average is calculated over.
Example: 5000 Kbps limit, 10000 Kbps burst, 4000 Kbps threshold, 8 seconds. Pages open quickly, long downloads stay at 5 Mbps.
Apply a profile to guests
- Default profile: Default Bandwidth Profile on the Profile page is applied automatically to new guests signing in to your hotspots (SMS, Google, voucher and so on).
- Per account: choose a profile when creating an account on Users or in a bulk upload. See Guest users.
When a change takes effect
When you change or deactivate a profile, the new speed applies to new sessions; a connected guest keeps the old speed for that session. To apply it immediately the guest has to reconnect.
Deactivate and delete
- When you deactivate a profile, its guests fall back to the default profile; without a default there is no speed limit. When you reactivate it, guests return to their own profile.
- When you delete a profile, the guests' link to it is removed and its RADIUS group is deleted.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Speed limit never applies | The guest connected before the profile was assigned; ask them to reconnect. On the router check /queue simple print for a dynamic queue for the guest. |
| Speed above the limit | Burst values are high; clear or lower the burst fields. |
| Router queues conflict | Queues added by hand on the Bandwidth page can override the profile. See MikroTik tools. |