Generate Client Configuration

Table of contents
  1. Standards
  2. Network Engineering
  3. Generate Client Configuration
BE SURE YOU ALWAYS HAVE AN ANTENNA OR DUMMY LOAD PLUGGED IN WHEN THE MODEM IS POWERED ON

THIS SERVICE IS EXPERIMENTAL

The generation of custom client configurations is a new function on the HamWAN site and as a result, there may be bugs in this process. We encourage you to give it a try as it is likely to save a lot of time and effort, but if you are concern or it does not work for you, please fall back to the traditional installation method documented on the Client Node Configuration page.

Overview

This process will generate a clent configuration configuration file that you will import into your router after resetting its configuration. First we will generate a configuration file. Then we will prepare the router, and finally install the configuration.

Integrating HamWAN into your LAN

One of the choices you will need to make is how to configure the ethernet of your router. Check out the LAN Integration article for ideas on how you might structure your network to include HamWAN. The simplest and default option is to not integrate your LAN at all, but to create a new isolated (NAT'd) LAN. This is a great way to initially test your HamWAN connection.

  1. Fill in this form and then push the Generate Config button. Your configuration will appear in the box below the form. Download (or cut-and-paste and save to a file) the configuration so you can upload it to your Mikrotik device in a later step.
A one or two word description of your location, no spaces (- and _ are OK), 32 characters maximum.

Name of target HamWAN cell, or 'Portable' if not targeting a specific cell. If you select Portable, latitude and longitude will be optional.


(-90.0 to 90.0, optional)
(-180.0 to 180.0, optional)
Use this random password or a strong password of your choosing.



Your modem will act as the DHCP server for a local NAT'd subnet and provide a default gateway, DNS addresses and NTP addresses to any client which requests an address.

Your modem will be staticly configured with an ethernet address of 192.168.88.1/24 (subnet mask of 255.255.255.0). Any clients will need to manually configure an address on this network and any other settings like gateway and DNS. We include the DHCP server configuration but it is disabled. If you decide you need the DHCP server later, just enable it from the command line (/ip dhcp-server set 0 disabled=no) or using the Winbox GUI.

Your modem will attempt to get an address from whatever LAN it is attached to using DHCP.


Configuration copied to clipboard! 

<pre>
(Your config will appear here.)
</pre>

Installation Instructions

These instructions are meant to be entered from the command line interface to the modem. You should use the Winbox utility and connect via the MAC address of the device. In the list of devices, click on the MAC address rather than the IP address. Do not use Webfig which relies on using a browser to access the modem on an IP address. There are times in this process where your device will not have an IP address (after removing the existing configuration). Once you have Winbox connected via the MAC address, you can open a command line in WinBox by clicking on "New Terminal". To paste commands in winbox, it's necessary to right-click and select paste rather than trying to use Ctrl-V.

  1. Upgrade your modem to the latest RouterOS version (either v6 or v7). Note that you also need to upgrade the RouterOS firmware which is an extra step.

    • If you have connected the modem to your LAN in a way that provides Internet access, the following command can be used:

      /system package update install

      (system reboots)

      /system routerboard upgrade

      (answer queries, system reboots)

    • Otherwise, use the standalone upgrade method: http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Upgrading_RouterOS (also works on older ROS 5.xx that does not support the upgrade command)

  2. Reset the router to a blank configuration.

    /system reset-configuration no-defaults=yes

  3. Reconnect to the modem using the MAC address.

  4. Bring up the Files dialogue

  5. Select Upload File and follow the process to upload your configuration file.

  6. Open a terminal window (New Terminal)

    /import file=_name_of_your_config_file verbose=yes

  7. If the file imported without errors, reboot you modem. If there were errors, investigate why the commands failed and let us know.

    /system reboot

    You can restart the script from any line number (like just afte the failed command by adding the from-line= paramenter:

    /import file=_name_of_your_config_file verbose=yes from-line=67

Connect

  1. Point your dish at any cell sites and look for beacons. Optimize for best signal.

    /interface wireless scan 0

  2. When signal is optimized, stop scanning and verify you have an association with the cell site

    /interface wireless monitor 0

  3. Verify you can reach the Internet using HamWAN

    /tool traceroute 8.8.8.8

  4. Verify you can resolve DNS

    /ping google.com

  5. Verify NTP synchronization

    /system ntp client print
# Should see "status: reached", "status: synchronized", or a recent number like "last-update-before: 4s490ms" if you're connected to the network.

/system clock print
# Should display the correct date + time if you're connected to the network, or have internet available through other means.