What is Purple Router?+
Purple Router is an ISP billing and network management system for internet service providers in Kenya. It runs PPPoE billing, M-Pesa payments, RADIUS, MikroTik routers, customers, SMS and finance from one dashboard, for KES 1,000 per router a month with unlimited customers.
What should I look for in an ISP billing system in Kenya?+
Look for M-Pesa payments that settle straight to your bank, customers who can pay even when their internet has expired, PPPoE and RADIUS built in, MikroTik support, automatic reconnection after payment, SMS reminders and receipts, and fair pricing that does not charge you per customer. Purple Router does all of these in one system.
How much does Purple Router cost?+
Standard is KES 1,000 per router a month, with unlimited PPPoE customers on every router. There are no per-customer fees and no hidden costs, so your bill only grows when you add a router, not when you win a customer. Enterprise, for large networks that self-host, has custom pricing.
Do you charge per customer?+
No. Many ISP billing systems charge for every PPPoE customer, so your costs rise as you grow. Purple Router charges per router only, with unlimited customers on each.
What does Standard include?+
Every feature that is live today, on every router: the M-Pesa prompt through your bank, M-Pesa Express and M-Pesa offline with your own Daraja keys, the captive portal and SMS payment links, PPPoE, RADIUS, roaming and IP blocks, remote access and router swap, finance, invoices, tags and the audit log. Router backups run every hour and are kept for 48 hours, and new features are added at no extra cost as they launch.
What does Enterprise include?+
Enterprise is for large networks that want to run Purple Router on their own servers. It has every Standard feature, your data stays on your servers, and it adds unlimited router backups, setup and upgrades with our team, a dedicated account manager and priority support. Pricing is custom, and server costs are paid separately, based on the RAM and storage you need. Email sales@purplerouter.com for a quote.
How does PPPoE billing work in Purple Router?+
You create your internet plans once and use them on every router. Each customer gets a PPPoE account with a plan and an expiry date. When they pay, the account renews automatically through RADIUS and they are back online in seconds. When a plan expires, the customer is sent to a payment page instead of being cut off with no way to pay.
Does Purple Router work with MikroTik?+
Yes. Purple Router is built for MikroTik today. You link a router by pasting one WireGuard script into the MikroTik terminal, and from then on you manage PPPoE, RADIUS, sessions and backups from the dashboard.
Which other routers and OLTs will be supported?+
Purple Router is built for all network equipment. Ruijie, Huawei, Cisco, Nokia and Juniper are being integrated now. Fiber OLT and ONU management is coming soon, for OLTs such as HIOSO, Huawei, ZTE and VSOL, with each ONU matched to the customer’s PPPoE account.
How do customers pay with M-Pesa?+
Customers get an M-Pesa prompt on their phone, through your bank. You can also use M-Pesa Express and M-Pesa offline with your own Daraja keys. Payments settle in real time and the money goes straight to your bank. Airtel Money, T-Kash and Equitel are coming soon through open banking.
Can I use my own M-Pesa Paybill and Daraja keys?+
Yes. Add your Daraja keys once in the dashboard. With M-Pesa Express (STK push), the prompt comes from your own Paybill, the customer enters their PIN and is back online in seconds. With M-Pesa offline, the customer pays from the M-Pesa menu with their account number, Safaricom notifies Purple Router through the API, and the payment is matched and the customer reconnected automatically. The money settles to your Paybill. Purple Router never holds it.
Can customers pay when their internet has expired?+
Yes. As long as they are connected to your network, the SMS payment link opens even with no data. When a plan expires, the captive portal also opens by itself, so they can pay with M-Pesa and get back online in seconds without calling you.
How do I switch from my current billing system?+
In three steps: add your customers in the dashboard, run one script on your MikroTik, and everyone moves over. Customers keep the same PPPoE logins and expiry dates, stay online with no downtime and change nothing on their side. Every new ISP gets an engineer assigned to help with setup.
How do I link my router?+
All you need is a WireGuard connection between your router and Purple Router. Copy the script from your dashboard and paste it into your MikroTik terminal. Nothing else to install.
Is my router safe once it is linked?+
Yes. During onboarding you can lock down router management, so WinBox, API, SSH and web management are only reachable through the secure Purple Router tunnel, not from the public internet or your customer network.
Can I stop customers sharing PPPoE logins?+
Yes. PPPoE device limits and MAC binding stop one login being used on several devices, so every connection is a paying customer.
How are customer IPs handled?+
Through RADIUS, built in. Dynamic and static PPPoE, public and private IPs and IP blocks are all assigned from the dashboard. When you change a customer’s IP, nothing changes on their side. With roaming on, customers can connect through any of your routers.
What if a router fails or I need to replace it?+
Every router’s configuration is backed up automatically every hour and kept for 48 hours. Swap in the new router and your customers link to it automatically and stay online, with no downtime and no data lost.
Does Purple Router send SMS to customers?+
Yes. Payment reminders before a plan expires, receipts after payment and outage messages to tagged customers, each in the customer’s own language, like English, Kiswahili or any other. No SMS sender ID yet? Use Purple Router SMS: top up credit and start sending instantly. Have your own sender ID? Use Purple SMS. You can connect any SMS provider with an HTTPS API yourself.
Can I host Purple Router myself?+
Yes, on Enterprise. On Standard we run everything for you in our cloud. On Enterprise you self-host it on your own servers with the same features.
Do I get my own web address?+
Yes. Every internet service provider gets its own address, like yourisp.purplerouter.com, from day one, and you manage it with your own logo. You can also use your own custom domain, like billing.yourisp.co.ke: point one DNS record to us and the SSL certificate is set up for you. You can also pick your own brand colors for the portal and payment pages, so it is fully white label.
What happens to money paid by mistake?+
It lands in unallocated payments, where you can assign it to the right customer or refund it. Overpayments become credit.
What is coming next?+
Leads, tickets, tasks, fiber OLT management, Purple AI, open banking, a customer app, TR-069 remote management of customer routers, inventory, Voice for customer care calls in the dashboard, a live network map, a network operation center (NOC) with SNMP monitoring and alarms, KRA eTIMS invoicing, a customer self-service portal where customers can change their own Wi-Fi name and password and see how many devices are connected, online sign-up with a coverage check, field service for technicians in the ISP app, payments on WhatsApp and Telegram with Purple AI as your customer care, offline WhatsApp linked by QR code, an expense tracker to see your real profit, advanced analytics, an open API with webhooks to link your CRM, accounting system and third-party tools, and Safe Internet: scam and malware blocking and parental control that keep your network and customers safe. Each one is added to Standard at no extra cost as it launches.
How do I get support?+
Support is 24/7 by email at support@purplerouter.com, so every request is written down and tracked. You can also call support on 0724 77 66 77, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm, Kenya time. Sales questions go to sales@purplerouter.com, and feature ideas and partnerships go to our R&D Lab at lab@purplerouter.com.
Is Purple Router available outside Kenya?+
Purple Router is live in Kenya today and coming to the rest of Africa, one country at a time, starting with East Africa. Each country has its own page at purplerouter.com.
