CAPsMAN

CAPsMAN stands for Controlled Access Point system Manager. It is a feature developed by MikroTik for managing MikroTik wireless access points. CAPsMAN allows a central MikroTik device, known as the CAPsMAN server, to manage multiple remote MikroTik access points, called CAPs. This centralized management approach simplifies the deployment and administration of wireless networks, especially in environments with numerous access points such as hotels, offices, or public Wi-Fi hotspots.

The CAPsMAN server can configure various aspects of the managed CAPs. This includes setting up wireless interfaces, defining SSIDs (network names), configuring security settings like WPA2/WPA3 encryption, managing channel selection, and even assigning IP addresses. Changes made on the CAPsMAN server are automatically pushed to all connected CAPs, ensuring consistent network configurations across the entire wireless infrastructure.

Communication between the CAPsMAN server and the CAPs is typically done over the CAPsMAN control protocol, which operates on UDP port 5246. This protocol allows for efficient communication and configuration updates. Furthermore, CAPsMAN supports features like dynamic client provisioning, allowing new access points to be automatically configured once they connect to the network and are authorized by the CAPsMAN server. This system is particularly beneficial for large-scale wireless deployments where manual configuration of each access point would be time-consuming and prone to errors.