Frequently asked questions

Sign up and account

Is it really free?

Yes. There is no card, no trial period and no limit on the number of OLTs or ONUs. See about Free SmartOLT.

How do I sign up?

Go to create your free panel. Give your company name, your email address and a site name. The site name becomes your panel address, for example yourname.freesmartolt.com. We send you one email. Open the link in it, choose a password, and your panel is built in about two minutes. See getting started.

The confirmation email did not arrive. What now?

It can take a minute or two. Look in your spam folder. The link works for 24 hours. After that the sign up is deleted and you can sign up again with the same email address and site name.

How do I sign in, and what is my username?

Open your panel address, or go to sign in and enter your site name. The username is admin. The password is the one you chose at sign up.

I forgot my password.

Use reset by email with your site name and the email address you signed up with. The link in the email works for 60 minutes and can be used once. See account and password.

Connecting an OLT

Which OLTs work?

Huawei, ZTE and V-SOL GPON model families. Huawei MA5683T, MA5680T and MA5608T retain the existing configuration features; newer family drivers start read-only. Firmware and board compatibility matters. See supported OLTs for the model list, available features and exclusions.

What does my OLT need?

Telnet access, and a user that can configure the OLT. SNMP is optional and read only. See add an OLT.

My OLT has no public address. Can I still use it?

Yes. The panel has a built in OpenVPN server. You paste a ready made script into a MikroTik router on the same network as the OLT. The router connects to us, and the panel reaches the OLT through that tunnel. See connect with OpenVPN and MikroTik.

The panel cannot reach my OLT. What should I check?

Open the OLT page. A checklist shows which step fails: the router tunnel, reaching the OLT address, the make of the device, the login, or the read itself. Then follow connection troubleshooting.

Why did the panel stop reading my OLT?

If the OLT refuses the username or password, automatic reads stop at once, so the login on the OLT does not get locked. Correct the login and save the OLT settings, then reads start again. An OLT that keeps failing for other reasons is read less often until it answers again. You can press Refresh at any time.

Using the panel

How fresh is the data?

The panel reads each OLT every 5 minutes. Press Refresh on an OLT to read it at once. An ONU page can also read live values for that one ONU. See ONU details.

How do I authorize a new ONU?

Plug it in. It appears by itself in the list of ONUs waiting to be authorized. Choose the customer details and press authorize. Presets fill in the VLAN and profiles for you. See authorize an ONU and presets and auto actions.

My OLT already has ONUs on it. Will the panel see them?

Yes. The panel reads the ONUs that are already on the OLT and lists them. You do not need to authorize them again. See manage ONUs.

Can I act on many ONUs at once?

Yes. Select them in the ONU list and choose the action. To reboot or disable more than ten ONUs, the panel asks you to type the exact number first. See bulk actions.

What signal level is good?

The panel shows the optical signal of each ONU, marks the ones that need attention, and keeps the history so you can see a fibre getting worse. The optical signal guide explains the levels and what to do.

Does the panel back up my OLT configuration?

Yes, on a schedule you choose for each OLT, or by hand. You can download the backups. The panel does not restore a whole configuration to the OLT for you. See configuration backups.

Data and safety

What does the panel change on my OLT?

Reading is automatic. Nothing is changed on the OLT unless you press a button for it, such as authorize, reboot or a VLAN change, or unless you set up an auto action that authorizes new ONUs for you. See security and your data.

Who can see my data?

Each ISP has its own panel and its own database. OLT passwords are stored encrypted. Your panel password is stored as a hash that cannot be read back. See security and your data and the privacy policy.

Can other ISPs on the VPN reach my OLT or my router?

No. Routers on the VPN cannot reach each other, and they cannot open connections to our server. Only our server opens connections to your OLT, and the router forwards only the Telnet port and, if you turned it on, the SNMP port.

How do I delete my panel?

Email support@ispledger.com from the address you signed up with and give your site name. We delete the panel and its database.

For anything else, see the documentation or contact and support.