Yes, to create multiple virtual access points (virtual APs) on a MikroTik device, the main access point must be active and broadcasting. Virtual APs work by creating additional wireless interfaces over the existing physical interface.

This means they use the same antenna and radio hardware as the primary AP, but may have separate and distinct SSIDs (service set identifiers), security policies, and network configurations.

The primary AP acts as the base for the virtual APs, so if the primary AP is disabled or not transmitting signal, the virtual APs will not work either.

The idea behind virtual APs is to allow a single physical MikroTik device to provide multiple wireless networks, each configured for different purposes, such as separating network traffic between departments of a company, creating a network for guests, or isolating IoT devices in your own network, all while maintaining centralized management and saving on additional hardware.

Steps to Configure Virtual APs in MikroTik:

1. Make sure the Primary AP is Configured and Working: Before attempting to configure virtual APs, the primary AP must be properly configured and emitting a wireless signal.
2. Access MikroTik Settings: Use WinBox or the command line interface (CLI) to access your MikroTik device.
3. Create Virtual Wireless Interfaces:
   • In WinBox, go to the “Interfaces” section and select the “Add” button to create a new virtual wireless interface. Select the interface type as “Virtual” and configure the SSID, security and other settings according to your needs.
   • Through the CLI, you can use the command /interface wireless add followed by the parameters necessary to create a virtual AP.
4. Configure Each Virtual AP Independently: Although virtual APs share the same hardware as the main AP, you can independently configure their SSID, security (WPA2, WPA3, etc.), and other network settings.

Remember that although virtual APs offer considerable flexibility to manage multiple wireless networks, they all share the same hardware capacity of the MikroTik device, including available bandwidth.

This means that performance can be affected by the number of active virtual APs and the network usage on each of them.