I bought a USB wifi adaptor to use to set up a hotspot.
Typically I've been sold a lemon and it doesn't support hotspotsSo I moved my internet connection from `wlan0` to `wlan1` and set about using `wlan0` for the hotspot like I did on a Debian 9 box I had before moving to a pi.
I added `wlan0` to a bridge also containing `eth0` so that everything local is routable to everything.
This is on a Pi 5 running Debian 10 with command line only; no GUI.
It's impossible to use `nmcli` to set up a hotspot because you can't tell it whether to use `wlan0` or `wlan1` so I set up `hostapd` and I couldn't find anything about adding the interface to the bridge.It ran for about a day, and then suddenly everything has been kicked off the network and won't reconnect.
Runningallowed some devices to reconnect, but not all.
I tried killing `wpa_supplicant` processes but that made no difference.
After being down while I wrote this I've just givenanother go and a device that could previously not connect did so straight away.
However, it wouldn't connect when Iuntil I wrote this and now it has.
Any idea what's going on?
Code:
$ lsusb...Bus 001 Device 056: ID 148f:7601 Ralink Technology, Corp. MT7601U Wireless AdapterCode:
$ nmcli -f WIFI-PROPERTIES.AP device show wlan0WIFI-PROPERTIES.AP: yes$ nmcli -f WIFI-PROPERTIES.AP device show wlan1WIFI-PROPERTIES.AP: noI added `wlan0` to a bridge also containing `eth0` so that everything local is routable to everything.
This is on a Pi 5 running Debian 10 with command line only; no GUI.
It's impossible to use `nmcli` to set up a hotspot because you can't tell it whether to use `wlan0` or `wlan1` so I set up `hostapd` and I couldn't find anything about adding the interface to the bridge.
Code:
$ cat /etc/hostapd/wlan0.confinterface=wlan0bridge=br0country_code=UKieee80211d=1ieee80211n=1ieee80211ac=1#hw_mode=bhw_mode=g#hw_mode=a# mode g for 2.4 (a for 5)# 2.4 GHz is channels 1 to 13. Supported: 1--11# 5 GHz is channels 36 to 64 (indoor only). Supported: 36, 40, 44, 48channel=3ssid=kestrelwpa=2wpa_passphrase=top-secret-passwordwpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSKwpa_pairwise=TKIP#wpa_pairwise=CCMPrsn_pairwise=CCMPauth_algs=1macaddr_acl=0wmm_enabled=1ctrl_interface=/var/run/hostapdctrl_interface_group=0Running
Code:
sudo hostapd -d /etc/hostapd/wlan0.confI tried killing `wpa_supplicant` processes but that made no difference.
After being down while I wrote this I've just given
Code:
$ sudo hostapd -d /etc/hostapd/wlan0.confHowever, it wouldn't connect when I
Code:
$ sudo systemctl start hostapd@wlan0.serviceAny idea what's going on?
Statistics: Posted by rwb — Fri Dec 12, 2025 11:10 am — Replies 0 — Views 13