Setting Up WiFi Hotspot (hostapd)

[felix]

Setting Up WiFi Hotspot (hostapd)

Turn your OpenStick into a WiFi hotspot that shares your LTE connection.

Install Required Packages

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sudo apt install hostapd dnsmasq

Configure hostapd
Edit

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/etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf

:

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interface=wlan0
driver=nl80211
ssid=OpenStick
hw_mode=g
channel=6
wmm_enabled=0
macaddr_acl=0
auth_algs=1
ignore_broadcast_ssid=0
wpa=2
wpa_passphrase=YourPasswordHere
wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
wpa_pairwise=TKIP
rsn_pairwise=CCMP

Configure dnsmasq for DHCP
Edit

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/etc/dnsmasq.conf

:

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interface=wlan0
dhcp-range=192.168.100.10,192.168.100.50,24h
dhcp-option=3,192.168.100.1
dhcp-option=6,8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4

Set Up IP and NAT

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sudo ip addr add 192.168.100.1/24 dev wlan0
sudo ip link set wlan0 up

# Enable IP forwarding
echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward

# NAT masquerade (assuming wwan0 is your LTE interface)
sudo iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o wwan0 -j MASQUERADE
sudo iptables -A FORWARD -i wlan0 -o wwan0 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A FORWARD -i wwan0 -o wlan0 -m state --state RELATED,ESTABLISHED -j ACCEPT

Start Services

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sudo systemctl unmask hostapd
sudo systemctl enable hostapd dnsmasq
sudo systemctl start hostapd dnsmasq

Make IP Forwarding Persistent
Add to

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/etc/sysctl.conf

:

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net.ipv4.ip_forward=1

Save iptables rules:

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sudo apt install iptables-persistent
sudo netfilter-persistent save

Known Limitations

• The WCN3620 WiFi chip supports 2.4 GHz only (no 5 GHz)
• Maximum throughput is approximately 50 Mbps
• Some users report instability with many connected clients (keep it under 5-10)