I'm trying to set up Hostapd to create a Wi-Fi access point on Debian 12, following a walkthrough I found. However, I'm running into a couple of major issues. First, I can't get my Wi-Fi to bridge from Hostapd to my wired Ethernet connection. I suspect I need to replace certain 192 IP addresses mentioned in the guide with my own, but I'm unsure what specific settings to use for the gateway and DNS.
Additionally, I'm having trouble getting Hostapd to run as a service; it keeps wanting to be unmasked, but when that happens, my phone can't see the network. I'm confused if it's supposed to act as a mesh AP for a parent SSID or if it's just malfunctioning. Even when I try to run it in the background, I receive kernel report errors in the journalctl logs. I've addressed most of my other Hostapd problems, but these two are stumping me.
2 Answers
You might want to check if your Wi-Fi adapter supports access point mode. Not all adapters can do it! There’s a guide out there that explains how to verify this, which could help clarify things for you. If your adapter can't handle it, you’ll always hit roadblocks no matter what you do.
I totally get your frustration! Connecting a wired Ethernet to Wi-Fi using Hostapd can be tricky. Verify that your network settings—especially the IP addresses—are correctly configured for your network; sometimes it helps to check the subnet and ensure everything matches. Since you mentioned that it worked under Windows, your adapter should be able to handle it if everything else is set right.
Thanks for the tip! I'll double-check those settings; maybe I missed something there. It's just been hard figuring out the right IP configuration.