[PROBLEM] wifi Hotspot not working on pi3B

[paulliewallie]

The WiFi Hotspot is not working.

The password is set and saved then rebooted.
Macbook/iPhone see the "moode" WiFi SSID but will say this needs a WPA2 password.

Turns out this fault is on PI 3 but on PI 4 it works ok.

[Tim Curtis]

I can repro not able to connect to Hotspot on pi3. I'll investigate.

[Tim Curtis]

In Network Config did you explicitly set "Network SSID" to "Activate Hotspot"?

[Tim Curtis]

There was a spurious nmconnect file created for SSID 'Activate Hotspot' but this was not contributing to the Hotspot password fail on Pi3. It works fine on Pi3B+ and higher.

The nmconnect files look good with correct PSK and nmcli reports the correct 172.24.1.1/24 address. I don't see anything in the journal that suggests why the password fails.

If someone with a Pi3 wants to do further diagnosis, use the updated inc/network/php file from the repo that fixes the spurious nmconnect file issue and delete the file "/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Activate Hotspot.nmconnect" if it exists. Also verify that a PSK exists in the file "/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Hotspot.nmconnect"

The way to get SSH access to the Pi3 (because its Hotspot will fail) is to boot up, wait a few minutes then plug in an Ethernet cable. Don't leave the cable plugged in during boot.

[TheOldPresbyope]

So I too can repro the issue with a RPi3B.

Comparing it with an RPi5B, the NetworkManager log entries in the journal appear to be the same but I see some differences in wpa_supplicant log entries. I'll check again in the morning to make sure I haven't made one of my trademark mistakes* and then to try to winkle out what the differences mean.

Regards,
Kent

*I console myself with the knowledge that a major league batter who consistently hits .300 is considered a star.

[paulliewallie]

In Network Config did you explicitly set "Network SSID" to "Activate Hotspot"?

Yes! and added the password in "hotspot".

Also tried an old iPod touch 2nd gen to connect but it couldn't. Just incase something was different with the MacOS and iOS which had recently updated.

[paulliewallie]

Just updated moode. Redid setup to use hotspot (activate hotspot and saved. password in hotspot password and saved. reboot), same problem happens. MacBook says: The wi-fi network "moode" requires a WPA2 password.

[TheOldPresbyope]

Just updated moode. Redid setup to use hotspot (activate hotspot and saved. password in hotspot password and saved. reboot), same problem happens. MacBook says: The wi-fi network "moode" requires a WPA2 password.

We know there is an issue specific to the Pi3 model. It hasn't been sorted yet. 

The Hotspot starts up and looks fine to WiFi clients but won't complete the security handshake when a client tries to associate with it.

Until a fix is announced there's no point in trying to use the HotSpot feature with this model Pi. (I suppose if it's essential, one could reconfigure for WEP or such but that's so insecure I won't say any more.)

Regards,
Kent

[paulliewallie]

It is not urgent or important feature I need.
Last week, I needed hotspot to test some in ear monitors at a shop and thats when I discovered the bug. I took a router with me to bypass the problem and a pi 4 with hotspot as a backup. The pi 3 has the good sound card but the pibow case it's in, is a lot of work to dismantle and free the hat!