Pi Zero 2 W - Unable to create Hotspot with Network Manager

Product support
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1

I’m attempting to create a local hotspot using the built-in WLAN0 interface of a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W using Network Manager.

I have tried the following commands through the host terminal:

nmcli c add type wifi ifname hotspot con-name hotspot autoconnect no ssid hotspot
nmcli connection modify hotspot 802-11-wireless.mode ap 802-11-wireless.band bg ipv4.method shared
nmcli connection modify hotspot wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk
nmcli connection modify hotspot wifi-sec.psk "Passw0rd"
nmcli connection up hotspot

But face this error:

Connection 'Hotspot' is not available on device wlan0 because profile is not compatible with device (the device does not support Access Point mode)

Worth noting - I have tested the Balena Blocks WiFi connect and this functions perfectly fine, is able to create a hotspot and accept credentials before connecting normally.

2

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out. Wifi Connect is built with compatibility in mind and might be going the extra mile to enable a configuration option or tweaking a setting to get things working. A suggestion would be to jump into the source code of Wifi Connect and check how things are done. Possibly even reproduce the steps manually on your RPi0 two W. Additionally, please provide what version of balenaOS and network manager are you using? This would help in reproducing your issue.

3

Hello @gturner did you try to follow the intructions shared by my colleague?

Let us know if that works for you, to see if we can help you more!