# Wifi-Connect - etc/init.d/interface and /etc/wpa\_supplicant.conf?

**URL:** <https://forums.balena.io/t/wifi-connect-etc-init-d-interface-and-etc-wpa-supplicant-conf/375073>\
**Category:** Product support\
**Tags:** wifi, network\
**Created:** [November 12, 2025, 8:33am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/wifi-connect-etc-init-d-interface-and-etc-wpa-supplicant-conf/375073 "2025-11-12T08:33:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Climber1987mux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Climber1987mux](https://forums.balena.io/u/Climber1987mux)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 8:33am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/wifi-connect-etc-init-d-interface-and-etc-wpa-supplicant-conf/375073/1 "2025-11-12T08:33:34Z")

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Hi, I have a question:  
I’m not allowed to use a network manager for my project. Can I modify _wifi-connect_ so that it creates or uses _/etc/init.d/interface_ and _/etc/wpa\_supplicant.conf_?  
Bye,  
Fabian

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**Author:** ![samuel-duffield1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/samuel-duffield1/32/10378_2.png) [@samuel-duffield1](https://forums.balena.io/u/samuel-duffield1)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 1:13pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/wifi-connect-etc-init-d-interface-and-etc-wpa-supplicant-conf/375073/2 "2025-11-13T13:13:24Z")

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Hi Fabian,

Just trying to understand your use-case…

Do you know the credentials of your WiFi network you’re going to deploy to in advance? Or do you require the ability for a customer to connect your device to a WiFi network /after/ shipping your device?

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**Author:** ![Climber1987mux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Climber1987mux](https://forums.balena.io/u/Climber1987mux)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/wifi-connect-etc-init-d-interface-and-etc-wpa-supplicant-conf/375073/3 "2025-11-13T20:39:50Z")

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Hi Samuel,

Our devices are not pre-configured with WiFi credentials before shipping. Customers can easily connect the device to their preferred WiFi network after delivery. This setup is handled through WiFi Connect.

Greetings,  
Fabian

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**Author:** ![samuel-duffield1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/samuel-duffield1/32/10378_2.png) [@samuel-duffield1](https://forums.balena.io/u/samuel-duffield1)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2025, 9:16am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/wifi-connect-etc-init-d-interface-and-etc-wpa-supplicant-conf/375073/4 "2025-11-14T09:16:16Z")

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Hi Fabian,

So `wifi-connect` ([link](https://github.com/balena-os/wifi-connect/tree/master)) uses our rust crate `network-manager` ([link](https://github.com/balena-io-modules/network-manager/tree/master)), which interfaces with the HostOS’s NetworkManager over `dbus`.

Creating a fork of `wifi-connect`such that it doesn’t use the HostOS’s NetworkManager would not be a small fork… it would be a significant project.

You’ll probably need a combination of the following:

1. **`hostapd`** : Creates an access point for your wifi chip.
2. **`dnsmasq`** : Handles DHCP and DNS (redirection of traffic to the capture portal to configure wifi credentials)
3. **`wpa_supplicant`** : The client that eventually connects to the target Wi-Fi.
4. A custom web server application (Rust/Python/Node/Go) to serve the page where the user enters passwords.

This would be a drastically different approach than the current `wifi-connect` block that we provide. This would be a cool open source project to see though, if you’re interested in building it as a new Balena Block!