RPi4 standalone wifi

 

The RPi4/Bookworm12 offers a hotspot option from wiithin the GUI. That works but there are issues.

I ran across a more direct method using nmcli from a SSH headless session. The RPi4 remains online if the router/modem is shut down. My notes follow:

How do I set up networkng on Raspberry Pi OS - Bookworm

Not the same as an access point.

December 26, 2025

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Google AI:

raspberry pi 4, bookworm, turn on hot spot from cli

# 1. Stop NetworkManager if needed (sometimes helps)

sudo systemctl stop NetworkManager

(-RPi shutdown, reboot needed., this step probably not needed.)

# 2. Create the hotspot (replace values):

sudo nmcli device wifi hotspot ifname wlan0 ssid "RPi4-Spot2" password "raspberry"

{-RPi4 is now on 192.168.0.193)

"Windows can't get thhe network settings from the router"

"Enter security key instaead" : 'raspberry'

Mobaxterm closes

Now using 10.42.0.1 / 'RPi4-Spot2' SSID and logged in.

The RPi4-Spot2 hot spot may or may not boot and run without the router/modem.

This remains to be seen. 

Turned off router/modem and let the RPi4 run all night. Everythings good.

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Unused option for internet sharing:

# 3. (Optional) If sharing internet, ensure ipv4.method=shared on the hotspot profile

# This might need manual editing of the connection file or specific nmcli commands.

# Example for setting up internet sharing (requires dnsmasq/bridge setup):

sudo nano /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf

# Add [main] dhcp=internal to disable NetworkManager's DHCP, and set ipv4.method=shared on the hotspot connection.

# 4. Start NetworkManager

sudo systemctl start NetworkManager

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# 5. Verify hotspot is up

nmcli con show

nmcli connection show

NAME                UUID                                  TYPE      DEVICE

Hotspot*             3cd3ec9d-0bcd-4b40-a630-52e0bf267c4e  wifi      wlan0

Wired connection 1  34d66ff1-2341-3e52-9a95-a4ecb8758e18  ethernet  eth0

lo                  67bfa196-29c6-4ce0-9f54-7bab05f610a9  loopback  lo

preconfigured       8611a411-98af-4d8c-9148-f6a0389f8b75  wifi      --

* Note name of hotspot, 'RPi4-Spot',

 is not used, as when GUI version is set up.

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Deletion process:

nmcli connection show

sudo nmcli connection delete "HotspotName"

nmcli radio wifi off

nmcli radio wifi on

The hotspot may be deletable from the GUI as well but nmcli is probalby more consistent.

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