Overview

NetworkManager is the connection manager used by both ALPON X4 OS and ALPON X5 AI OS. Its nmcli command-line client lets you declare network connections as named profiles that survive reboots, can be brought up and down independently, and don't require editing config files by hand.

The Wi-Fi radio on both devices (wlan0) supports access point (AP) mode, so the same device that uses Wi-Fi as a client can also act as a router. This is useful in three common scenarios:

• Field deployment. ALPON is online over cellular; nearby laptops or phones join the hotspot and reach the internet through the device.
• Sensor offload. Battery-powered ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico W, or other Wi-Fi clients send telemetry to the ALPON without an external router on site.
• On-site diagnostics. A technician joins the hotspot to reach the device's local web UIs and container ports (e.g. http://192.168.10.1:30800) without bringing a switch or LAN.

All four commands below run as root (or under sudo). The procedure is identical on ALPON X4 and ALPON X5 AI.

1. 1

   Create the Wi-Fi hotspot

   Open a terminal on the ALPON device, either over SSH, from a connected keyboard and monitor, or via the browser-based remote terminal on Sixfab Connect. Add a new NetworkManager profile in AP mode on wlan0, picking your own <YourSSID> and <YourStrongPassword>:

   bash · create hotspot profile

   nmcli connection add     type wifi     ifname wlan0     con-name hotspot-shared     ipv4.method shared     ipv4.addresses 192.168.10.1/24     wifi.mode ap     wifi.ssid <YourSSID>     wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk     wifi-sec.psk <YourStrongPassword>

   Expected output:

   terminal · success

   root@alpon-2wcg67e19263:~# nmcli connection add     type wifi ifname wlan0 con-name hotspot-shared     ipv4.method shared ipv4.addresses 192.168.10.1/24     wifi.mode ap wifi.ssid Hotspot     wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk wifi-sec.psk SecurePassword123!
   Connection 'hotspot-shared' (9260000e-8Wg0-2w7v-1199-e8b85f18lbee) successfully added.

   Parameter reference

   wlan0 The Wi-Fi interface used for the access point.

   con-name The NetworkManager profile name (hotspot-shared in this guide). Use any label; you'll reference it in steps 2 and 4.

   ipv4.method shared Enables NAT and an internal DHCP server so clients receive addresses and route through the ALPON's uplink.

   ipv4.addresses The device's IP on the hotspot subnet (192.168.10.1/24 here). Clients receive addresses in 192.168.10.2 – 192.168.10.254.

   wifi.mode ap Sets the radio to access-point mode.

   wifi.ssid The network name broadcast to clients.

   wifi-sec.psk The WPA2 password. Minimum 8 characters; mix letters, digits, and symbols.

   Keep your password in a secrets manager. nmcli stores it in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ with file mode 0600, but anyone with root on the device can read it.

2. 2

   Start and verify the hotspot

   Bring the profile up:

   bash · activate

   nmcli connection up hotspot-shared

   terminal · output

   root@alpon-2wcg67e19263:~# nmcli connection up hotspot-shared
   Connection successfully activated (D-Bus active path: /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/12)

   Confirm the hotspot is active by listing all NetworkManager connections:

   bash · list connections

   nmcli connection show

   terminal · nmcli connection show

   root@alpon-2wcg67e19263:~# nmcli connection show
   NAME                UUID  TYPE      DEVICE
   hotspot-shared      ***   wifi      wlan0
   Wired connection 3  ***   ethernet  usb0
   cni0                ***   bridge    cni0
   dummy0              ***   dummy     dummy0
   flannel.1           ***   vxlan     flannel.1
   lo                  ***   loopback  lo
   sfnetwork           ***   tun       sfnetwork
   Wired connection 1  ***   ethernet  eth0
   docker0             ***   bridge    docker0
   Wired connection 2  ***   ethernet  --

   You should see hotspot-shared in the list, bound to the wlan0 device.

3. 3

   Test the hotspot

   From a smartphone, laptop, or any Wi-Fi client:

   1. Open the Wi-Fi picker and join the SSID you set in step 1.
   2. Enter the WPA2 password.
   3. Confirm the client receives an IP in the 192.168.10.0/24 range (e.g. 192.168.10.42).
   4. Open a browser and load any external URL to verify the uplink works.

   The uplink is whatever the device is using

   With ipv4.method shared, traffic from hotspot clients is NAT'd through whatever interface the ALPON is currently using for the internet: cellular (wwan0), wired Ethernet (eth0), or upstream Wi-Fi. If the device is offline, hotspot clients can still join the SSID and reach the ALPON itself, but they won't have internet access.

4. 4

   Deactivate the hotspot

   To stop broadcasting the SSID and remove the profile entirely:

   bash · delete profile

   nmcli connection delete hotspot-shared

   If you only want to pause the hotspot (and start it again later with nmcli connection up hotspot-shared), use down instead of delete:

   bash · pause without deleting

   nmcli connection down hotspot-shared

Troubleshooting

The two most common issues when running the procedure for the first time.

Error: Failed to add 'hotspot-shared' connection: 802-11-wireless-security.psk: property is invalid

wifi-sec.psk "SecurePassword123!"

# 1. update package index and install NetworkManager
sudo apt update
sudo apt install network-manager

# 2. restart the daemon and confirm it is active
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
sudo systemctl status  NetworkManager