apsta

Run a WiFi hotspot on Linux while staying connected to WiFi.

nmcli device wifi hotspot takes over your WiFi card and drops your connection. Most modern cards can actually be a client and an access point at the same time ("AP+STA"). apsta finds out whether yours can, sets the hotspot up the right way for it, keeps it healthy, and cleans up completely when you stop it.

$ apsta detect

Capability report for wlo1
  →  Driver:   iwlwifi
  →  Chipset:  Intel Corporation Wi-Fi 6 AX200

     ✔  AP mode (hotspot)                    yes
     ✔  STA mode (WiFi client)               yes
     ✔  AP + STA at the same time            yes
     ✘  AP on a different channel than STA   no

Methods
     hostapd  ready
     nmcli    ready

Verdict
  ✔  Your card can run a hotspot while staying connected to WiFi.
  ✔  The hotspot will use the same channel as your WiFi connection.
  →  Next: sudo apsta start

Features

• Reads the hardware properly: parses the driver's interface combinations to decide whether AP+STA is possible and whether the hotspot must share the WiFi channel.
• Keeps your connection: the hotspot runs on a virtual interface. A mode that drops WiFi is used only if you allow it (--allow-disconnect).
• All-or-nothing setup: every step registers its own undo, so a failure part-way leaves nothing behind, and stop removes exactly what start added.
• Stays up: apsta run (what the service runs) restarts the hotspot after suspend/resume or a driver reset, and moves it when your WiFi changes channel.
• Works with your firewall: firewalld, iptables (including ufw/docker setups) and nftables. Picks a hotspot subnet that doesn't clash with your networks. DNS goes through your normal resolver, so captive portals and VPN DNS keep working.
• Fast: 802.11n/ac + WMM, and the right regulatory country code.
• Client management (hostapd mode): list, kick, block, and rate-limit clients.
• Safe by default: a random password on first start (never a shared default), passwords never on a command line, a scoped polkit action for the GUI.
• Desktop app (GTK 4/libadwaita) with device management and QR-code sharing.

Install

Ubuntu / Pop!_OS (PPA)

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:krotrn/apsta
sudo apt update
sudo apt install apsta

Arch Linux and derivatives

sudo tee -a /etc/pacman.conf >/dev/null <<'CONF'

[apsta]
SigLevel = Optional TrustAll
Server = https://github.com/krotrn/apsta/releases/download/arch-repo
CONF
sudo pacman -Sy apsta          # or: yay -S apsta
sudo pacman -S --needed hostapd dnsmasq   # recommended (hostapd mode)

From source (any distribution)

git clone https://github.com/krotrn/apsta && cd apsta
sudo ./install.sh              # installs into /usr/local
sudo ./install.sh --uninstall  # removes it again

Runtime requirements: Python ≥ 3.10, NetworkManager, iw, iproute2. Recommended: hostapd + dnsmasq (needed for client management), and one of iptables/nftables/firewalld. Desktop app: see Desktop app.

pipx/pip users: sudo can't see ~/.local/bin. Install system-wide with sudo pipx install --global apsta (pipx ≥ 1.5), or use the packages above.

Usage

apsta detect                         # what can my card do?
sudo apsta start                     # start (keeps WiFi when the card allows it)
sudo apsta start --allow-disconnect  # also allow a mode that drops WiFi
sudo apsta stop
apsta status                         # --check: exit code only (0 running, 3 not)

sudo apsta enable                    # start at boot, recover after sleep (systemd/OpenRC/runit)
sudo apsta disable

Configuration

apsta config                              # show the active profile
sudo apsta config --set ssid=MyHotspot --set band=a
sudo apsta config --password-stdin        # prompts; nothing ends up in shell history
sudo apsta config --generate-password
sudo apsta config --show-password

apsta profile list
sudo apsta profile create travel
sudo apsta profile use travel

Settings: ssid, password, band (bg = 2.4 GHz, a = 5 GHz), channel (used only when the hotspot doesn't have to follow your WiFi channel) and interface (auto by default). Configuration lives in /etc/apsta/ and passwords in the root-only /etc/apsta/secrets.json.

Clients (hostapd mode)

apsta clients                               # connected stations with IP/hostname
sudo apsta clients disconnect phone         # by hostname, IP or MAC
sudo apsta clients disconnect phone --block # and keep it out
sudo apsta clients unblock aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff
sudo apsta clients limit 192.168.42.17 8000 # Kbps, upload and download
sudo apsta clients unlimit 192.168.42.17

Scripting

status, detect, config, clients and start accept --json. See docs/json-output.md for the keys and exit codes.

apsta status --json | jq -r '.clients[].ip'

Desktop app

Open Hotspot (apsta) from your app menu, or run apsta-gtk.

• Hotspot: one button to start/stop, whether you're still connected to your WiFi, connection details, a profile switcher, and Share: a QR code phones can scan, plus the password.
• Devices: everything connected, with a menu per device to limit its speed, disconnect it, or block it. Blocked devices can be unblocked here.
• Settings: network name, password, band, interface, profiles, Start automatically (boot + recovery after sleep), and what your WiFi card supports.

The window adapts to its size (tabs move to the bottom on narrow windows), and follows your light/dark preference. Shortcuts: Ctrl+R or F5 refresh, Ctrl+Q quit.

Starting, stopping and changing settings ask for your password through polkit. It's remembered for a few minutes, so you aren't asked on every click.

Requirements. The packages above install everything. From source, install your distribution's GTK bindings:

It works with libadwaita 1.1 / GTK 4.6 and newer, and uses newer libadwaita features when your system has them. CI checks it on Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora and Arch. python3-qrcode is optional; without it, Share shows the name and password only.

Shell completion

apsta completion bash | sudo tee /etc/bash_completion.d/apsta >/dev/null
apsta completion zsh  | sudo tee /usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_apsta >/dev/null
apsta completion fish | sudo tee /etc/fish/completions/apsta.fish >/dev/null

How it works

apsta start picks the first method that works on your machine:

On single-channel cards (most laptop chips) the hotspot has to use the same channel as your WiFi. apsta reads it from the live connection and refuses cases that can't work, such as DFS or 6 GHz channels, with an explanation. Many cards also can't host on some 5 GHz channels at all, so a hotspot can't start while your WiFi is on one of them; see docs/5ghz-wifi.md. Under apsta run/the service, the hotspot follows the connection when it changes channel.

See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the design.

Troubleshooting

• Won't start while connected to a 5 GHz network (e.g. a phone hotspot)? Your card can't host on that channel. Switch the network to 2.4 GHz, or see docs/5ghz-wifi.md for why and the other fixes.
• APSTA_DEBUG=1 sudo apsta start prints every step; privileged runs also log JSON lines to /var/log/apsta.log.
• The service's own log: journalctl -u apsta.
• In hostapd mode, journalctl -u apsta-hostapd -u apsta-dnsmasq shows the daemons' own logs.
• Wrong verdict from apsta detect? Please open an issue with apsta detect --json and iw phy phy0 info.

Desktop app:

• "No polkit authentication agent is running": your session has no agent to ask for the password. GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce start one; on i3/sway/Hyprland start one yourself, e.g. polkit-gnome or lxpolkit.
• "Not authorized": your account isn't an administrator (not in sudo / wheel).
• "apsta is not installed" window: the desktop app can't find the apsta command. Install the CLI (it's in the same package) or put it on PATH.
• Settings changes apply to the next start; stop and start the hotspot.

If your card can't do AP+STA, apsta recommend suggests USB adapters with in-kernel drivers that can (MediaTek mt7921au, mt7612u, mt7610u, mt7925u).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md. The test suite runs without root or WiFi hardware.

Security issues: see SECURITY.md.

License

MIT