wifi-failover-utility 0.4.9

Automatic WiFi failover to Android hotspot with native app and lock/sleep detection

WiFi Failover Utility

Automatic failover from WiFi to Android hotspot. When your primary WiFi network loses internet connectivity, this utility automatically commands your Android phone to enable hotspot and connects your Mac to it—all without manual intervention.

┌─ Detect connectivity loss ─────────────┐
│  (macOS daemon polls WiFi every 30s)   │
│                                        │
├─ Post to Cloudflare Worker ───────────┤
│  (triggers hotspot command)            │
│                                        │
├─ Android app polls Worker ────────────┤
│  (native app, every 5 seconds)         │
│                                        │
├─ Phone enables hotspot ───────────────┤
│  (automatically via native app)        │
│                                        │
└─ Mac connects to hotspot ─────────────┘
   (using stored WiFi password)

Requirements

• macOS (tested on Big Sur+)
• Android phone (Android 11+) with WiFi Failover App (native app - see android-app/)
• Cloudflare account (free tier is sufficient)
• Python 3.8+

Quick Start

Option 1: Clone + uv run (Fastest - No Installation)

git clone https://github.com/dhruv-anand-aintech/wifi-failover-utility.git
cd wifi-failover-utility
uv run wifi_failover_setup.py

Uses isolated environment with inline dependencies (PEP 723).

Option 2: Install with pip (Most Compatible)

pip install wifi-failover-utility
wifi-failover setup

Option 3: Install with uv

uv pip install wifi-failover-utility
wifi-failover setup

All methods launch an interactive setup wizard that configures:

• Phone's hotspot SSID
• Cloudflare Worker URL & Secret
• Hotspot password (saved securely to Keychain)
• Optional daemon auto-start

Step 3: Deploy Cloudflare Worker (if you don't have one)

See CLOUDFLARE_SETUP.md for detailed instructions.

The Worker URL and secret will be used in the setup wizard.

Step 4: Install Android App

# Build and install the native app
cd android-app
./gradlew installDebug

# Or transfer the APK and install via adb
adb install android-app/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Setup on phone:

1. Open WiFi Failover app
2. Tap "Enable Device Admin" and grant permission
3. Enter Cloudflare Worker URL
4. Enter Worker Secret
5. Enter your hotspot SSID
6. Tap "Start Monitoring"
7. App will auto-start on device reboot

See android-app/README.md for detailed instructions.

Step 5: Start Monitoring

After setup completes, the daemon will start automatically.

Or start manually:

wifi-failover start     # Foreground (for testing)
wifi-failover daemon    # Background

Installation as Daemon

To run as a background service on Mac startup:

# Copy the launchd plist template
sudo cp launchd/com.wifi-failover.monitor.plist /Library/LaunchDaemons/

# Edit the plist with your username and paths
sudo nano /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.wifi-failover.monitor.plist

# Load it
sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.wifi-failover.monitor.plist

# Verify it's running
ps aux | grep wifi-failover

# Watch logs
tail -f /tmp/wifi-failover/monitor.log

Configuration

Configuration is stored in ~/.config/wifi-failover/config.json:

{
  "monitored_networks": ["901 EXT5G", "MyWiFi"],
  "hotspot_ssid": "Dhruv's iPhone",
  "worker_url": "https://wifi-failover.youraccount.workers.dev",
  "worker_secret": "your-random-secret-here"
}

Edit this file directly or rerun wifi-failover setup to reconfigure.

Commands

# Interactive setup (with option to start daemon)
wifi-failover setup

# Start monitoring in foreground (for testing)
wifi-failover start

# Start daemon in background
wifi-failover daemon

# Enable auto-start on login
wifi-failover enable-autostart

# Disable auto-start on login
wifi-failover disable-autostart

# Show current configuration and status
wifi-failover status

How It Works

macOS Daemon

• Runs continuously via launchd
• Checks WiFi network every 30 seconds
• Tests internet connectivity with ping to 8.8.8.8
• If 2+ consecutive failures: POSTs to Worker to enable hotspot
• Waits for hotspot to activate, then connects via networksetup
• If 3+ consecutive successes: disables hotspot command

Cloudflare Worker

• Stores state in KV storage (10-min TTL)
• POST /api/command/enable - Trigger hotspot
• POST /api/command/disable - Cancel hotspot
• GET /api/status - Check command status
• POST /api/acknowledge - Confirm action completed

Android (WiFi Failover App - Native)

• Runs as background WorkManager task every 5 seconds
• GETs /api/status to check if hotspot should be enabled
• Parses JSON response in Kotlin
• If daemon_status = "online": keeps hotspot disabled
• If daemon_status = "offline": enables hotspot automatically
• POSTs /api/acknowledge to confirm action
• Auto-starts on device boot via BootCompleteReceiver
• Respects lock/sleep detection from daemon (paused status)

Troubleshooting

Daemon not running

# Check status
ps aux | grep wifi-failover

# Check launchd status
sudo launchctl list | grep wifi-failover

# View logs
tail -f /tmp/wifi-failover/monitor.log

Hotspot not triggering (Android App)

• Verify "Start Monitoring" button shows "Stop Monitoring" (toggle is ON)
• Check battery optimization: Settings → Battery → App not restricted
• Check permissions: Settings → Apps → WiFi Failover → Permissions
• Check Device Admin permission is enabled
• Check logs: adb logcat | grep WiFiFailover
• Verify Worker URL and Secret are correct in app settings
• Test Worker manually: curl https://your-worker/health
• On Android 12+, some versions limit hotspot control (see limitations)

Can't connect to hotspot

• Verify password is stored in Keychain:

  security find-generic-password -wa "Dhruv's iPhone"
  

• Test manual connection first:

  networksetup -setairportnetwork en0 "Dhruv's iPhone" "your-password"
  

Worker not responding

curl https://your-worker/health
curl https://your-worker/api/status

File Structure

wifi-failover-utility/
├── wifi_failover/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── cli.py                  # Interactive CLI
│   ├── config.py               # Configuration management
│   └── monitor.py              # Main daemon logic
├── android-app/                # Native Android app
│   └── app/src/main/kotlin/
├── launchd/
│   └── com.wifi-failover.monitor.plist
├── src/
│   └── index.js                # Cloudflare Worker code
├── setup.py
├── README.md
├── CLOUDFLARE_SETUP.md
└── LICENSE

Security Notes

• Your Cloudflare Worker secret is stored in plaintext in the config file
• Store config file securely (it contains sensitive credentials)
• Consider rotating the secret periodically
• Don't commit config files to version control

Limitations

• Requires phone to be nearby (hotspot range ~30ft)
• If both networks fail, system can't help
• Hotspot password must be stored in macOS Keychain
• Android device must have internet to enable hotspot
• Some Android 12+ devices restrict hotspot control via WifiManager
• App polling every 5 seconds (battery usage ~1-2% per hour)

Development

# Clone and install in development mode
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/wifi-failover-utility.git
cd wifi-failover-utility
pip install -e .

# Run tests
pytest

# Build distribution
python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Submit a pull request

Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions:

• Open a GitHub issue
• Check Troubleshooting section
• Review CLOUDFLARE_SETUP.md for Worker deployment