Running the unit as a Wi-Fi hotspot

Where there is no network infrastructure, the unit can be its own access point. TAK devices join the hotspot and receive detections; the unit can still reach a TAK Server or the internet over Ethernet at the same time.

Important The hotspot runs on the unit’s internal Wi-Fi interface, wlan0. Never use the detection Wi-Fi adapter for hotspot or client mode — it must stay in monitor mode or Wi-Fi Remote ID detection stops.

Check whether a hotspot already exists

Most kits ship with one configured. Check first, and if it is there, start it:

nmcli connection show | grep -i hotspot
sudo nmcli connection up WarDragon-Hotspot

If the first command returns nothing, create one.

Create the hotspot

sudo nmcli connection add \
 type wifi \
 ifname wlan0 \
 con-name "WarDragon-Hotspot" \
 autoconnect no \
 ssid "WarDragon" \
 mode ap \
 ipv4.method shared \
 ipv4.addresses "192.168.12.1/24" \
 wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk \
 wifi-sec.psk "YourSecurePassword"

Set the band — 2.4 GHz gives the widest client compatibility — then start it and enable it at boot:

sudo nmcli connection modify "WarDragon-Hotspot" wifi.band bg wifi.channel 6
sudo nmcli connection modify "WarDragon-Hotspot" connection.autoconnect yes
sudo nmcli connection up "WarDragon-Hotspot"
nmcli device status

Clients receive addresses in 192.168.12.0/24. The unit is always 192.168.12.1 and acts as gateway and DNS.

Change the passphrase

sudo nmcli connection modify "WarDragon-Hotspot" wifi-sec.psk "NewSecurePassword"

Note Avoid unusual characters in the passphrase. Passphrase mismatch is the most common reason clients cannot connect.

Hotspot plus Ethernet

Recommended for field use. TAK devices connect over the hotspot while the unit reaches a TAK Server or the internet over its Ethernet port. Address translation is automatic — nothing to configure beyond bringing both up:

sudo nmcli connection up "Wired connection 2"
sudo nmcli connection up "WarDragon-Hotspot"
nmcli device status

Receiving detections on the hotspot

Multicast is sent on every active interface and rechecked about every 30 seconds, so a device that joins the hotspot is picked up automatically. Set the TAK device to the multicast address in Sending detections to ATAK, iTAK, and WinTAK by multicast.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Action
Hotspot will not start	Interface in use	Stop other Wi-Fi connections on `wlan0`
Clients cannot connect	Passphrase mismatch	Verify the passphrase; avoid unusual characters
Client gets no address	DHCP not running	`sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager`
No internet through the unit	Forwarding disabled	`cat /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward` should return 1

The hotspot profile is worth backing up before an update; see Software and SDR firmware updates.

WarDragon User Guide, Section 5.3 — Wi-Fi hotspot
WarDragon User Guide, Section 5.4 — hotspot plus Ethernet
WarDragon User Guide, Section 10.5 — network and hotspot troubleshooting

WarDragon is manufactured by Millenium Products Inc. Technical support for purchased kits is requested through the support page. Purchasing and quote requests go through the contact form.