Self Access Point: Rebooting because no network

[rdb9879]

Preliminary Docs

I confirm that I have read the CONTRIBUTING guide before opening this issue.

I confirm that I have read the FAQ before opening this issue.

motionEyeOS Version

I am running motionEyeOS version: dev20201026

Board Model

I am using the following board/model: Raspberry PI 3B+

Camera

I am using the following type of camera: Simple MJPEG Camera.

My camera model is: Raspberry Pi Camera Rev 1.3

Network Connection

My motionEyeOS unit is connected to the network via: WiFi

I am trying to do a headless install to generate its own WiFi Access Point (no wired or other WiFi connections). I've copied the hostapd.conf and dnsmasq.conf verbatim from https://github.com/motioneye-project/motioneyeos/wiki/WiFi-Access-Point and changed "wlan0" to "ap0" per the instructions. It ends up in an infinite boot loop complaining that there is no wired or wireless connection. I tried creating a wpa_supplicant.conf file to connect to its own ssid using the ssid and passphrase from hostapd.conf, but I get "failed (brcmfmac)."

What are the correct steps to install MotionEyeOS in headless mode, to create its own Access Point? I will ultimately have a tablet connect to its generated WiFi network and view the fast network cam in a web browser.

[starbasessd]

Did you also add the files: static_ip.conf and os.conf also?

[rdb9879]

I did not. Do you have an example file that would be relevant for Access Point?

[starbasessd]

AP files.zip

[rdb9879]

Thanks for the files. Just so I'm clear: I do or do not need to include wpa_supplicant.conf?

[starbasessd]

You do not need wpa_supplicant.conf if you pre-load the files I gave (edit as needed) in the /boot partition before first boot.

[rdb9879]

Reburned a new image, and before ejecting the SD card, I put your exact files on but it's still stuck in a reboot loop. I'm seeing:

Preparing AP interfaces: ap0 Starting hostapd: done (brcmfmac) Configuring wired network: no link panic: rebooting in 20 seconds (caused by network)

Any other suggetions?

[starbasessd]

What base image are you using, and how are you burning it to the SDCard?
This image?
Do not use RPi Imager, use Win32Disk Imager (preferred Windows) or Balena Etcher, or dd.

[starbasessd]

I just tested, and it works on a Pi3B on a 16GB SDCard, using the Win32DiskImager, and the files above.

[rdb9879]

Yes, that was the exact image I used, and I did indeed use Win32Disk Imager, and I unzipped your AP Files.zip and copy and pasted them onto the burnt image. I'm going to try a different RPI tomorrow, maybe the WiFi chip has died (I've had other RPI 3's have their WiFi chips die).

[starbasessd]

Does it work with a regular image (Raspbian 10, 11, or 12) and your wpa_supplicant.conf file to connect to your home wifi??? If yes, then it's not the wifi chip.

[rdb9879]

I rolled back to the version I had the most experience with (20190119) and managed to get the AP working again. So it's not a hardware issue, and I have no idea why you were successful with dev20201026 and I was not, being I copied and pasted your exact files. Did you have a physical Ethernet Cable plugged in? (I did not)

[starbasessd]

@rdb9879 no, just the standard wifi, no ethernet.

[rdb9879]

Well I have it working with the older version so I need to move on with my project. Probably won't be debugging anymore at this time. Thanks for your help