Accessd - WiFi Router Snap for Ubuntu Core

Turn your mini PC into a WiFi router with this Ubuntu Core snap package.

Features

• WiFi Access Point: Create a WiFi network using hostapd
• DHCP Server: Automatic IP assignment with dnsmasq
• DNS Server: Built-in DNS forwarding
• NAT Routing: Share internet connection from WAN to WiFi clients
• Easy Configuration: Simple command-line configuration tool
• Status Monitoring: Check router status and connected clients
• Web Management UI: Browser-based router dashboard (default port 8080, configurable)
• Parental Controls: Per-device internet blocking (always-on or scheduled)

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu Core system or Ubuntu with snapd installed
• Mini PC with at least two network interfaces:
  • One for WAN (internet connection) - typically eth0
  • One WiFi adapter for LAN (access point) - typically wlan0
• WiFi adapter that supports AP mode (check with iw list)

Building the Snap

# Install snapcraft if not already installed
sudo snap install snapcraft --classic

# Build the snap
cd wifi-router-snap
snapcraft

# This will create a .snap file (e.g., accessd_1.0_amd64.snap)

Installation

On Ubuntu Core

# Copy the snap to your Ubuntu Core device
scp accessd_*.snap user@ubuntu-core-device:~

# SSH into the device
ssh user@ubuntu-core-device

# Install the snap
sudo snap install --dangerous accessd_*.snap

# Connect required interfaces
sudo snap connect accessd:firewall-control
sudo snap connect accessd:network-control
sudo snap connect accessd:network-setup-control
sudo snap connect accessd:network-bind

On Regular Ubuntu

# Install the snap
sudo snap install --dangerous accessd_*.snap

# Connect required interfaces
sudo snap connect accessd:firewall-control
sudo snap connect accessd:network-control
sudo snap connect accessd:network-setup-control
sudo snap connect accessd:network-bind

Configuration

Initial Setup

Before starting the router, configure your network settings:

# Set WiFi network name and password
sudo accessd.configure --ssid "MyWiFiNetwork" --password "SecurePassword123"

# Set WiFi channel (optional, default is 6)
sudo accessd.configure --channel 11

# Configure network interfaces (if different from defaults)
sudo accessd.configure --wan-interface eth0 --lan-interface wlan0

# Set custom LAN IP and DHCP range (optional)
sudo accessd.configure --lan-ip 192.168.1.1 \
  --dhcp-start 192.168.1.100 \
  --dhcp-end 192.168.1.200

View Current Configuration

accessd.configure --show

Optional Snap Settings

# Move AccessD UI to another port (example: keep 8080 free for Pi-hole)
sudo snap set accessd web-ui.port=8090

# Run AccessD dnsmasq in DHCP-only mode (disable DNS listener on :53)
sudo snap set accessd dns.port=0

# Advertise DNS server to clients (for Pi-hole on the same box)
sudo snap set accessd dns.server=192.168.50.1

Configuration Options

Option	Description	Default
--ssid	WiFi network name	WiFiRouter
--password	WiFi password (min 8 chars)	changeme123
--channel	WiFi channel (1-13)	6
--wan-interface	Internet-facing interface	eth0
--lan-interface	WiFi interface	wlan0
--lan-ip	Router IP address	192.168.50.1
--dhcp-start	DHCP range start	192.168.50.100
--dhcp-end	DHCP range end	192.168.50.200

Usage

Start the Router

# The daemon starts automatically after installation
# To restart after configuration changes:
sudo snap restart accessd

Open Web UI

Once installed, the management interface is available at:

http://<router-ip>:8080

If web-ui.port is set, use that port instead.

Default login:

• Username: admin
• Password: current WiFi password from router.conf (or admin12345 fallback)

Use the web console to:

• Update SSID, password, channel, and interface settings
• View connected DHCP clients
• Create parental control rules by MAC address
• Apply always-on or time-based internet blocking

Check Status

accessd.status

This will show:

• Current configuration
• Network interface status
• Running services (hostapd, dnsmasq)
• IP forwarding and NAT status
• Connected clients

Stop the Router

sudo snap stop accessd

View Logs

sudo snap logs accessd -f

Troubleshooting

WiFi adapter not found

Check available wireless interfaces:

ip link show
iw dev

WiFi adapter doesn't support AP mode

Check capabilities:

iw list | grep "Supported interface modes" -A 8

Look for AP in the list.

Router not forwarding traffic

Check IP forwarding:

cat /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward

Check NAT rules:

sudo iptables -t nat -L -n -v

WiFi blocked by rfkill

sudo rfkill unblock wifi

Can't connect to WiFi

1. Check if hostapd is running: accessd.status
2. Check logs: sudo snap logs accessd
3. Verify password is at least 8 characters
4. Try a different channel

No internet on connected devices

1. Verify WAN interface has internet: ping -I eth0 8.8.8.8
2. Check NAT rules: sudo iptables -t nat -L -n
3. Verify IP forwarding is enabled
4. Check DNS: accessd.configure --show

Run AccessD with Pi-hole

Use AccessD for AP/NAT/DHCP and Pi-hole for DNS filtering:

# AccessD web UI on 8090, Pi-hole can keep 8080
sudo snap set accessd web-ui.port=8090

# DHCP only in AccessD dnsmasq, free :53 for Pi-hole
sudo snap set accessd dns.port=0
sudo snap set accessd dns.server=192.168.50.1

sudo snap restart accessd.web-ui accessd.dnsmasq
sudo snap start pi-hole-snap.pihole-ftl

Network Diagram

Internet
   |
   | (WAN Interface - eth0)
   |
[Mini PC Router]
   |
   | (LAN Interface - wlan0)
   |
WiFi Clients (192.168.50.100-200)

Security Notes

• Change the default password: The default password "changeme123" is not secure
• Use WPA2: The snap uses WPA2-PSK encryption by default
• Firewall: Consider adding additional iptables rules for security
• Updates: Keep the snap and Ubuntu Core updated

Advanced Configuration

Custom iptables Rules

The snap sets up basic NAT. For custom firewall rules, you can add them after the router starts:

# Example: Block specific ports
sudo iptables -A FORWARD -p tcp --dport 25 -j DROP

Performance Tuning

For better performance with many clients, you can adjust hostapd settings by modifying the configuration in:

/var/snap/accessd/common/config/hostapd.conf

Then restart: sudo snap restart accessd

Uninstallation

sudo snap remove accessd

Development

Local Web UI Preview (npm)

You can run the RaspAP-based management UI directly during development without building a snap:

npm run webui

This runs the vendored UI from external/accessd.webui/. You can also call it explicitly:

npm run webui:raspap

Notes:

• webui:raspap requires php on your machine.
• It serves on http://127.0.0.1:8090 by default.
• Default login (when no accessd.auth exists): admin / secret.

Or bind only to localhost:

npm run webui:local

Then open:

http://127.0.0.1:8090

For local preview, runtime data is stored in .dev/snap-common/.

Local Web UI Service (npm, no Docker)

Run the UI in the background and manage it like a local service:

# Start service
npm run webui:service:start

# Start service on localhost explicitly
npm run webui:service:start:local

# Check service status
npm run webui:service:status

# View recent logs
npm run webui:service:logs

# Follow logs live
npm run webui:service:logs:follow

# Restart / stop
npm run webui:service:restart
npm run webui:service:stop

Preview URL (localhost mode):

http://localhost:8090

File Structure

wifi-router-snap/
├── docs/                   # Detailed documentation
│   ├── ARCHITECTURE.md     # System architecture overview
│   └── BACKEND_API.md      # Backend API specification (v1)
├── snapcraft.yaml          # Snap manifest
├── scripts/
│   ├── api-server.py       # FastAPI backend server
│   ├── api/modules/        # Internal backend modules
│   ├── router-daemon       # Main router daemon
│   ├── configure           # Configuration tool
│   └── status              # Status monitoring
└── README.md               # This file

Contributing

Feel free to modify and improve this snap for your specific needs!

License

This snap configuration is provided as-is for educational and practical use.

Support

For issues specific to:

• hostapd: See hostapd documentation
• dnsmasq: See dnsmasq documentation
• Ubuntu Core: See Ubuntu Core documentation
• Snap packaging: See snapcraft.io documentation