nm-hotspot-cli

Simple command-line tool to create and manage Wi-Fi hotspots using NetworkManager.

Features

• Simple and fast hotspot creation with a single command
• NetworkManager integration using nmcli
• Configuration management with persistent settings
• Status monitoring for active hotspots
• Colored terminal output for better readability
• WPA2 password protection
• Support for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands

Requirements

• Arch Linux (or any Linux distribution)
• NetworkManager
• A wireless network interface that supports AP mode

Project Structure

nm-hotspot-cli/
├── src/
│   └── nm-hotspot          # Main executable script
├── scripts/
│   ├── install.sh          # Installation script
│   └── uninstall.sh        # Uninstallation script
├── docs/
│   ├── CONTRIBUTING.md     # Contribution guidelines
│   ├── QUICKREF.md         # Quick reference guide
│   └── HACKTOBERFEST_ISSUES.md  # Issue templates
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/          # CI/CD workflows
├── Makefile                # Build and install targets
├── PKGBUILD                # Arch Linux package build file
├── .SRCINFO                # AUR metadata
├── LICENSE                 # MIT License
└── README.md               # This file

Installation

From AUR (Arch Linux)

Coming soon - PKGBUILD included in repository.

Using Make

git clone https://github.com/HiddenKeyDev/nm-hotspot-cli.git
cd nm-hotspot-cli
sudo make install

To uninstall:

sudo make uninstall

Quick Install Script

git clone https://github.com/HiddenKeyDev/nm-hotspot-cli.git
cd nm-hotspot-cli
chmod +x scripts/install.sh
./scripts/install.sh

For system-wide installation (requires sudo):

sudo ./scripts/install.sh

Manual Installation

chmod +x src/nm-hotspot
cp src/nm-hotspot ~/.local/bin/nm-hotspot
# Or for system-wide: sudo cp src/nm-hotspot /usr/local/bin/nm-hotspot

Install Dependencies (Arch Linux)

sudo pacman -S networkmanager
sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager
sudo systemctl start NetworkManager

Usage

Basic Commands

# Show help
nm-hotspot help

# Create a hotspot with default settings
nm-hotspot create

# Create a hotspot with custom settings
nm-hotspot create -s MyNetwork -p MyPassword123

# Create and save configuration as default
nm-hotspot create -s MyNetwork -p MyPassword123 --save

# Start existing hotspot
nm-hotspot start

# Stop the hotspot
nm-hotspot stop

# Check hotspot status
nm-hotspot status

# List available wireless devices
nm-hotspot list

# Show current configuration
nm-hotspot config

# View logs
nm-hotspot log

# View last 50 log entries
nm-hotspot log --tail 50

# Clear log file
nm-hotspot log --clear

Command Options

create - Create and start a new hotspot

• -s, --ssid SSID - Set hotspot name (default: MyHotspot)
• -p, --password PASS - Set password (min 8 characters, default: 12345678)
• -b, --band BAND - Set band: bg (2.4GHz) or a (5GHz) (default: bg)
• --save - Save settings as default configuration

start - Start the existing hotspot connection

stop - Stop the active hotspot

status - Show current hotspot status and details

list - List all available wireless devices

config - Display saved configuration

log - Show log entries

• --tail N - Show last N log entries (default: 20)
• --clear - Clear the log file

Examples

Example 1: Quick Hotspot

# Create a hotspot with default settings
nm-hotspot create
# SSID: MyHotspot, Password: 12345678

Example 2: Custom Configuration

# Create a 5GHz hotspot with custom name and password
nm-hotspot create -s "Coffee-Shop-WiFi" -p "SecurePass2024" -b a

Example 3: Save Configuration

# Create and save as default
nm-hotspot create -s "MyHomeNetwork" -p "MySecurePassword" --save

# Later, just use:
nm-hotspot start

Example 4: Check Status

nm-hotspot status

Output:

=== Hotspot Status ===
Status: ACTIVE
SSID: MyHomeNetwork
Band: bg (2.4GHz)
Device: wlan0

Configuration

Configuration is stored in ~/.config/nm-hotspot/hotspot.conf

Example configuration file:

# nm-hotspot configuration
SSID="MyHotspot"
PASSWORD="12345678"
BAND="bg"

# Logging settings
ENABLE_LOGGING=true
LOG_PRIVACY=false

Logging

The logging system helps you troubleshoot issues and maintain an audit trail of hotspot operations.

Enable logging:

Edit ~/.config/nm-hotspot/hotspot.conf and add:

ENABLE_LOGGING=true

Log file location: ~/.config/nm-hotspot/nm-hotspot.log

Log entries include:

• Timestamp
• Action performed (create, start, stop)
• SSID used (unless privacy mode is enabled)
• Success/failure status
• Error messages if any

Example log output:

[2024-10-06 14:30:15] INFO: Creating hotspot - Band: bg - SSID: MyHotspot
[2024-10-06 14:30:16] SUCCESS: Hotspot created successfully - SSID: MyHotspot
[2024-10-06 14:35:22] INFO: Stopping hotspot
[2024-10-06 14:35:23] SUCCESS: Hotspot stopped
[2024-10-06 14:40:10] ERROR: Failed to create hotspot - No wireless device found

Privacy mode:

To avoid logging sensitive information like SSIDs, enable privacy mode:

LOG_PRIVACY=true

Log rotation:

The log file is automatically rotated when it exceeds 1MB. The old log is saved as nm-hotspot.log.old.

Troubleshooting

Hotspot won't start

1. Check if your wireless adapter supports AP mode:

iw list | grep -A 10 "Supported interface modes"

Look for AP in the output.

2. Make sure NetworkManager is running:

systemctl status NetworkManager

3. Check for conflicts with other network services:

nmcli device status

No wireless device found

Ensure your wireless adapter is detected:

nm-hotspot list

Password issues

Password must be at least 8 characters long for WPA2 security.

Uninstallation

./scripts/uninstall.sh

This will remove the nm-hotspot script and optionally remove configuration files.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. This project participates in Hacktoberfest.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Author

HiddenKeyDev

Support

If you encounter issues or have questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check existing issues for solutions
• Submit pull requests for improvements