Raising Awesome - Making an Pi Adhoc Wifi User Interface

One thing to note - Windows 10 no longer will connect to ad hoc networks. Don't know why they chose to stop, but they don't. It has something to do with new drivers for wifi. If you need to access the Pi terminal while in ad hoc mode, I use an iPhone app called Pi Helper to connect.

Step 1: Make a backup of your Pi's existing wifi profile:

sudo cp interfaces backup-interface

Step 2: Create an ad hoc interface

sudo nano adhoc-interface

Step 3: Paste this into the file

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet static
address 192.168.1.1
netmask 255.255.255.0
wireless-channel 4
wireless-essid MyPiAdHoc
wireless-mode ad-hoc
wireless-key YOURPASSWORD

Hold Ctrl+X, then tap Y and enter to save it.

Step 4: Install a DHCP Server

sudo apt-get install isc-dhcp-server

Press Y if prompted to do so. This will take a minute to install.

Step 5: Create a DHCPD Config File:

sudo nano /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf

ddns-update-style interim;
default-lease-time 600;
max-lease-time 7200;
authoritative;
log-facility local7;
subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 192.168.1.5 192.168.1.150;
}

Step 6: Set the Pi to Use the Ad Hoc Interface Profile

sudo cp /etc/network/adhoc-interface /etc/network/interfaces

Note: to set it back to your profile from step 1, do this:

sudo cp /etc/network/backup-interface /etc/network/interfaces

Step 7: Get My Example Web Server

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/RaisingAwesome/CardReader.git

Step 8: Set the Webserver to Run at Startup

crontab -e

Then put this in the file and save with CTRL-X:

@reboot python3 /home/pi/CardReader/cardreader.py

Step 9: Reboot and Connect with your phone!

Enter 192.168.1.1 in your phone's browser to connect to your webserver interface.

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Make a Mobile Phone UI for a Raspberry Pi